You can’t teach an old dog new tricks

Daily writing prompt

Share a proverb you think is completely wrong and make your case.

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I’ve never liked the proverb, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” In my opinion, it’s completely wrong.

Maybe that’s because my own life has shown me the exact opposite.

When I was younger, there was no internet, no eBay, no social media, and certainly no artificial intelligence. Yet over the years I learned all of those things. I built a successful eBay business, learned how to market online, started writing blogs, and now I’m even using AI to help me research ideas and organize my writing. Most of that didn’t even exist when I started my career.

At 68 years old, I’m still learning every day. I’m writing a family memoir for my grandchildren. I’m working on a science fiction novel. I spend time researching health, nutrition, supplements, investing, technology, and history. I ask questions constantly because I enjoy learning new things. If I had believed that old dogs can’t learn new tricks, I would have stopped growing a long time ago.

What I think is closer to the truth is this:

It’s not that old dogs can’t learn new tricks. It’s that some people stop wanting to learn them.

Age isn’t usually the problem. Pride is. Laziness is. Fear of change is. Some people decide they already know enough and close their minds to new ideas. The day that happens, they’re old, whether they’re 25 or 85.

I’ve met young people who stopped learning years ago. I’ve also met seniors who are curious about everything and seem younger than people half their age.

For me, curiosity has always been one of the keys to staying engaged in life. As long as I’m asking questions, learning new things, and challenging my own assumptions, I don’t feel old at all.

So if I could rewrite that proverb, it would say:

“An old dog that stays curious can learn tricks a young dog never will.”