 By Stuart J Whitley | Bio
In
my last post I wondered about whether or not there was an ethic of
aging. Again, by ‘ethics’ I mean simply some general consensus or
agreement about what is good about the way we relate to one another.
This is a group or communal expression of belief, rather than an
individual or moral outlook. The distinction is thus simply drawn
between morals and ethics, terms which are often interposed. I should
be more explicit and ask whether there is a reasonable consensus around
obligations associated with the process of aging. One needs to be clear
about such things because there are many ethical issues relating to
this subject: the diminishment of worth of old people and their
relegation to institutional repositories, the abuse of the elderly, the
genetic or pharmaceutical tinkering with the aging process, and so on.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
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 By Stuart J. Whitley | Bio
About three years ago, I assisted an aboriginal woman elder with a
presentation she was doing for the media. She was trying to explain the
role of justice as conceived by the first peoples of this continent.
Paraphrasing her: first, she said, there is the sky over all of us,
then there is the water below. What takes our breath away when we look
to the rivers and the forests is the same thing that possesses us when
we think about the wonder inside our own bodies. As the moon compels
the oceans with forces we can feel (if not fully understand), so is
every atom of water linked one to the other in performing the essential
tasks that the living earth needs. A rainstorm in the mountains stirs
our blood. What we do to the pond in the slough where the horses graze,
we do to the world. As goes the fate of the smallest creek, goes the
fate of us all. All things are connected. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
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By Stu WhitleyBioThis is the first post in a three-part series.
O body swayed to music,
O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?
—W.B. Yeats (Among School Children)
I had lunch with an old friend, a Tlingit
elder, Harold, today. I’ve known Harold for nearly a dozen years. And I
know him to be a serious, thoughtful man; he’s someone who has taught
me many things, not the least of which was the powerful consequence of
even the smallest positive intervention in someone’s life. I have seen
it in action: Harold is the embodiment of Emerson’s dictum that it is
one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can
sincerely try to help another without helping himself…”serve and thou
shall be served”. Harold helped me, a lawyer, see love in a loveless
system. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Learning
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By Shae HaddenBio
How often do we take time to look a little closer at beautiful works of
art? To learn about the culture that shaped the images we see?
I recently had an opportunity to visit a unique gallery in my
community. Founded and run by a Canadian who is committed to bringing
Australian Aboriginal art created by women to North America, the Jan Townend Art Gallery
features paintings, textiles, weaving and basketry. The British art
critic John Ruskin once said, “All great art is the work of the whole
living creature, body and soul, and chiefly of the soul.” The powerful
paintings I saw at the gallery amply conveyed the soul of the
Aboriginal people—its beauty, strength and hidden meaning. The
deceptively simple style is grounded in a complex ceremonial tradition.
Consider that these people have no written languages, so their art is a
visual record, a way to communicate their history and culture: the
images help them tell their creation stories, their ‘dreamtime’, their
explanation of the world they live in. Pausing to view the creative
work of these women made me realize how my hectic, technology-driven
life has left me disconcertingly out of touch with my own soul. And in
speaking with Jan, I gained a greater understanding of what this art
means to the artists and their communities.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
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