The reality is that the only way to Champion the Future is to work to transform the present. In these troubled times as future generations and, indeed, our very planet are at risk, elders have a vast reservoir of experience and resources that we can place at the service of healing our contemporary world and easing burden on the generations of our grandchildren. Everything in our vision for the Elders Guild is about learning, growing and developing as we work together and cultivate our wisdom to shape ourselves into humble, loving, powerful and effective champions of the future. The path of becoming effective elder activists calls for us to nurture focused intention, wisdom, optimism, joie de vivre and a paradoxical combination of urgency and ease and apply these where our imaginations and the needs of society converge. As we champion the future, we will tap our individual and collective resources for projects, campaigns and initiatives that satisfy our souls and have the potential to change the world. Imagine what we can do bringing our vast experiences, our late life interests and our huge resources to bear to solve problems locally and globally. Imagine 100 million elders worldwide waging a campaign to disarm our neighborhoods, our nations and the world.This vision of Elder Activism is not ours alone. Its time has come and it is emerging all over the world. We feel deep connection to Nelson Mandela as he launched the council of 12 Global Elders to address the world’s most pressing problems, saying, “The Elders can become a fiercely independent and robust force for good, tackling conflicts and intractable issues, especially those that are not popular.” It is our mission in the Elders Guild to collaborate locally to work harmoniously with the global movement to champion the good.While it is not necessarily ours to complete what we begin, it is ours to contribute all we can to a world that is a safe and nurturing habitat for future generations.
Naftalie