Philatelists are well aware of how interests change throughout life. The games of childhood give way to the pressures and duties of adulthood which in turn meld into the aspirations of old age. Most collectors have seen this. They collected as kids, found their interest in philately wain during their active work and parenting years and saw their collecting take on new life and vigor as they aged. This has always been the pattern for hobbies, and for philately in particular. The interests of older people are different than the interests of younger people. And what has long been obvious to those of us in stamps is now increasingly a socio-economic problem in our country. Before the days of Social Security and Medicare, the issues of elderly people was usually the problems of their family and so solutions were sought to benefit all. The social programs of the last 75 years have decoupled the interests of the generations. Younger people need more expansionary economic policies to produce more jobs and growth, more money for education and job training whereas these budget busting measures are in opposition to the strict economic interest of pensioners who want no inflation and low government deficits (as long as their benefits are paid).
This dichotomy of interest between young and old is a new dilemma for our society. But it is one that stamp collectors have always faced (and done so pretty well) in the relationship between the ages that have populated our hobby. Most philatelist have always encouraged the young in their collecting, partly out of self interest-who will we sell our stamps to if there are no new collectors- and partly out of a sense of altruism-the benefits of a calm intellectual hobby. Most collectors understand that society is all about pay backs and pay forwards and helping the next generation is a way of thanking our parents and those that helped us. And when society in general applies these lessons that stamp collectors have learned and integrated, we will have gone along way towards solving what may prove to be our most divisive social problem.
This dichotomy of interest between young and old is a new dilemma for our society. But it is one that stamp collectors have always faced (and done so pretty well) in the relationship between the ages that have populated our hobby. Most philatelist have always encouraged the young in their collecting, partly out of self interest-who will we sell our stamps to if there are no new collectors- and partly out of a sense of altruism-the benefits of a calm intellectual hobby. Most collectors understand that society is all about pay backs and pay forwards and helping the next generation is a way of thanking our parents and those that helped us. And when society in general applies these lessons that stamp collectors have learned and integrated, we will have gone along way towards solving what may prove to be our most divisive social problem.