We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

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Every day, for the next 15
years, 10,000 baby boomers will reach the age of 65. The added impact of this
population on an already overtaxed infrastructure is staggering. But how true
is the stereotype of older folks becoming redundant in their retirement years,
playing golf and going on cheap cruises, getting sicker and ultimately dying in
nursing homes? What if we did a total reframe on this pessimistic scenario and realized
the potential for an ever growing demographic of people to not take from
but to give back to society and our beautiful planet?

This past April, 47 impassioned
people met at the Mercy Retreat Center in Burlingame, California, to launch the
Conscious Elders Network. This gathering came out of the vision of a few who
recognized that, in these most precarious of times when humanity is way out of
good relationship with the earth, it is the role of the Elders to catalyze a
movement to set things right. Traditionally, in the Indigenous cultures, Elders
were seen as the wisdom keepers for their community. They were the placeholders
who, because of their long lives, held the stories that provided continuity: bringing
the generations together and informing all future decisions. So there we were –
gathered together in our modern day Longhouse.

We came primarily from the
West and East coasts, medium age 65, equally divided between men and women. Among
us were teachers, wilderness guides, coaches, ministers and people from both the
financial and technological sectors. What we all had in common was a
sensibility of active service born out of the sixties and nurtured by our long-range
views. The issues that we face in 2014 aren’t new: social and economic injustice,
sexual inequality, environmental destruction, climate change, gross overconsumption,
dysfunctional governance and broken educational and religious systems. But
there is an acute immediacy now and, as our group met in circle, I could see in
our faces the eyes of a young and hopeful tribe who once fervently believed that
we could make a difference. And here we are again – on the other side of our
lives.

Today many of us have more
time and are still healthy and energetic. Collectively, we have a huge body of
knowledge and diversity of skill sets. Most significantly, as conscious
Elders, we are doing the inner work necessary in order to awaken to our true
essence; practicing non violent communication, embracing our inextricable
relationship to the planet and acknowledging our personal responsibility for
her well being. This is a key point. Many times over the course of the workshop
we reminded each other of the Einstein quote, “We can’t solve problems by using
the same kind of thinking that we used when we created them.” It’s really
important for us to suspend the finger pointing, to take responsibility for the
problems and commit to being a part of their solution.

We went thru many powerful processes
over our long weekend together. We meditated, danced, sang, laughed and prayed.
We communicated hopes and dreams, articulated our grief for the world,
envisioned positive change, brainstormed practical projects, explored who to
network with and how to craft and spread our message. And we shared many
inspiring stories. A most compelling account came from one of our participants
who, after the Sandy Hook massacre, organized people in Sunnyvale, California. They
were actually able to pass a measure putting sensible gun laws on the books in
their town.

One of the groups that I
joined was exploring how to connect Elders with children outdoors. We all
recognize that a strong relationship with the natural world is imperative if
humans are going to be motivated to protect it. We also agree that, in order
for that to happen, many Elders must first reconnect with nature themselves. We
even talked about the unsustainable relationship that Americans have with
dying; how people are being kept medically alive when there is no hope of
recovery instead of being encouraged to have more dignified end of life
choices.

At the close of the workshop,
we left with our hearts inspired and our heads full of ideas. Since Burlingame
we have evolved strong, on-going teams (vision/mission/values, new paradigm story,
wisdom council, environmental stewardship, intergenerational activism,
operations and strategy) and others are still emerging. Both the Northeast and
West Coast groups are planning fall events and our membership has almost
doubled since April.

Every one of us recognizes
that this is a huge project and it’s already begun, on a smaller scale, all
over the country. Transition Town groups and Elder Councils are currently meeting
in many places. Our aim is to create a network that can link all these people
together: aligning with those who are addressing similar social and
environmental problems. While reclaiming the traditional role of Elders we want
to work inter-generationally, supporting the younger folks who are facing the
daunting tasks ahead. Our vision is one of peace inspired by the Earth Charter
and our mission is to help create a new story for the future generations of all
species. Please join us at www.consciouselders.org

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

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