This week I'm really excited to write about the Ecotrain Question of the Week:

Does the saying "You should respect your elders" still hold true today?

Now my approach to this will be unconventional (what's new?!)... here goes!

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I do believe that this saying holds true, but not in the traditional way.
I believe we should respect our elders, but this comes with a caveat of defining who our elders are.

Frankly, I don't believe many of the people in our cultures who have reached a certain age are truly elders.

I think many older people are upholding existing paradigms and old traditions bent on destruction of the earth- these are not my elders.

source

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My elders are the humans who are living the change. The ones who have reached deep inside of themselves, who have done the work of making the world a better place. Sadly I think many older people are simply selfish and live with their heads in the sand.

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I do not believe Respect your elders is a blanket statement. The older people who are destroying our planet are not my elders and not deserving of my respect.

A good example of an elder of mine is Joe Hollis who established and runs Mountain Gardens in North Carolina. He has one of the most beautiful and practical self-serve apothecaries! He is literally bringing healing and herbal education to thousands!

Herbal Apothecary

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Others in this vein are Rosemary Gladstar (left) and Susun Weed (below), both women have revolutionized the herbal realm into what it is today. These are women who have changed the face of herbalism for our generation. They did their work, went on their journeys and stepped out of the norm to actually shift culture.

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Depending on what you value in life, you will find your elders.

They will reach right into you and inspire you. Maya Angelou is an elder to us all. Take a look at her actions here:

I remember reading an interview she did with Dr. Cornel West where she told the story of being on the set of the film Poetic Justice. A fight ensued between two men and threatened to become violent. People on the set backed off wanting to protect themselves. I believe one man pulled out a gun. She stepped in, put her hands on one of the men, and said, “Let me speak to you. Let me talk to you. Do you know you’re the best we have? Do you know we don’t have anybody better than you? Do you know everybody has paid for you, and they’re all dead?” The man started to cry and she walked him away from others so he would not be ashamed of his tears. She didn’t know at the time that the man was Tupac Shakur. When asked in an interview years later why she did that, Dr. Angelou said sometimes we have to put our hands on another person and remind them how precious they are; to remind them that they are the best we have.

This is true eldership. To truly step into the lives of a younger generation and speak to their hearts, to live by example. Dr Angelou did this untiringly through her writing and lived example.

People working for social justice, raising good families, creating alternative life-giving systems... people who are innovators in their field, even simple people who no one knows how many lives they have touched, these are our elders.

Elders are not those who are simply old- they are people whose lives have been worth something, who have taken a stand, reached out and touched others, lived for values much larger than themselves. To these people, I give my full respect and open ears. I open my heart and mind and revere them.

Buckminster Fuller
Another elder is Buckminster Fuller who revolunized human thought and scientific understanding as an American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, and inventor:

Since the initial publication of the chart of the electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one-millionth of reality.

Now you don't have to do unusual or huge things like the people I listed above to be an elder. You can live a quiet life standing for your values, caring for your family and friends, gently making change in your community.

But to those people over 55 party to business as usual including most of the United States government:

not elders

The Senate has 54 Republicans, 44 Democrats, and 2 Independents, who both caucus with the Democrats. The average age of Members of the House at the beginning of the 114th Congress was 57.0 years; of Senators, 61.0 years.

I do not give you my respect.
Eldership is earned and you are not my elders.

Check the #ecotrain tag often for more inspiring articles!

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