March 22, 2019 | Nader Shabahangi
I was just reading a NY Times review of Apollo 11, a new movie about the moon landing. What struck me was the way the reviewer took the human virtue of ‘humility’ as a core feature he felt the movie especially highlighted. He states: “At the zenith of [Armstrong’s] fame, the hero proves his worth by honoring those to whom the glory is truly owed.” Indeed, coming to terms with how we tackle our so-called ‘ego’, quest for acknowledgement, for standing out, feeling central, is a task many a wisdom and spiritual tradition…
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December 15, 2018 | Nader Shabahangi
Our earth – our world and home – needs elders. It needs to know who elders are and what they do. It needs the wisdom they afford us, the teaching they can give us. Elders are not only those who are old in years. Rather, an elder is a role that lives in all of us at any age. Still, this role appears mostly in people who have matured through the many years and much effort. Elders turn to values that have endured the test of time. These timeless human qualities are expressed through words such as equanimity, acceptance, patience, compassion, kindness, thoughtfulness, gentleness, calm, empathy, and mindfulness. These words describe an attitude, a disposition towards the world, towards people and events, often hard-won through experiences spanning ecstatic moments of joy to deep, often extended periods of suffering. Timeless qualities speak to those who humans are essentially. They speak to what we often call the soul of the human being, to what is immutable, transcends time, trends and culture. In today’s global world with its […]
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October 15, 2018 | Eldership Academy Team
The thesis here is a simple one and not original: some of today’s challenges, environmental degradation, national conflicts, dehumanization of the workplace, youth violence, the absence of spirit – to name but a few of today’s more pressing issues – could be helped through the restoration of eldership within our Western societies. Eldership here means: those who have lived into their retirement age and have valued their emotional and spiritual understanding as much as their advancement on the material level are given the important place of counselors and advisers to those younger in age. This place has been given up by today’s elders. Read the full article on Restoring Eldership here>>
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October 9, 2017 | Nader Shabahangi
Eldership Academy Press would like to congratulate Elizabeth Howard on the publication of her new book, Aging Famously: Follow Those You Admire to Living Long and Well. In Aging Famously, Howard shares intimate interviews with her inspiring role models. She offers readers helpful tactics and lasting legacies of creative people in their 70s, 80s and beyond who continued to take risks and contribute their talents. They celebrated aging as a time of depth, understanding, commitment and hope. “Some mentors teach us specific skills; others teach us major life lessons. Elizabeth Howard gives the reader the opportunity to learn from an impressive group of wise and experienced elders, beginning with her own father.” -Dr. Margery Hutter Silver, co-author Living to 100, retired Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School Find out more about Aging Famously and upcoming author appearances on the Aging Famously website. Buy Aging Famously on Amazon!
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May 26, 2017 | Nader Shabahangi
This presentation was given at a recent dinner hosted by the Center for Elder Independence and the Fund for Elder’s Independence. This video, from Nader’s recent eldership presentation at CEI, is about changing our perception of aging, reframing the conversation from about getting old to getting mature and opening ourselves up to the concept of Elder as a role and engaging in Eldership practices. Elders of any age can practice the Eldership values of giving back, mentorship and providing guidance to their communities. Eldership Dinner w/ Dr Nader Shabahangi Presentation for the Center for Elders’ Independence(CEI) on exploring our perceptions about aging and eldership. As many a philosopher and sage have pointed out, what is nearest is often the hardest to see. Particularly in our so-called adult life, it is seldom a simple matter to take a step back and evaluate how we are living. How often do we reflect on whether our ways of living are really our choice or are instead heaped on us by external influences, ranging between mainstream values, education, family, social, […]
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