I realized that I was sloughing off an old phase of life that I had outgrown. At the same time, to my great surprise and wonderment, I was being initiated as an elder, a sage who offers his experience, balanced judgment, and wisdom for the welfare of society. As I followed the intuitive promptings that came from within, I instinctively began harvesting my life, a process that involves bringing one’s earthly journey to a successful completion, enjoying the contributions one has made, and passing on a legacy to the future. To initiate the process, I asked myself, “If I had to die now, what would I most regret not having done? What remains incomplete in my life?”
Schachter-Shalomi, Zalman; Miller, Ronald S.. From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older (pp. 15-16). Grand Central Publishing. Kindle Edition.
What is involved in the initiation into the role of the wise elder? Often it is a crisis or a turning point in one’s adult life when one becomes acutely aware of one’s mortality and one’s coming death. We might call this mortality awareness.
Mortality awareness can come at many points in a person’s life cycle but doesn’t stay long. However, in the later stage of life mortality awareness comes and stays and is always sitting on one’s shoulder whispering in one’s ear, “Remember you will die soon. Make every day count in a meaningful way.”
Mortality awareness has come to stay and colors one’s daily consciousness in two ways. First, by recognizing, acknowledging, and expressing appreciation for the things that have happened in one’s life that are blessings. Two, what are the things left to do to complete one’s life, to wrap things up so one can die peacefully?
People around the wise elder perceive that the person is no longer driven, competitive, possessive, anxious, and stressed, but rather open, accepting, and peaceful. The person gives off a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that they have come to a point where they feel that they have lived a life that they were meant to live and things are coming out alright in the end.
The wise elder communicates to others whom they meet, “Peace be with you” and a feeling of peace is experienced in this blessing from the wise elder to the other.
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