The Dance of the Generations

“Mentors and apprentices are partners in an ancient human dance . . . the dance of the spiraling generations, in which the old empower the young with their experience and the young empower the old with new life, reweaving the fabric of the human community as they touch and turn.” 


—Parker J. Palmer
American author, educator, activist[Read More]

Written by eldering at Fearless Aging

Tagged with: community empower generations old young

Elders and the Environment - Part 2

By Shae Hadden

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According to Dr. David Suzuki, “it is not progress to use up the rightful legacy of our children and grandchildren.” He opened the first Elders and the Environment Forum on Monday in Vancouver, Canada with a keynote address that focused on the role of elders in the environmental movement and how we can make a difference:[Read More]

Written by eldering at News

Tagged with: david_suzuki elders environment future generations relationship

Family Conversation

By Jim Selman | Bio

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Last evening we were having a lively family conversation about life in general and Eldering in particular. We talked about whether there is, in fact, a ‘generational divide’ and, if so, what can we say about it. To my surprise, my children and my son’s girlfriend all felt that there was less of a divide in the minds of people their age than in the minds of people my age. I asked the question, “What do young men and women talk to each other about that you would be reluctant to talk about with people our age?” What they said is that reluctance to have a particular conversation or to be open has more to do with the culture of the participants than with their age. They all agreed that they are more ‘open’ and authentic in urban West Coast types of circumstances than when they travel to the Midwest or the South.[Read More]

Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
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Tagged with: communication conversation eldering family generations

Brave Nation

Brave Nation, an interesting five-part documentary series about committed individuals—both young and old—who are changing the world, is now available for online viewing. Each documentary includes conversations about areas of common concern between two generations, and include these notable environmentalists, human rights activists, artists and journalists:

• Pete Seeger with Majora Carter,
  
• Tom Hayden with Naomi Klein,
  
• Anthony Romero with Ava Lowery,
  
• Bonnie Raitt with Dolores Huerta, and
  
• Carl Pope with Van Jones.

[Read More]

Written by eldering at News

Tagged with: activists documentary environmentalists generations

Multigenerational or Intergenerational?

   By Shae Hadden | Bio

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Traditionally, a generation was defined as the time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring (about 30 years). Recently, however, a more accurate definition would be a group of people born and shaped by a particular span of time. The eras of Generations X, Y and Z span much less than two decades each. And every generation experiences life from a different perspective including changing societal values, technologies and career options. These different perspectives are very apparent  when we communicate with each other.

[Read More]

Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action

Tagged with: collaboration generations intergenerational language multigenerational

Boys of Boise

   By Jim Selman | Bio

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A long time ago (in the late 60s I think). I read a book by John Gerassi called The Boys of Boise, Furor, Vice and Folly in an American City. Basically, it was a shocking journalistic reporting of how a city’s fears can create a kind of mass paranoia. Boise, Idaho isn’t quite the Wild West, but to this day it has a kind of ‘cowboy’ feeling about it. In the 1960s, same-sex anything (other than drinking and football) was something that just didn’t happen. You’d rather be a Red than Gay in those days—long before “Brokeback Mountain”. The book chronicles what happens when Time magazine reports that Boise is a mecca for homosexuals in America. The bottom line is that anyone and everyone was a suspect, the City hired a Gestapo-type investigator, and McCarthy-like prosecutions followed. If you want the details, get the book. I am reminded of this because to my shock and dismay, I read recently that child protection measures in the UK will be expanded with the implementation in 2009 of the Independent Safeguarding Authority, which will increase the number of adults to be vetted by the criminal justice system to 11 million.[Read More]

Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action

Tagged with: child_protection elders generations legislation relationship

Fireworks 5000 for the Future

   By Lauren Selman | Bio

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10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, GO!!! At midnight, on July 3rd, over nine hundred runners started off on a midnight fourth of July run in Seattle. Among the runners were my uncle and I. As I stood in the crowd waiting to start, I saw runners of all ages. From nine-year-olds to 85-year-olds, all of us were crazy enough to be standing in Seattle at midnight in short shorts and tank tops. It go me thinking. Here we were, all humans of different ages, gathering around to run.

Now, this is nowhere near my first of this kind of run and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that very often multiple generations come together at sporting events.[Read More]

Written by eldering at Fearless Aging

Tagged with: ages commitment community generations inspiration integrity sports

Obama

Barack Obama’s speech to the United States and the world last week moved me more than any political oratory I can recall. It wasn’t just the content of the speech I found moving but the quality of human being that he showed us—a man willing to take a stand for his convictions and tell the truth about a subject that has been an ‘elephant head on the table’ for decades. He will have my vote and whatever the maximum financial contribution allowed is to support his campaign. I was also impressed by the fact that many of the most positive comments after the speech came from conservative pundits.[Read More]

Written by eldering at Leadership

Tagged with: dialogue generations leader obama racism

Intergenerational Friendships

"When you find the right person, age doesn't matter."

Intergenerational relationships are not a thing of the past. They are actually alive and well in North America. There is good coverage of the many people who work and volunteer helping seniors. However, reports like this one out of Tennessee show that women developing friendships across generations can create a future not possible without intergenerational collaboration. Common interests, mutual respect, and caring are the foundations for invaluable friendships like these: relationships that cross the generation gap, embrace differences and accept each person as they are.

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Written by eldering at News
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Tagged with: age collaboration friendship generations

Bravo Brazil!

It’s almost springtime in Brazil. I was walking around in a t-shirt two days ago and almost froze to death this evening. The weather is one of the things I can count on to be unpredictable everywhere I go. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending upon your point of view), I don’t get outside much—mostly I am working inside with groups of people. Today I had two meetings with two groups and was struck by how similar conversations seem to be in this world of global business. Everyone seems to read the same business magazines, use the same buzzwords and have the same long list of concerns starting with how to stimulate growth while cutting costs. This is business—and it is the same around the world.

My business partner had her 51st birthday today. She is 8 years older than the next oldest person (other than myself) present in today’s meetings.

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Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
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Tagged with: age business collaborating eldering generations