Well, IMVHO the issue is not a matter of age (38 myself) but about education: ruling classes formed schools to produce the kind of Citizens they want, witch was the goal when reforms was set, but things change and most people are formed to be unable to adapt because if you are in power you want to hold your position so the ideal society you try to achieve is one frozen with you in power. As a results every ruling class demand conformism and conformism demand "stability" and stability means in general being unable to change.<p>Long story short most of the people are born in a model, have absorbed that and are unable to move. When the time passes we need to change and the "old" generations are simply from another time, unable to be citizens of the present.<p>The current state of thing is a previous generation born on high growth after a world war, in a high competitive society, a society with strong emotions but also oppression, younger generations are born in a degrading society with much less vivid emotions but much more cooperation, so it's normal to have inter-generational issues where the old generation fear to loose a competition because they ware grown as running horses, if you stop you are dead, while the younger one do not understand why they are so harsh and focused. Back then to keep people subjugated in a fast growing world the rule was "always do the same, trust the system" (at least in most EU) while today the rule is "always doubt and reason on anything, be ready to change" because we are in a degrading society who need to change to reborn.<p>Unfortunately while most people are kind and honest, most are also mentally unable to evolve and that's why we derail, the world change, the population strive to avoid the change instead of do their best to direct it.