I am writing my third book, a book that invites all sectors
of society to imagine what they have in common, how they are
interlinked and how they can support each other.
Draft excerpts
from new book: This section looks at our perceptions
versus reality
For
eons, the basic rules of how things work in our society were
generally agreed upon and by and large were accepted or at
best adhered to. We knew enough to respect our elders and
even if we didn't agree, we accepted that by in large ‘wisdom'
rested with the aged.
Much
has happened in the last hundred years to change all that.
The upshot is that what we thought ‘would be', is not ‘what
is'. It is interesting that the glory days of the elderly
are no longer… just as we move into a time when so many will
be elderly. The reality of ‘what is' differs hugely from the
perception of what we imagined ‘would be'.
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Then
the First World War…the war to end all wars, became reality.
We hear gruesome stories: how fourteen and fifteen year olds
lied to get into the army so they could to go to Europe to
serve their country. There was now a war option, a choice
for those who formerly had none, and sadly, so many took that
option. Sadder still was so many did not come home. They knew
at the outset, nothing could be worse than the never ending
drudgery of farm life or the back breaking work of the industrial
world.
Well
unfortunately for them they found out that things could be
worse. A war across the waters, what these young men believed
would be their salvation, turned more than ugly. ‘What was'
did not coincide with ‘what was supposed to be'…in other words,
perception did not match reality.
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That
reality would unravel during the Vietnam War when many soldiers
would learn that honor, self esteem and social acceptance
were far from being what they once had been. Small town communities
were no longer in place to support these poor souls. Returning
soldiers with war related difficulties were seen as a drain
on society. The perception and promise of a future for the
fairy tale hero was lost in translation in the reality of
a war that could not be won. Thus there was promise
but in the end… no glory.
And
the years went by…and not surprisingly it evolved into a ME
generation, the antithesis of the community model that once
held us together. Did we think we could do it alone? If the
original model of the wisdom of the ages was found wanting,
perhaps the current sense of isolation and hopelessness is
not the improvement we hoped for.
Transition whether
it be toddler to youngster, teen to adult, or any other significant
life change is never easy. In the case of longer life just
as in all other transitions, we are given the choice to get
in the boat and agree to not see the sight of land for a very
long time. My age group, (coming up to mid sixties) and older
find this boating concept very unattractive given that they
feel they are old pros who have lived life. They know the
ropes and they don’t need new ways. Thus they are using the
old ways to deal with the very new times they are facing.
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Is
it in our best interest to ask how we can better marry perception
and reality? Is it time to question the thinking that we perceive
as truth which might well be sorely wanting when considered
in the light of reality? Is the questioning community of humankind
a necessary reality of survival?
Knowing
an answer indicates intelligence…posing a question a sign
of wisdom. Would it be wise for the world to pursue
wisdom… as an indicator of our collective intelligence?
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