Haha, you are such a nice and kind person to be thinking of these things so deeply and clearly.

As for the age thing... I work in an environment where I sometimes have to be the leader of people or come into opposition of people who are also the same age as my father or much older than me. But it is my job to resist their opinions when they are wrong.

Even my own boss's!

I think that there are stages of "growing up" that happens after we become adults that nobody talks to us about. I see some of those things in adults of a variety of ages that have NOT passed those stages and are stuck in one sort of mindset.

Well, I hope you find peace in the way that you work through this last occurrence, but all I can tell you is that you can be respectful but still choose your own side. You are allowed to do that.