James Hollis is one of those modern elders. I’ve followed his writing for decades and love how he’s elevated and popularized so many Jung-isms from “life is a short pause between two great mysteries” and “the largest burden the child must bear is the unlived life of the parent.” His book “Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up” is a reminder that growing and aging are the same thing.
In a recent conversation, he reminded me that our first adulthood is largely governed by the power of the messages we observed and internalized, while our second adulthood comes only when we let go of these messages. Our primary task as we age is to shed the beliefs and identities that were pinned upon us and integrate all of the parts of who we are. He says, “We are born whole and everywhere are fractured” much like Rousseau wrote, “Man is born free and everywhere is in chains.” Ideally, as we age, we grow old AND grow whole!
Jim will be joining me on the first morning of our Emerging Elder Masterclass April 17-18 right after I chat with academic Karen Skerrett who coined the term and concept of the Emerging Elder in this white paper and with whom I’ll be teaching an Emerging Elder workshop in Santa Fe May 12-17. That afternoon April 17, I’ll be joined by my good friends Dr. Ken & Maddy Dychtwald, who have been my mentors on aging and longevity for decades. We’ll also have mythologist Michael Meade who’s famous for all his deep, juicy books and his deep podcast “Living Myth.” We’ll finish that first day with Dr. Bill Thomas who’s a rebellious thinker and author of books such as “Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper, and More Connected Life.”
On day two (April 18), we start with the inspiring Dr. Dixon Chibanda, calling in from Zimbabwe to talk about his fabulous TED talk (and his new book “The Friendship Bench: How Fourteen Grandmothers Inspired a Mental Health Revolution”) on the topic of how elders can help juniors. I can’t wait to chat with my new budding friend and Harvard academic and author Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot and, then, UCSF academic Dr. Louise Aronson whose book “Elderhood” is one of the most respected books on how we should rethink this life stage.
We finish on day two afternoon with the astrological wizard Steven Forrest who, for the past quarter century, has been my wisest guide for discerning my life purpose. Then, we have the delightfully smart Pam McLean, co-founder of the prestigious coaching school and network The Hudson Institute, talking with me about The Bonus Years and what she learned from her husband Frederic Hudson who wrote one of the seminal adult psychology books, “The Adult Years.” We’ll finish with the moral beauty and newfound poet Maria Shriver talking about what it means to shed identities as we enter emerging elderhood.
There are three ‘hoods in our lifetime: childhood, adulthood, and elderhood. While we are adults-in-training during adolescence and early adulthood, where are the elders-in-training programs in modern society when we’re in middlescence? They don’t exist. That’s why you’ll find this two-day Masterclass (and the May workshop in Santa Fe) to be a breath of fresh air. Look forward to seeing you with all of these curious and wise thought leaders.
-Chip