“It’s great irony how the elders were vilified back in the 60’s, and now it is these very same people – who are now our elders – who provided the groundwork that paved the way for what the movement is today. So we include them whole-heartedly with gratitude as our sages and guides. This basic recognition of the “wisdom of the ages” has existed for indigenous people the world over for countless generations. These enlightened souls give us insight into what works and what doesn’t in a way that only the experience of years can provide. And if we are really lucky, one day we may be elders ourselves. In fact, have we called Grandma or Grampa lately?” ~ From our An Invitation to Action short film, coming soon…
“White people don’t seem to have many Elders. They do have a lot of oldsters.” ~ John Trudell
In this episode of Now Share LOVE Radio, Kip and Evan discuss a topic that is near and dear to both their hearts (and they feel many would be wise to embrace as well): Our Elders. In the everything-must-be-young-to-be-beautiful culture of the west – especially in the United States – it seems that the seniors of our society are among the more marginalized. This, both Kip and Evan feel, was one of the major miscues of the 60s social movements, who often professed a philosophy of “never trust anyone over 40”, thereby alienating and disregarding them. We can only imagine what would have happened had the youths – who were the driving force behind the cultural revolution of the decade – embraced and included their parents and grandparents, rather than shunning and demonizing the previous generations. 60s icon, Peter Coyote in a recent lecture at BAMPFA (BERKELEY ART MUSEUM & PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE) stated that, “We lost all the political battles, but won all the cultural ones.” Had the youth of that transformational period included their elders in the conversation, adding to the movement their knowledge gained through the best teacher of them all “experience”, there is good chance that the outcomes could have been quite different, and still resonating today. Kip and Evan have made it an important part of Now Share LOVE’S mission to bring our elders into the paradigm shift that is underway, not only because they – like we all will be someday, “If we are really lucky…” – need our LOVE and care, but because we need theirs, as well as the invaluable wisdom gained, only through years on the planet lived.
Kip and Evan devote the final segment of this show as a tribute to one of the most brilliant men of our time, the legendary Jacque Fresco, co-founder of the Venus Project. Jacque, a man who could be described as this century’s Leonardo, passed away peacefully at home on May 18th at the age of one hundred and one – an elder by any definition. The Now Share LOVE team were blessed to spend three days in Venus, Florida a couple of months ago with this amazing human being, doing as we felt would be the wise thing to do: sitting with this profound sage and learning some of the knowledge gathered on such a long and fruitful journey through this lifetime. After that moving experience, we wish to say, “We LOVE you Jacque!” The absence of your beautiful mind and glistening spirit is truly a loss to our species. However, the legacy you’ve left us is vast, and we will endeavor to spread your work far and wide. Thank you, thank you, thank you…
Now Share Love can be heard on Dreamvisions 7 Radio Network.
Recent Comments