Elder as Prophet and Activist

We can be those who care until our last breath.

My dad used to say, “Son, don’t get old, it isn’t any fun.” And I would say, “But, Dad, what’s the alternative—to die young?” If we are given the gift of old age, what can we do with it? I believe that the elder can be a prophet calling people to prepare for what is coming.

Whether or not we had a career or a family, as we move into our elder years, we can be a voice of truth bringing a sense of urgency into the present. We don’t have to worry about what others think of us. We can live utterly on behalf of the coming generations of life on Earth.

We can call people to pay attention to the juggernauts of history rolling down on us. “Prepare ye the way for climate chaos! It’s coming, for sure. Stop using fossil fuels now. Move away from bodies of water. Get a storm shelter. Grow your own food. Live near your extended family and friends for mutual support.”

The elder as prophet can take risks a person with family and work responsibilities cannot so easily take. An elder can participate in nonviolent demonstrations. An elder can write frank Op-Eds to the local paper and sign every relevant petition. An elder can speak out at community meetings. An elder can donate to important causes. An elder can speak at schools to awaken the young. An elder can help get out the vote and volunteer at the voting site.

An elder can maintain a healthy body and mind so that he or she or they can continue to serve others. An elder can volunteer at the local food bank or soup kitchen. An elder can give courage to younger people. An elder can show others how to be a human being who is aging self-consciously in gratitude for life itself. An elder can learn and do something new every day.

An elder can be “fierce with age” without apology. An elder can be gracious and yet firm, patient and yet impatient. An elder can invite people to wake up and live life with authenticity and passion. An elder can be active on social media, bringing critical news to the attention of others. An elder can honor death and celebrate the passing of friends, foes, and the homeless.

An elder can show others how to die with dignity and trust. An elder can demonstrate how to live with love and laughter. An elder can show others how to be honest and inquisitive about sickness and old age. An elder can be a wonderful grandparent and great-grandparent. An elder can be a sacred sign of living life fully to the last breath. An elder can call people to dream about the coming civilization of compassion and to work for its realization. Yes!

May it be so.

The above piece is an excerpt from my book A Compassionate Civilization. Below is some new writing concerning aging and elderhood.

How are you doing with aging, elderhood, relating to elders, or thinking of a time when you might be one?

Now at eighty-one, I am slowing down a bit and am having balance and walking challenges. Twice daily, I exercise, walk, and elevate my swollen feet to make improvements. My energy level is not what it used to be. Yet, I still feel called to write, publish, post, meet, discuss, organize, motivate, and mentor.

I post on social media daily and on Substack weekly, and am working on my sixth book - Climate, Democracy & Elderhood: Essays of Mindfulness and Compassionate Actions. Here are my other five books. If you would rather have a free PDF, please let me know which book PDF to send to your email.

My writing promotes mindful, compassionate living and action, ecological regeneration, socioeconomic justice, gender equality, participatory governance, cultural tolerance, and peace and nonviolence.

Regardless of differences of opinion and behavior, we can be kind, empathic, and compassionate to everyone. We can also help stop people from being harmed by government policies or individual behaviors, and we can care for the vulnerable.

I am helping my neighbors organize to age in place, articulate our hopes for the future and take actions to realize those hopes, and prepare for and respond to future climate disasters and promote ecological resiliency as a model for the Swannanoa Small Area Recovery Plan led by Buncombe County, NC.

My models and heroes for elderhood include Jimmy Carter (photo above), Jane Goodall, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, Noam Chomsky, Jane Fonda, and Bill Moyers, among many others.

I am caring for my aging body-mind so that I can care for family, friends, society, and the living Earth of which I am part. I am making financial, legal, social, and spiritual arrangements for the end of this life.

May we each age in gratitude for the abundant gifts of life, consciousness, awakening, understanding, and compassionate actions. I am especially grateful for my family and for being an Earthling as part of the cosmos.

May our words and deeds continue to care for others after our body-mind is no longer present.

May it be so.