I tj more elusive. We are fearful of the future. No doubt our , predicament stems from a whole set of misguided values which demonstrate a real scarcity of wi$dom. I wouldn't suggest that we can suddenly change this culture to its polar opposite, nor that we need to. But doesn't it seem reasonable that in attempting to weave a new social fabric that we might begin picking up threads from the past? Every- ·where in this country there exist rich and diverse resources in·our elders that are waiting to be tapped. In searching out wisdom we can -help to bring old folks out of their isolation and-in doing so begin to re-activate an ageold process, pulling together the social bonds th!t have been weakened by so much rootlessness, ,age segregation ahd paternalistic welfare. Regardless of the knowledge we seek, we . would start to architecture some sense of permanence back into our culture. But there is more: Traditionally, the passing down of skills, crafts and customs have played a vital role in the regeneration of folk societies, 1 Today, while important in its own right, this process could be recycled as something central to social change itself, figuring into our various strategies for building a more ecologically sound, socially equitable world. For example,: • As we search for the ways to increase self-re,liance and strengthen locar economies, we are finding that many old folks have been doing these things all along. Organic farmers with decades of experience: Organizers and activists from way back when. Herbalists and midwives. Folk artists and craftspeople. We can learn from these folks. • While more people turn to extended family/communal living situations with their economic advantages and personal fulfillment, elders may again find settings in which their presence is valued and their free time finds good uses. A diversity of age is important to any small community,' whether or not there are blood ties to build on. (In less intentional settings, neighborhoods for example, there is no shortage of old folks to share with in community work, holidays and th; like.) • June 1978 RAIN Page 15 I think it's 'probably ingrained in me that respect for age is important. It's one reason why I like talking to older folks and am interested in my familial roots. But I also find that it plays a role in my perceptions on how we go·about changing our world for the better. This essay lays out some of those connections . ... There is a group you should contact ifyou are inter-. ested in tuning in on age and social change. It's the Gray Panthers and they are open to people of all ages-a good sign. Yo1f can contact them at 3 700 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA '19127. Ask for their nearest local affiliate. -SA • As minority/regional cultures everywhere'seek to re-assert their primacy-whether Appalachia, Pine Ridge or even Ecotopia-local elders can be the vital link to the traditions, languages and folklores that are essential to cultural sovereignty. We need to learn our local histories. This is not to suggest that old people must be as role-bound as:they have been in the past. Rather, their knowledge and skills can be put to work in unique and creative ways. They will find in the coming era of transition opportunities to explore and fulfill their human potential that did not exist before. This can be achieved while still meeting a basic need of old people that never seems to change: to be fully integrated into the community rather than isolated from it. Striving for 'this one goalwould help to affect a range of problems facing our elders, from the need to assert their individuality on the one hand,to the day-to-day hassles of being left totally to fend for themselves on the other.· It's been forecast that after the year 2000 or so older p~ople will begin to account for increasingly larger percentages of the population in this country. On top of that fact, a whole generation that has grown up involved in changing society an·d themselves-from ending the wa:r to starting coops to pushing solar energy-will be among those swelling the . ranks of elders at that time. I wouldn't be surprised if the roles and activities pf older folks take a quantum leap. The _cultural and political possibilities are exciting to imagine! It is still an alien thought to look forward to advanced age. Yet, why not? If approached positively, there is much to . anticipate. Freedom from youth's ambitions and middle age's responsibilities. Time to explore new personal directions. An accumulation of understanding. This is not to paint some hopelessly rosy picture or to demean the real survival problems faced by old folks right now, but rather to underscore the fact that old age is only another stage of living, and potentially a . very high one.'We need to see the life cycle as more than mere entropy; that growing older can mean growing stronger and· wiser and that our strength and our,wisdom will survive us. If we can respect the possibilities in growing old, we are that • much closer to respecting age itself. And that can be a very good thing. -Steven Ames l
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