The Good Enough Elder
I was asked to give a keynote address on the subject of elderhood at the
World Elder Gathering IV in Houston, Texas, October 26, 2007. The full transcript
of that talk is available as a PDF document that you can read or print with
Adobe Reader.
The Good Enough Elder (PDF)
The following is a sample from The Good Enough Elder:
When I was asked several months ago if I would say a few words to a gathering
of World Elders from the Mankind Project I said yes with a sense of adventure
and joy and a certain sense of risk taking. My comfort zone is music and
poetry in community...not public address. In the interest of total transparency
if I were wearing boots right now I would be shaking in them.
I am deeply honored to be here and truly humbled by the opportunity.
Under a full moon in Texas, ready or not, here we go. I invoke once again a perfection free zone for us all. As Leonard Cohen says:
"Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There's a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in."
In the Buddhist tradition I would like to offer up all merit from this
brief discourse to those elders who I feel deserve our unending gratitude
and respect. These are the hundreds and thousands of elders around the world
who care for and nuture innocent children...who have lost the protective
support and guidance of loving parents and family due to: senseless and
cruel wars, epidemics of disease and addictions, criminal or political imprisonments
and divorce...
View the full transcript (PDF)
“Being around Doug you can’t help but
open your heart to his genius, his joy and his infectious passion for life.
Doug has been the inspiration and co-creator of “The Moon’s
Delight,” a women’s choir in Mt. Shasta, CA, which grew under
his mastery into a Winter Solstice concert. It was a standing room only
event that became an unforgettable evening for all who were there.”
Nadine Aiello, artist/graphic designer
“There are three things
I was born with
in
this
world,
and there are three things I will have until the day I die: hope, determination,
and song.”
Miriam Makeba
