Where has All the Wisdom Gone?

"... elder voices from the far corners of the world, to call the world into balance. You will go far away.  It will sometimes be a lonely road.  We will not be there, but you will look into the eyes of seeming strangers and you will recognize your Ohana, you family, and it will take all of you."

It’s been said that when an elder dies, it’s as if a library is burned. Anthropologist Elizabeth Lindsey, a National Geographic Fellow, collects the deep cultural knowledge passed down as stories and lore. (Recorded at TEDWomen, December 2010, in Washington, DC. Duration: 10:13)






"The year is 2010... we are in trouble..."  Lindsey not only feverishly tells the story of where she comes from in this video she reminds all of us that there are lessons to be learned from those who have gone before us.  Lessons that should be not taken lightly, but listened and learned from.


Too many times, I feel, we write our elderly off and force them to live in a home, tell them they are crazy, or consider them a loon.  This should not be so.  Wisdom comes from experience and experience may only be gained through living.


To you I ask only this:


What story might your grandmother tell you about life that you never would have learned without her?


What day does you grandfather hold dear?


Once you've reached a certain age... are memories all you have left?


Image: 1930's Polynesian Woman