But I don't think that age alone has ever bestowed wisdom or its components knowledge and experience.

What price knowledge?

Not much these days I would hazard to suggest - and I'm not in the first flush of youth myself.

It seems to me that technology's march is accelerating so quickly that learned skills are almost redundant the moment they are acquired.

In the future we may judged not on what we know but the ease with which we can absorb new training.

Experience - the ability to learn life's lessons and apply them appropriately - however is a moral, character-building process that cannot be fast-tracked.

Let's take the example of meeting a new GP for the first time. I've no doubt my parents would have hoped the new doctor was an older person believing that with his or her age had come knowledge. My children who are in their 20s would I am sure prefer someone closer to their own years supposing they would be up-to-date with all the latest treatments.

Like Goldilocks I'm somewhere between the two positions.

My rule-of-thumb is providing they can do the job then age is immaterial. Age's advantage is that time increases the opportunity to gain experience.

Take my illustration of the new GP. Yes, you would want your new doctor to be knowledgeable about every drug and medical development. But you would also want to be consulting someone who had experience of life's pressures, its ups and downs.

Get plenty of bed rest isn't very helpful if you have young children or are worried about paying the rent. This insight is more likely to be found with an older rather younger person.

There is a lot to be said from gaining a degree at the University of Hard Knocks.