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Successful At All Stages of Life-An Age Friendly Society
- George and Sedena Cappannelli
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In today’s episode of Healing From Within, your host Sheryl Glick welcomes George and Sedena Cappannelli, the co-authors of Do Not Go Quietly: A Guide to Living The Life You Were Born To Live For People Who Weren’t Born Yesterday. This book offers to reinvigorate and revitalize life for the 150 million Americans who will soon be 50 or older while helping them to reignite their passions, fulfill their dreams, and leave behind a legacy of greater hope and promise. We speak to the younger generations who need to know more about the road ahead and the world they will inherit.
The Cappanelli’s are experts on individual, organizational and societal change and have worked with leading organizations in both the private and public sectors including Boeing, NASA, Sun MicroSystems, The Disney Company, PepsiCo, The LA Times, and have collaborated on several other books including Say Yes To Change, and Authenticity- A Guide to Greater Meaning and Purpose At Work and At Home.
George is also an Emmy Award winning film and television producer/director and Sedena has been a member of The Screen Actors Guild since 1979 appearing in numerous film and television programs. The Cappannelli’s work with AgeNation and the Age of Empowerment providing information on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as a result of the graying of the world population.
As we observe a time of demographic revolution that will over the next several decades result in half the populations of most industrialized nations on earth being 50 or older for the first time in history, it is clear from the conflicts now being observed in government, corporations and in local communities that this aging population is ushering in a time of unprecedented social, political, cultural, economic, technological and environmental change for all passengers on this train called Humanity, and especially for those older GenXers (40-45), Boomers (46-64), And Elders (65+).
Those of us who are in those above categories now have the opportunity and also the time, resources, talent, experience and in redefining the values and priorities of our individual lives, may help create the road forward for a more functional society. In doing so, we will offer many creative ways for greater well-being and sustainability for ourselves and those who come after us.
George and Sedena tell about their earlier life and the motivation for writing Do Not Go Quietly which was partially to help us remember to use the precious gift that is our life: to learn to live with greater mindfulness in each precious moment, to cultivate friendship, cooperation and raise the human spirit to higher divine ways of expressing love and compassion and to chart a more harmonious course for future generations. For as we and a number of us know who weren’t born yesterday, personal and societal transformation does not occur without a little hard work and some quality time spent with ourselves. The book shares the idea that a life of genuine quality and accomplishment is only possible when we constantly challenge the boundaries of our beliefs and habits and take some long overdue risks. Helen Keller once said “that life is either a daring adventure or NOTHING..”
Sedena and George share some startling numbers in the first few chapters of the book helping us to see that Boomers and Elders control a significant percentage of the nation’s finances and have $2 billion in annual spending power. Those in the second half of life spend 3 times more than any other segment of the population. They spend $80 billion on health insurance and purchase 62% of new cars. Also, this group purchase about 1/3 of all apparel and about 1/2 of all personal care products, and account for over 2/3 of the $850 billion spent on leisure travel and $170 billion in healthcare spending. In short, this group is the wealthiest and most educated population segment of the nation.
However, the American obsession with youth and an aversion to aging is still fostered by the media and many national policies. As George and Sedena talk about the importance of living consciously and aging wisely, they give a stanza from Dylan Thomas’s well loved poem…”Do not go gently into that good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day: Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. We can use these words to remind us to take full advantage of the time remaining in our lives to do what our hearts know will allow us to complete our journey with greater dignity, originality and honor. Go inward and heal from your higher view of life: a deeper healing for ourselves and those we love and those who come after us. So for the 150 million Americans and billions around the planet, let us be this second half of life army, while remembering our responsibility to leave the world better than the one we inherited. Of course this takes into account the realization that each cycle of life offers extreme possibilities for the maturation of our inner or soul being and stepping into the responsibilities of mature decision making and more generous use of our time and resources. This could include work, social events, family, cooperative new ventures, volunteer work, charity work, and helping disadvantaged citizens and nations move into this technological age and spiritual evolution of the general population. Changes in old structures belief systems and antiquated social structures will be necessary.
George and Sedena give a number of Life Tools throughout the book. One example of a life tool is to consider each moment, each encounter, each word, thought and deed, than reflect is this truly the best and highest use of the moment, my energy, and the interaction? Question whether what you are doing is contributing to improving your life and the life of others? Also consider whether you are going through emotions, always remembering “feelings are intelligent information” that inform us of the wise choices we can make while “emotions are unintelligent feelings” that bring us into a state that often creates friction, unhappiness or loss of our personal sense of well being. Also constantly asking yourself if you are being true to the original dream you were born to manifest is a way to reassess what’s happening in your life and to create or manifest any necessary changes.
