Awakening elder perspective commenTary

le TTers

Endorsing Wright

By P. Gregory Guss

Special to The Enterprise

Today’s world is rife with pernicious examples of the failure to nurture hopes, ideals and that which empowers commitment to striving for the betterment of all. We see this failure in the deep divisions in our country, rampant hatred feeding racism, inequalities and greed, and a paralysis surrounding our global climate crisis — vexing issues that require all our personal investment.

In the Westward Expansion of the United States beginning in 1807, Americans went barreling along at breakneck speed, riding in to conquer what was called the Wild West. Congressional expansion blinded and bypassed our consciousness of these actions. The forward thrusting of this history united wayward development with a pernicious greed while throwing out much that was enormously vital, valuable, wise and from the land and native peoples.

After 216 years our culture finds itself in an impoverished state. Overly preoccupied by “youth culture” and all that may keep us forever young. Our modern-day Fountain of Youth has become blinded by the gilded technologies which we revere, if not idolize. Miraculous tools they are, these technologies, but just tools.

A culture seeks sustainability through extracting meaning, understanding historical reflection and intentional awareness. Culture has an obligation, a responsibility if you will, to feed the hopes and aspirations of those it is serving. And the health of any culture is revealed in its imagination, especially its vitality to dream.

The young are assigned the task to live into their dreams that need to be born. They are given this charge to attend to the dreams that speak for us all. Such cultural assignments however, are done unbeknownst to those who then carry out these charges.

The mission of the aging adult is to accompany and nurture those dreams (and dreamers) with yielding curiosity. This nurturing of aspirations and future ideals is sadly and profoundly neglected in our American culture, resulting in the crisis of imagination in which we find ourselves.

Many of us recognize the stark difference between an older (one who ages), versus an Elder, who intentionally and consciously wants to be an active resource to following generations. Some Elders are heeding the call to serve the many needs that our young counterparts are holding alone, the dreams that must be nurtured together.

But how does a culture survive and replenish, when not enough have picked-up the mantle, to identify themselves as Elders? Perhaps a prime component that must be addressed is to change our cultural-narrative on what it means to call oneself an Elder.

Too frequently there is an implicit assumption that Elders ought to have all the answers, or have "exemplary" wisdom. Rather, the power of Elders lies in their support to the emerging generation’s prominent and dynamic tasks.

Cultivating hope, dreams and aspirations for the betterment and advancement of our world, is their calling. The Elder’s response is to create that patterning realm that "we are in this together." We know if older individuals show-up with their gifts, listening from their perspective, with intentions to steward and guide from a loving investment, they impart a form of miraculous wisdom; a wisdom of connection. As we age, giving ourselves over to that which is far larger than any one individual, our task forward touches generativity.

It is said that the antidote to the fears of mortality is meaningfulness!

Younger people benefit enormously by being recognized, respected and supported (partnered) by Elders. Such collaboration helps hone the young person’s outlook, as they find their way through the maze of our cultural crises while discovering their own unique contributions to the larger community. Such relationships are often seen as the medicine many seek. It’s beneficial to ourselves, to our younger generations, and to the community that has been built from such investments of soul. As more of us take-up the conscious decision of embracing our potential as Elders, hope in the land is once again restored. Elderhood is such a lesson! A loving offering to partner, to witness and to know that within the emerging generations lives a longing, a very prominent longing to be seen and understood, so that their dreams and ours too remain inextricably linked.

I am most pleased to facilitate organized discussions on this topic through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, (OLLI), in May this year. The two sessions, (May 11 and 18) are titled: “The Elder’s Role in a Time of Crisis of Imagination.” For more information please contact OLLI at: olli@ucdavis.edu.

— P. Gregory Guss, LCSW, is a semi-retired psychotherapist, a community organizer, and an artist. He and his wife of 41 years are longtime Davis residents.

I write to support the election of Francesca Wright for City council. I have known and worked with Francesca for over a decade. While I was faculty advisor to the chancellor and director of a sixuniversity international consortium, she worked with me as analyst on projects related to cities, sustainability, STEM education, refugees, gender and justice issues, and far more.

The work required developing proposals; communicating with international partners; organizing workshops, lectures and conferences; fostering partnerships with local, regional, and international partners — and, most importantly, bringing people to the table to work together across fields, disciplines, languages and countries. Francesca excelled.

She is committed to cities, sustainability, and social justice. She is committed to listening. She is committed to partnerships. She is committed to helping partners come together to arrive at best solutions. She is committed to the Davis community.

Her years of service to Davis and the region, her understanding of local problems, her wide-ranged networking within the community on behalf of the community and her dedication to serve — all make her an outstanding candidate for Davis City Council, and will make her a leading voice for critical local and regional issues.

Suad Joseph Davis

Donna for Davis

I am thrilled to voice my support for Donna Neville for the Davis City Council. As a current council member I have had the pleasure to see Donna serve our community in many ways, both on our city commissions and in our nonprofits.

As a liaison to the Finance and Budget Commission, I was able to see her chair many meetings that required strong collaboration, reconciling many differing perspectives. Her calm but persistent approach facilitated the work of that commission in a way that resulted in feasible, practical solutions that saved the city money. We just recently approved a recommendation she worked on with a fellow commissioner that is projected to save the city a substantial amount of money on loan interest costs.

I also appreciate her incredible work with NAMI Yolo County as the board president, where she advocates for the rights of individuals with a serious mental illness and their families. I understand how difficult it can be to lead non-profits, advocating for the needs of those who are often overlooked. Donna has also been n Two pedestrians struck, killed in early-morning collisions: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4iAt n City receives another peripheral development proposal: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4iMN n Bob Dunning: It’s imperative we get rid of this thing: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4iJS n Basketball: Pepper begins training for NBA

Draft: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4iGV

“I instrumental in securing grant funding for critical mental health services. She just recently secured $650,000 in grant funding for multiple programs.

Our community would certainly benefit from her on the council. Her work has already helped our city in many ways; being on the council will allow her to impact the issues even more directly. She will not just provide ideas but will be able to implement ideas into tangible solutions. I urge you to vote for Donna by May 2.

Gloria Partida Davis

Neville is ready

I am writing to express my support for Donna Neville for Davis City Council.

As a state senator, I served on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee that directed the California State Auditor’s Office to investigate state and local agencies and programs throughout California and to hold them accountable. As chief counsel to the state auditor, Donna Neville worked on virtually every aspect of state and local government.

I had the privilege to see Donna’s work firsthand. Her audit presentations were clear and action-oriented, and even when hearings became contentious, she handled the situation with poise and professionalism. The work resulted in real change.

She would bring to the City Council a clear understanding of the hard issues cities face and the tools that are available to deal with them. Her understanding of public finance will be especially invaluable given the revenue shortfall the City continues to face.

District 3 is the heart of our city. Within its boundaries one finds the downtown, Central Park, Community Park, City Hall, the Senior Center, the library, Davis High School, the main transit hub, and the overnight shelter. The heart has been without representation for months.

Donna is the leader we need at a critical point for our future. Let’s put Donna to work. She is ready.

Lois Wolk Former state senator

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