An aunt of mine has often said, 'Youth is wasted on the young. 'This statement has aroused my interest for years. People usually smile when she says it, and I have always smiled, too. But I think I' m just now beginning to understand the meaning of the saying. Quite recently I thought how close in meaning it is to a statement Thornton Wolder made in his play Our Town. Toward the end of the play, Emily, one of the main characters in the play, says, 'I didn't realize. So all that was going on and we never noticed!... Do any human beings ever realize while they live it -- every ,every minute?' Older people, looking back, can appreciate youth, its real meaning and importance, but young people, while they are in the middle of their youth, never fully realize what they have. An older person recognizes his increasing age by making comparisons to his youth. 'I'm not as young as I was. Better slow down. 'he says to himself. The importance of youth, the energy and excitement of it, is realized only after it is gone. Thus, it seems to me my aunt is right. Youth is wasted on the young. Babies should be old and gray-haired when they' re born. Only after many years should they be permitted to enjoy their youth. By saying 'The youth is wasted on the youth' , the writer means that ______.