In the chapter entitled Lifestyle Revolution the authors mention that the brave new world ahead for those in the second half of life will be radically different from the world we were born into, matured in, had families and participated in careers. Some future innovations that George and Sedena envision, such as cell phones that monitor body temperature, cruise ships that take the place of retirement communities, brain gyms that sharpen wits and longevity which may increase to 120 years, meals in a pill and fully computerized forms of transportation, homes and commercial buildings, will be standard. Cooperative residential communities will become commonplace and a unified global economy will be a sensible choice. Robotic communities where manufacturing are performed by robots only, time travel space communities, bubble cities, underwater cities will only be the beginning…for what the mind can envision can eventually with effort and the proper resources be created.
In another chapter Beliefs are discussed. Of course a self destructive primary and limiting belief that has plagued humans for far to long is that the amount of freedom we experience in the second half of our life, is the belief that there is something wrong with getting older and that opportunities are no longer available for growth. Many people feel that if we focus primarily on youth, and deny aging, we will somehow avoid aging. Isn’t this strange…when we are young most of us can’t wait to be older, but when we are older, we wish we were younger. A better belief worth considering might be to celebrate our entrance into life as well as learning to celebrate our existence. Maturity and soul self development might also consider that there is a lot more to life than material accumulation and physical self-gratification and that through various practices such as yoga, prayer, meditation, observation, and reflection we may go beyond our fear of aging and dying, and enjoy each moment and cycle of a physical life.
Another interesting subject that will be discussed in this episode of “Healing From Within” is the differences between Dreams and Desires. It would appear that dreamers and revolutionaries are a necessary force for changes in the world. Dreamers seem to be freedom marchers much like anti-war protestors and political activists, soldiers and spiritual warriors and will not settle with going out of life with a whimper rather than a roar. It has appeared throughout history and the most creative artistic and scientific discoveries that dreamers are inspired by Spirit or Universal Energy bringing forth into the physical world their highest desires. The difference between dreams and desires is that dreams are just thoughts and desires are the vehicles or means to bring these thoughts into possibilities.
In fact our dreams hold the blueprint for a unique and successful life and the completion for our divine destiny or of our life plan. Sheryl agrees that when you are faithful to your dreams, which were written in your heart long ago before you came into this life, you will find that small still soulful voice and know the truth of your eternal energetic being. Finding that dream that lives within and living it to your best ability, will help you have a sense of rightness and alignment to something that feels familiar. Many of us have been told to put away our dreams during the early half of our life so we could fulfill societies views of what was acceptable. However if you live long enough and are really lucky and with effort you will find that what you sought in your younger life no longer holds your full attention. You will have moved past what other people deem necessary to find the real dream that you began with in childhood which was to know that you are a divine and eternal spiritual being of life.
In Sheryl Glick’s new book, “Whispers From Spirit-Beyond The Doorway Answers to Healing and Infinite Love,” Sheryl shares one of her earlier dreams: She went to see the Broadway Show “Man of La Mancha” and heard the song The Impossible Dream. The song spoke of facing great challenges, standing true to the values of fairness and honor, and going where few had the courage to go, in order to serve others and to bring changes into the world. Changes that would create a higher regard for Self and others. While the song sang within her heart and she tried to explore and create positive experiences for herself, family and friends, it wasn’t until she was guided to study energy healing and realizing she was a medium that she knew inspiration from the Divine connected us to each other and to Eternal Life Forces. Moving through the cycles of life affords us the opportunity to remember our earliest dreams and to complete them. For most of us, the second half of our lives give us the latitude and experience for this knowledge to be absorbed.
Closing advice for people who weren’t born yesterday, would go something like this: Be shaken out of the ruts of ordinary perception as so many pioneers and adventurers who have experimented with the boundaries of human consciousness by sometimes mind altering drugs, breathing techniques, meditation, fasting, and even just the power of undiluted observation. It is in this place of stillness and oneness with the Universe that one may accept new challenges and continue to emerge as a more conscious and civilized human and spiritual being. If it takes forever to find this beautiful Reality than being older might just be the time for a new beginning and understanding of our true dynamic potential for expansion.
