In August, I went to the bi-annual conference of Sage-ing International. It was held at Seattle University and that was a treat for me because one of my favorite things is to be on college campuses. There is another annual teaching conference I attend that also meets on college campuses all over the country. We stay in dorms and eat college food, but now we have much more life experience and hopefully better judgment.
The conference was titled “Gifting the World as We Age,” but we decided it should have been called “Gifting the World as We Sage.” Yet, the focus is the same—How can we live with vitality in all of the experiences of life, no matter our circumstances? How can we remain relevant and continue to contribute in a society that pushes back and pushes out people as we age? The world needs our wisdom and it is a win/win when we share what we have learned from our accumulated life experience.
In the next few months, I will be sharing some of the lessons learned, insights gained, and conversations had during this conference. But I want to explain in this column more details about Sage-ing International (www.sage-ing.org). The journey of becoming a sage is never ending. Rick Moody, former Vice President for Academic Affairs of the national AARP, told me at the conference, “Aging is a hard sell. People don’t want to hear about it. But it’s never too soon and never too late to begin the rest of your life with a new mindset.”
My challenge to you is to examine your perspectives on aging. In our society, aging is easy to deny, fight, and resist. As you might know, other cultures have a different mind-set on aging. I have spent quite a bit of time in Yucatan, Mexico and elders are valued—not hidden. See how the information below resonates with you.
Vision
Sage-ing© International is dedicated to helping elders reclaim their role as leaders, sharing wisdom and spirit essential to creating a better world for current and future generations.
Mission
Sage-ing International is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming the current paradigm of aging to sage-ing through learning, service, and community.
Values
- Respect: We bring an attitude of respect by affirming the worth of self and others, caring for all living things, and practicing stewardship of planet earth.
- Integrity: We honor the truth of our journey by practicing deep listening while pursuing justice and peaceful engagement in our relationships.
- Lifelong Learning: We choose to grow spiritually, intellectually, creatively, and emotionally based on our yearning for wholeness.
- Engaged Leadership: We contribute to a new vision of elderhood by building relationships that honor the rich ethnicities, ages, and spiritual traditions in every community.
- Compassion: We engage with passion, care, and forgiveness aware of the presence of suffering and the interconnectedness of all life.
Who are your role models on this life journey?
Who is sage-ing rather than aging?
If you are living your life as you would like to be remembered, then the rest of life can be the best of life.
