Are you an Elder or just another grumpy old person?

(An excerpt from Your Return to Freedom - page 40)

As we grow older we each have a choice.

The Universe invites us each to embrace the evolving world around us in child-like wonder. We learn to listen at a deep level to the pulse of the Universe. We become increasingly closer to God-realization. Freedom is within our grasp. Instead of being distracted by the consumer-driven material world, we ask many “Why?” questions. Blind faith has no place in this world. We discern all that is happening at a progressively intuitive level.

Those who ride the crest of change become the Elders of our society. They are people who sometimes seem to exude wisdom beyond their physical age. Elders are not necessarily old in years, but rather seem to embody an ancient wisdom. They are connected to Power. They are in the flow. While they may enjoy the pleasures of the material world, they are not addicted to nor fixated on them. They are unruffled by crises around them, knowing that each event is nothing more and nothing less than a new reality being born. They fully embrace the inevitability of change. They do not resist. They are at peace within themselves–which does not necessarily mean they are pacifists in the world around them.

Often it is because of, and not despite, this inner peace Elders become the fierce warriors leading the charge for justice and equality. They are intolerant of discrimination and prejudice. They have seen the damage such ignorance-based behaviors have inflicted upon those who have yet to find their own voices. They do not demand respect; instead their very presence commands respect. Not out of fear, but out of a deep reverence for the power they embody. These people are not easy to identify for they have no need to advertise or self-promote who they are. They become our Kumus, our gurus, our spiritual teachers in this world.

On the other hand, we have people we call “olders”, those “old” people who resist change and become increasingly bitter and judgmental towards a world they believe is not respecting their beliefs. The beliefs they so virulently cling to are often outdated and no longer serve the greater good for the evolution of mankind. Instead, the beliefs serve to reinforce mostly fear-based, man-made teachings, even if these teachings are sugar-coated in the name of love, which is often the case.

Any teachings which result in the individual person adopting a position of judgment and discrimination should be carefully examined, for they surely are not based in unconditional love. These “old” people become increasingly anxious as the pace of change in the world around them accelerates to a rate that is beyond their ability to comprehend and thus control. They may angrily lash out, claiming this world is an unfair place and that they are victims to their circumstances. They look for external “messiahs” to save them. But save them from whom? From themselves. From having to take personal responsibility for their own evolution. Angry and resentful tribes emerge.

These tribes entrench their views of the world which has long since passed them by. But they do not know this, or if they do, they are living in denial. We know who these people are. They are easy to identify. They are the ones who give their power away to self-proclaimed leaders or religious institutions, in the hope they will somehow be saved or taken care of. This is not the same as creating and forming or joining loving groups or tribes led by Elders which then govern or lead from a place of love and wisdom. No, this is instead characterized by charismatic leaders promising to make their tribe great so long as the members of the tribe hand their power over to the so-called leaders.

As the quickening is upon us, we are required to decide which path we wish to follow; the path of the Elders or the path of the “olders”? One path will support our short-term growth, the other will delay it. One will be filled with excitement and awe, the other with dread and fear. In the end, however, growth is unavoidable, as ultimately we are all interconnected with this rapidly changing world.

If you have read this far, know that Power is with you and has invited you to join the path of the Elders!