The Elders |
Friday Jul 20 2007
On Wednesday, the Guardian reported that 89-year-old Nelson Mandela launched "The Elders", whose members include Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan and Desmond Tutu. Other world-renowned notables are expected to join this 'force for good'.
What impresses me most is that the group sees themselves as Elders for the global village, rather than elders for a particular local or national community. If we are to successfully address the challenges we as a species face--from climate change and environmental destruction to international warfare, pollution and pandemics--we need the wisdom of our global elders. We need them to speak from an international perspective, one that transcends politics, borders and geography and that focuses on dealing with the seemingly intractable problems of the world.
I sincerely hope that whatever the group decides to focus on first will give them an opportunity to be heard by other generations. Just as in a village, elders listening to the young, the young listening to the elders, and both working together can create a future for all to live into.
Written by eldering at News
Join discussion COMMENTS [1]
RSS Feeds
Perhaps their anti-semitism gives them a common bond with Desmond Tutu.
I cannot imagine any good advice that will come from this group.
Posted by David St Lawrence on August 05, 2007 at 08:00 PM EDT #