By Jim Selman | Bio
I have been making the
case that our country is trapped in a vicious cycle, analogous to
alcoholism or any addictive spiral that inevitably leads to ‘hitting
bottom’, and that we need a rigorous ‘recovery’ program. Our
Constitutional Democracy cannot work if our founding principles, the
Constitution itself , and the institutions responsible for sustaining it
are not aligned and functioning as a whole. In the ‘recovery’
literature and all 12-Step programs, the first and primary question to
resolve is “Where is the bottom?” Have we had enough of having enough?
Are we ready to acknowledge that the system is broken and we are
powerless to fix it? If we are, then we can begin the real journey to
recovery.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
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By Jim Selman | Bio
Socrates said that we don’t really have
wisdom until we learn to die. Cornell West said the same thing in the
acclaimed documentary Examined Life by Astra Taylor. When I
first became interested in aging and how our culture views ‘growing
older’ many years ago, I learned that, beyond a certain age, very few
people seem to be afraid of death. Some may be afraid of dying with
unfinished business, but we eventually reach a point when the fact of
our death is no longer such a big deal. The big question is when will
we face the fact that we will die?[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
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 By Shae Hadden | Bio
I’ve been looking for a way to be free all my
life. My entire search has, unfortunately, been focused on the
practical aspect of ‘holding on’ to whatever I thought would give me
freedom: a belief in some system or way of thinking, money,
possessions, favorite books that contained ideas that were
‘liberating’, any activity that loosened up my body and mind, people I
loved. But now almost nothing is certain in my life, and a deep desire
to let go of my attachments to everything and everyone propels me
forward.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
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By Shae Hadden | Bio
While waiting for the results of the U.S.
presidential election to come in, I was musing on what patience is and
how valuable it will be in the days ahead. Patience is the ability to
endure without complaint, to persevere when things get rough, to
tolerate without annoyance or provocation. Being patient is one way of
relating to our circumstances and to time that allows us to avoid being
victims. The way of patience is the way of surrender and
trust—surrender to ‘what is’ and trust that our intentions will unfold
in time. The American people have patiently endured this months-long
campaign…and, for the most part, have not been upset or annoyed with
the slow playing out of their democratic process.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at The Great Turning
Tagged with:
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 By Jim Selman | Bio
I don't think that age is personal. I know
it feels like it is 'me' that is getting older, but I don't experience
myself as older. If anything, I experience my 'self' as being 'better'
than at any time I can remember over the past 66 years. I feel more
'alive', more engaged, more present and more satisfied than ever. It is
true that my body can’t run, wrestle or climb as easily as in the past.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
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aging
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By Shae Hadden | Bio
Believers
in the Law of Attraction, take heed! If you are afraid, don’t try to
resist your fear. If you do, then you will give more power to it and
end up attracting what you are afraid of. I know. I’ve just experienced
my worst fear: of being very sick, alone, and uncertain about what is
happening.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
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I don't think that age is personal. I know it feels like it is 'me'
that is getting older, but I don't experience myself as older. If
anything, I experience my 'self' as being 'better' than at any time I
can remember over the past 66 years. I feel more 'alive', more engaged,
more present and more satisfied than ever. It is true that my body
can’t run, wrestle or climb as easily as in the past. I make love more
often than in the best moments of my youth and, best of all, I am
experienced enough to enjoy it more. While age is always relative, I
can't really think of anything about being my age that isn't wonderful.
Moreover, I am looking forward to every day being the best yet.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
acceptance
age
aging
appreciation
choice
control
denial
resist
surrender
If I could give one gift to my children, I think it would be
“acceptance”. It isn’t too hard to understand intellectually that we
should simply accept life on life’s terms and not try to control what
we can’t really control. Yet, it’s a hard lesson to learn. I think not
accepting may be the source of most, if not all, suffering. When we
live with the view that reality ‘should be’ other than it is, we are
living in a dream (at best) and a state of self-deception and denial
(at worst). Not accepting throws us into a relationship with the world
in which we must either control our environment or cope with
circumstances we consider beyond our control.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
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By Shae Hadden | Bio
There’s a place near Fort McLeod in Alberta that goes by this odd name…the Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump world heritage site
…where the indigenous peoples used to lead the buffalo to jump off a
cliff. A place where there’s a very finite line between life and
death…and where life comes from death. You see, for thousands of years,
the native people would use this natural geographical formation to
‘harvest’ these wild animals and feed their tribes each winter. I’m
remembering this place today because I’ve been reminded—not so subtly
by being in a car accident—that life is the dash between birth and
death.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Learning
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Tagged with:
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Well, it happened again. I was mugged and robbed on the street in
Buenos Aires—this time at 7:45 in the morning while walking on a major
thoroughfare. I am normally pretty vigilant at night. This time, I
stopped to window shop and before I knew it I was on the ground and the
guy had pulled my wallet from my front pocket. I instinctively tried to
kick him from the ground as he leaped over me and started running down
Avenida Florida, which is a wide pedestrian boulevard. The next thing I
know I am sprinting after him shouting “PARED, PARED, PARED” which
means "STOP!".[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
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