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Mr. Eric Friesen (BA 1967)

Life Lesson #7

Life Lesson #7 - Respect the Young. Honour the Young. This is a principle I saw in all my best teachers here. Men and women of greater age and experience and wisdom having a generous tolerance for the rawness of youth. When I look back, I’m amazed at how much time my professors had for me, for my ideas, my questions, my opinions. I must admit – when it came time for me to have my own kids and especially when they became teenagers, this was a great challenge for me – to respect the young, to let them make their own way, their own mistakes. I’ve really tried to reform in this respect, especially now as I work with men and women much younger than I am. But it’s so important – not to be dismissive of 18, 19, 20 year olds as they leave home and breath the free and heady air of a university environment. I’m profoundly grateful that many of my professors had that generosity, took me seriously, even when it must have really tested their patience…

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