Arrogance of Youth

Inflated confidence,
Youthful wisdom untried by time.
Experiences far beyond the age.
Like the North star, beliefs guide through the ravages of life,
Some survive, unchanged, some die a necessary death.
Eight decades gone by.
A life not planned by years but directed by feelings.
Feeling and responding to the moment.
Kept upright by a core of purpose
Resembling the tensile strength of lead.
Some ideas that stemmed from the arrogance of youth
Stood the test of time.
Will the scale of balances show value?