By Don Arnoudse | Bio

My wife and I recently visited seacoast New Hampshire to celebrate our wedding anniversary. After leaving historic Union Chapel, the scene of our wedding 26 years ago, we were in a nostalgic mood as we drove into the center of Portsmouth. As we left the car to stroll through the town center, we heard quite a ruckus. To my surprise, the cause of all the commotion was a crowd of white-haired people holding signs in the town square and loudly shouting slogans in protest of the Iraq war.

I was immediately transported to those days in the late ‘60s when I was marching with my classmates in protest of the Vietnam War. We closed down Michigan State University in the spring of 1970 and spent our time in tents on the campus lawn engaged in intense discussions about politics and war. We sang protest songs along with Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. We erupted in fear and rage when a blood-covered young man ran into our Tent City and screamed out the news that he had just driven from Kent State where National Guard troops had killed student protesters. We were engaged, we cared, we took action, and we did it all as part of a dedicated community of people. We bonded, we had marathon debates, we challenged and provoked each other, we took courage from each other as we faced the authorities on and off the campus. It was intense, it was tumultuous…it was the ‘60s!

As I watched those aging protestors in Portsmouth, I realized how much I cherished the fierce sense of connection I felt with my peers back then in my college days: connection fueled by the passion we felt for our country and the issues of war and peace in our world. It was a time when I felt very alive. Now, it’s the ‘60s again. Only this time, it’s us who are in our 60s (or close to it). We’ve spent the past forty years living our lives, making a living, raising kids, paying the mortgage, and doing the best we could to be good citizens in our local communities. Some of us have stayed in touch. Others have moved on. Some of us have died.

Now we’re well into the second half of our lives and I’m beginning to realize that I am “imprinted” with those experiences of community activism from long ago. I want, once again, to focus on the big concerns facing our world—the environment, war and peace, hunger, the education of our children, and on and on. And I don’t want it to be a lonely quest. I don’t want to just write out checks or volunteer on my own to help a cause. I want to be a part of passionate, purpose-driven communities of people in the second half of life, who, like me, yearn for strong connection with like-minded people at this stage of life. I want to put to use all that I have learned in my first half, the resources I have generated, the wisdom I have gained from experience. And to put it to use in a way that leaves a better world for my children and (someday) grandchildren.

So, help me out here. How many of you were “imprinted” in your first half with an experience of strong community “bonding”? How many of you also want your 60s (and beyond) to include community with other “new elders” committed to making a difference on the world’s big problems? What are you doing to make it happen? What do you need to support you in doing this? Please take a moment to respond by commenting on this blog. Thank you.

Written by admin at Leadership

Tagged with: community connection elders peace protesters war