The wisdom of the generations
Apropos of the fact that Tim Merry, Monica Nissen and I are hosting a module on the Art of Intergernational Hosting at this year’s Shambhala Institute for Authentic Leadership in Action, comes this quote from Jack Ricchiuto:
Every aging generation questions whether the generation coming of age has what it takes to learn into maturity as defined by the aging generation. Easy for each to think it knows better than the other. The fact is that they will always know more together than they could in isolation or competition. Hierarchy has the relevance of fossils. In an age of wisdom, life is a circle and we dare to be peers.
We dare to be peers indeed.
Very cool quote. It springs words to me, especially with the “Youth and Elder Dialogue” conversation I want to host. I’m now wondering if I should make them a series, or design them separately. The “Youth and Elder Dialogue”, in addition to the “Artist Dialogue”, “Reflection on the Ancestral Language Dialogue”, and let’s add “Artists and Spirituality Dialogue”! haha
This is exciting Chris. Many thoughts are awakened in me and I’d like to share. I’d love to be in continued conversation that will take place to bring this “art of” together.
I have been tossing around the notion that “youth engagement” as is currently practiced is much different than “we know” it to be. Conversations happening in isolation based on age means that we are only further limiting the solutions to the questions we ask. (*what follows is what i’ve been calling my glass ceiling rant)
{*who is we… well me. and the reflections i’ve made based on conversations with my peers…}
Essentially, I believe that youth engagement, elder engagement, community engagement and any engagement based on one small identifier versus a sought after diversity of views and opinions will hamper rather than support sustained meaningful engagement required to enact radical and or systemic shifts.
Recognizing the potential barriers that are faced by particular groups and working to reduce them really makes for an exciting opporunity to engage more and more diverse people with the same “heart song” to a call versus arriving out of a gender, age, status identifiers.
I value the bringing together of specific groups (like the wisdom councils of ages ago; womens craft groups; coming of age cohorts; childrens playgrounds for show and tell) for opening and deepening the discussion, identifying collaboration and possibly decision making…
those groups were acts of ongoing dialogue which somtimes lead to wise action…
which in turn happened when mom talked to dad who talked to aunty to talked to nephew who talked to uncle who talked to granny in the sweat, in a car, around a fire, over tea, while making bread etc etc…
what am i gettin round too? hmm.. that it is necessary to support groups to come together as they would naturally (in the various ways that people assemble… around common interests, ages, views, genders etc) but it is equally important to support the coming together naturally… and WIDELY (the whole-full circle-diverse groups in parallel to the ongoing support they find in natural spaces with their identified peers) to really truly ensure the sustainability…
“we are all needed”
entire communities… made up of more than just children, or just youth or just elders… is deeply required to ensure transfer of knowlege, wisdom and the wisest of all actions (related to sustainability as i view it) continued action and reflection.
I have more… just not sure where it fits at this point. Going to join my peers and keep on asking.
Thanks for the good think.
Thankyou to all three posts above and especially Chris for opening it.
This topic of discussion is the same as my chosen one for my PIP- That is my Yr 12 Society and Culture Major Work. I am looking at intergenerational wisdom, and Kris you have delved straight into the basket of everything I am looking for and have found.
Chris your post also, the quote is great. But one question, what does the final phrase mean? ‘dare to be peers’
Would any of you be interested in answering some of my question for my research? I live in Sydney and can be contacted on lil_loui@hotmail.com.
Any advice, or comment also would be appreciated, as this single webpage is so focused on my major work topic. But it has also clarified my thoughts a bit more.
Thanks also for the good think!
Sometimes being peers is the bravest thing you can do. Daring to be peers flies in the face of all that is unspoken that keeps us seperate.
peers – meaning equals.
to truly learn and become wise we must be the owl who sits in the tree, who speaks less, who listens more and begins to understand more and more.