What we didn’t see coming: We are truly intergenerational

When starting with this practice, or later with the free, online sessions, I never set out an intention that this practice would attract people across all ages. But it did and still does. In our Western world we have come to live a lot in similar age groups – way more than when I grew up as a child in a little Flemish village. So, this aspect that we are truly intergenerational seems quite special, enough to mention it here.

Here is a quote by David Birenbaum, our oldest practitioner, over 70 years old, speaking to Amanda and Cheryl, the two young ladies who have contributed a lot of their stories and diaries to this book:

Something is very moving in me – when listening to Amanda and Cheryl – about the emotions you display, the world you want where people live harmoniously; the way we could relate.

Speaking to Amanda and Cheryl, there is a depth, a nuance, and a sacredness about how you hold me. It is with dignity that you close your eyes and listen and pay attention. It’s ordinary, and because you add a little extra attention – through that dignity and respect – it becomes extra-ordinary. I want you to know that I’m here in this tunnel of initiation with you, as we move forward; and I want you to know how grateful I am to have each of you in my life, so I can see – I can taste – the dreams that we unfold together.

This intergenerational aspect brings me to the topic of eldership, and what that can – or should – mean in this time in the world. Early on, I would offer some time and attention – my witnessing capacity, my holding, my sense of grounding – to listen and give some advice when the younger ones asked for it. My sense now is that it isn’t enough to do just that. What would an active form of eldership look like that is nurturing for the young people who start their adult life in a world full of uncertainties, full of big and wicked problems? Honestly, I don’t have a clear answer to that, but offering wisdom after a full life, lived well, seems one obvious thing to do.