A ONE-MINUTE ELDER

WISDOM IN THE WORLD

WISDOM IN THE WORLD

Following Legacy

It’s become evident that expanding Elder wisdom worldwide would make a profound difference in having the world work.

Look at the deleterious decisions politicians—and we, the people—are making. Look at the conditions under which these decisions are being made. Not a drop of wisdom in sight.

What I see is that we’ve mistaken access to information for wisdom. Information alone doesn’t steady people, clarify judgment, or help us live responsibly. Quite the opposite. It often leaves us confused, reactive, and overwhelmed.

Without wisdom, information becomes quicksand.

The more we consume, the more we become stuck.

I’m talking about wisdom, not knowledge.

Wisdom is the ability to see clearly what matters, what doesn’t, and what the consequences of our actions will be over time.

Wisdom is knowledge tempered by experience, discernment, humility, and responsibility.

The mission—and now the mission of my colleagues—is simple:

Get Elder wisdom to the tables where decisions about the future are made.

• wisdom in politics
• wisdom in business
• wisdom in technology
• wisdom in how we raise children
• wisdom in how we care for one another
• wisdom in how we organize society itself

Right now, many of our biggest decisions are driven by speed, power, profit, outrage, polling numbers, algorithms, and whoever can yell the loudest on cable television.

How’s that working out?

Wisdom brings something radically different:

• long-view thinking
• discernment
• restraint
• perspective
• the ability to steady the environment rather than inflame it

Not older people reminiscing about the good old days.

Not retirees battling for pickleball supremacy.

Not seniors talking about their maladies and which doctors they are seeing.

I’m talking about the emergence of actual Elders as a stabilizing force in the culture.

And frankly, I feel a sense of urgency.

We may be entering a period in human history where wisdom is no longer a luxury.

Wisdom may become a survival skill.

SO, WHAT’S THE STRATEGY?

Honestly, at 81, I’ve become suspicious of grand strategies.

I’ve lived through enough “movements,” “transformations,” and “next big things” to know that most end up as conference brochures, coffee mugs, or TikTok videos.

But this feels different.

Why?

Because nobody is really in charge.

No headquarters.

No central committee.

No Elder Pope.

Just thousands of people arriving at roughly the same conclusion:

“There has to be more to aging than trying not to age.”

When I look around, I see numerous Elder organizations, Elder conferences, podcasts, communities, retreats, books, Substacks, and thousands of online conversations happening.

Most of us don’t know each other.

Yet we’re talking about many of the same things:

· Purpose.

· Mortality.

· Responsibility.

· Wisdom.

· What are our lives now for?

That got my attention.

Maybe the job isn’t to create another organization.

God knows we have enough organizations.

Maybe the job is simply to recognize one another.

To amplify one another.

To stop acting like isolated pioneers and start acting like fellow travelers.

If enough of us do that, something powerful will happen.

The culture will see us.

Not as old people.

Not as retirees.

As Elders.

And once a culture can see something, it can no longer ignore it.

That’s how change happens.

Slowly.

Then suddenly.

A conversation becomes a movement.

A movement becomes a force.

And a force changes what is possible.

From where I sit, wisdom in the world is no longer a nice idea.

It’s becoming a necessity.

Nelson Mandela saw what was possible and sourced a cluster of global leaders who were established and recognized Elders.

A few years later, in our country, the Elder movement was initiated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Ron Pevny, Harry R. Moody, Connie Zweig, Richard Leider, and Bill Thomas.

Subsequently, Elder was expanded through organizations such as Sage-ing International and the Center for Conscious Eldering.

Then, Chip Conley’s Modern Elder Academy took Elder mainstream. And me, the Contemporary Elder Institute, followed in their wake.

The distinction Elder is now seeping into the cultural narrative. Organizational structures are in place to hold Elder in place and expand its breadth and volume.

Watch The Elders’ video. My bet is that your vision is in lockstep with their vision.

· Wanted: A benefactor to sponsor a 2027 Online Global Conference of Elders for Elders. Title of the conference: Becoming a Unified Force: How Elders Will Change the World.

· If you know someone who has the wherewithal and might be interested in taking on this project, attached is a PDF with the estimated staff and production costs.