Purpose

During some difficult periods recently, I found powerful inspiration in two Presidential speeches, one very recent and one from long ago.

One of my most treasured books is the classic Self-Renewal by John Gardner, which deals with the decay and renewal of societies, organizations, and individuals.

David Brooks wrote a book, “The Second Mountain,” a few years ago that aptly defined some of the fundamental principles of our MEA program. He suggests that during the first half of our adult life, we often become fixated on personal goals based on family and cultural influences.

On June 8, 1970, my mentor at Brandeis University, Abraham Maslow, collapsed and died suddenly from a massive heart attack. He’d had a cardiac event nineteen months earlier and knew that his risk of another heart attack was considerable. Earlier that year, in an interview published in Psychology Today, Maslow expressed gratitude for the time he had been given: “My attitude toward life changed. The word I use for it now is postmortem life. I could just as easily have died, so my living constitutes a kind of extra, a bonus…. I may just as well live as if I had already died…every single moment of every single day is transformed.”

A few months ago, Chip wrote a wonderful piece called “What Should We Do About U.S. Longevity?” I couldn’t help but think of the stress related issues involved. Stress is related to obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, depression, gastrointestinal problems, and asthma. Medical research estimates as much as 90 percent of illness and disease is stress-related.

In the pursuit of a fulfilling life, happiness often takes center stage. Martin Seligman, considered the father of positive psychology, believes that true happiness goes beyond momentary pleasure. His philosophy revolves around three paths to happiness: the pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life.

A central premise of the wonderful Modern Elder Academy (MEA) community is that those of us who’ve lived for a while have wisdom to share and experience to spread with others. By learning from one another, we can make the world a better place.

As part of my ongoing learnings, I attended a presentation about generational wealth recently and its importance to society. Generational wealth means passing financial assets to the next generation of your family, giving them a leg up and closing the widening wealth gap in North America. Financial assets include cash, investments like stocks and bonds, real estate and family business.

I recently read this excerpt from Brett and Kay McKay that was such a valuable reminder that our best years may be ahead of us. On page 172 of Jean Edward Smith’s biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ike is almost 52 years old, an age at which many a man feels his life has largely run its course.

Some poems transform over time. This piece was written five years ago for a client. It was to support an initiative towards growth and transformation within the company. Five years later, I'm on my second trip to MEA. During this visit, the reminder that we are an ongoing progression brought this piece to mind.