Igniting the Flame: The Power of the 3rd Act Social Movement
I recently wrote a response to David Brooks’s column” The Geezers’ Crusade” where he called for a social movement of elders. His article made me realize that the 3rd act is a part of the social movement that Brooks is speaking about. There is ground swell I feel as I co-facilitate our 3rd Act workshops. People who are drawn to exploring this new time in their lives and who feel reignited when they leave the workshop. This is a flame that is waiting to be lit.
Last week, Patricia Ellsberg and her older sister Barbara Marx Hubbard talked at a gathering in Mill Valley Ca. about a shift towards feminine wisdom and the power of the change or shift we are embarking on at this time. I believe the words social movement and feminine wisdom are connected.
We, in the second half of our lives, have a great opportunity to move our planet in a direction of greater abundance of material resources, cooperation, and co- creation. We, as women and men tapping into our feminine wisdom and human concern must stand for global peace. We, as boomers, have the numbers and a 30-year bonus on our side. We, as the elders, have an opportunity to pass on what we know because more of us are living longer healthier and more vital lives than ever before on planet earth .
We may not be nimble and quick in solving new math problems or using new technology, but we do have the ability to synthesize and bring the wisdom of experience to some of our most erasable problems like poverty, hunger, peace, the abuse of women and children and global warming. We have an opportunity to give back and to make things much, much better before we take our leave. We can sit back and take or we can give back now. We can mentor younger generations. We can help new businesses get off the ground. We can volunteer to teach in schools. We can help in developing countries. We can start our own new small businesses. We can find a way to take less of this nation’s resources as David Brooks recommends.
Do you feel the call to step up and demand that our country improve health care, education, the environment, and international peace?
In our small way the 3rd act is part of this social movement. “What now?” Bev and I asked ourselves before we came together to do this work. Ask yourself “What now?” and then go further. “ How can I bring improvement on the planet for those in the next generation? “ We have the “Tea Party” and the “Coffee Party” movements. What shall we call ourselves? Let’s join together and begin.
