As you know, Chip Conley’s presentation at our conference in June was very popular and resonated deeply with many of you. We wanted you to know he just launched a daily blog this week called Wisdom Well housed on the Modern Elder Academy website. You can subscribe here to the blog if you’d like it to come to your email daily.
We are massive fans of Chip, who was one of our earliest supporters. Truth be told, AGEIST would look very different without some of the guidance and inspiration that Chip gave us. He is a vast source of knowledge around all areas of age-related issues.
He is now doing a daily and we think brilliant dispatch. Who doesn’t need a bit of Chip every day? I know I do. Here is a post from earlier in the week:
What is a Modern Elder?
During my time at Airbnb, I recognized a new kind of elder emerging in the workplace. Not the traditional elder of the past, regarded with reverence simply for years lived. But a Modern Elder, striking into new territory due to the growing value of their relevance: the ability to use timeless wisdom to address modern-day problems. By understanding the importance of context, today’s Modern Elder is the perfect alchemy of curiosity and wisdom (curiosity to open up possibilities and wisdom to distill down what is essential).
In order to proudly embrace the word “elder,” it’s time we make a distinction between “elderly” and “elder.” Elderly is the last 5-10 years of our lives, when we may or may not be dependent on others; Elder is a relative term, defining us relative to those who surround us. As a 52-year-old joining Airbnb (where the average age was half that), I was certainly an elder. But I was also a new version of what that meant.
So, let’s reclaim the word “elder” in our modern context: one that recognizes and values the unique contributions we offer. Let’s own the word, and give it the power it deserves. The power we deserve.
