One Minute Elder

CONSCIOUSNESS: WHAT MAKES AN ELDER AN ELDER

CONSCIOUSNESS: WHAT MAKES AN ELDER AN ELDER

A foundational principle of our work is that the distinction between older and Elder is ultimately a distinction in consciousness, not chronology.

Elders work at becoming conscious of their consciousness. They examine not only what they see, but what determines how they see it.

Most people are conscious, but unconscious of being conscious. Ask someone how their consciousness determines what they notice, ignore, believe, and call “reality,” and suddenly the room becomes very quiet.

The Buddhists remind us that the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon. In the same way, our thoughts and explanations about consciousness are not consciousness itself. They merely point toward it.

Consciousness is the invisible context through which you experience yourself, other people, and the world. It isn’t simply what you think. It is where your thinking comes from.

Change your consciousness, and the same world looks different. The circumstances may remain exactly the same, but you don’t. And when you change, everything changes with you.

Age changes the body.

Experience changes knowledge.

Consciousness changes being.

That is why two people can both be 81 and live in entirely different worlds.

Cultural Consciousness

Our cultural consciousness is generally organized around becoming somebody:

· Building a career, family, and reputation.

· Acquiring knowledge, possessions, and influence.

· Establishing an identity.

· Asking, “Who am I becoming?”

There is nothing wrong with this. It gets houses built, children raised, and bills paid. Consciousness grants attention and intention.

But many people eventually step into an older consciousness without realizing it.

Beware of Older Consciousness

Growing older, by itself, does not transform consciousness. Older consciousness often remains organized around familiar concerns:

· Protect what I have.

· Stay relevant.

· Avoid decline.

· Resist aging.

· Compare myself with younger people.

· Preserve yesterday.

Chronological age has increased.

Conscious age—very little.

Consider Elder Consciousness

Elder consciousness represents a contextual shift.

Instead of asking, “How do I succeed?” an Elder asks, “How can my life make a difference?”

Instead of proving your worth, Elders appreciate their unique worthiness.

Instead of accumulating, they begin getting rid of things. Eventually, someone must explain why we own seventeen coffee mugs.

Instead of demanding certainty, Elders become comfortable with mystery.

They no longer experience life primarily as something happening to them, but as something moving through them. They become the leaf rather than the rock in the river.

Whee.

This is why Elders tend to be more grounded, content, and at ease.

The Elder’s Awareness

Elder consciousness recognizes that:

· Everything is interconnected.

· Every action creates ripples.

· Wisdom is more valuable than information.

· Presence matters more than advice.

· Questions are often better than answers.

· All identities change with age and circumstances.

· We serve those who serve.

· Legacy is not merely what remains after we die, but what awakens in others while we are alive.

Becoming an Elder is not primarily a moral or behavioral achievement. It is a shift in consciousness.

The world may not change. The person experiencing the world does.

I’ve found that becoming an Elder is the ripening of consciousness from self-centered achievement to life-centered stewardship. From “What can I get from life?” to living the question, “What does life want from me now?”

People do not become Elders because they grow older.

They become Elders because their consciousness changes.

I appreciate your emails with their questions about Elder, Elderhood, and the Elder path. Very valuable to my thinking. Thank you.

Going forward, please post your questions in the Comment Section rather than emailing me. Growing old isn’t personal. I hear it happens to the best of us.