THE COMING OF SECOND NATION ELDERS

Our knowledge and wisdom gained from relationships with First Nation elders have significantly contributed to the Contemporary Elder Institute's understanding of what it means to be an elder. First Nation refers to Indigenous peoples, ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.

These elders are the gatekeepers of their First Nations' wisdom, knowledge, and history rooted in millennia-old foundations. As a result, elders are engaged in formal and informal education, rituals, and ceremonies.

Elders impart tradition, knowledge, and values using orality and role-modeling of traditional practices. You know when an elder speaks. You know when an elder is present. A "sea-change" occurs. You can feel it.

First Nation elders' teachings and knowledge are all centered on relationships - relationship to self, relationship to community, relationship with nature, relationship with core values, relationship with soul and spirit, relationship with ancestors, and relationship to life's unstoppable changes.

The inclusion of elders occurs in nearly every community process - family, business, and subdivisions. It's at the "heart" of First Nation pedagogy.

Elders bring forth existential and metaphysical principles that contain ancient wisdom expressed in the present—words, concepts, stories, and metaphors recounted for generations.

Elders are a source, a spiritual connection, wrapped in compassion that allows people to feel nurtured by their presence. Elders deliver this connection through their benevolence and empathetic listening.

First Nation elders shift the context from 'me' to 'we.' Not just the 'we' in the present but the 'we' of the past, their ancestry, and their various family and tribal threads. But elders also speak of the 'we' of the future, the future they insight for their people.

First Nation elders can speak and be heard in such a way that people allow themselves to reveal their unvarnished selves. In the presence of an elder, people look courageously within. Elders open the self-recognition portal for self-discovery leading to self-understanding.

As a result of interacting with an elder, people realize and expand their higher wisdom. Higher wisdom includes an insightful understanding of one's humanity. And part of one's humanity is beyond being human. Elders open the gateway to the infinite.

Unfortunately, as described above, elders like this do not yet exist for Second Nation people. A costly missing. Imagine the remarkable difference elders would make in our Second Nation culture, businesses, communities, and families if they were present.

ELDERS OF THE SECOND NATION

Most reading this post are Second Nation, non-natives, occupiers, long term tenants, now grandfathered in. Squatters who have persisted and taken possession, generally by force or manipulation by their distant forbearers.

Second Nation people of the West are firmly molded by the industrial revolution and all that progressed from that context. As a result, fierce individualism, elevated ego-centrism, and devotees to material wealth became their default future.

Now, all accelerated and mind-sculpted by AI, machine learning, personality algorithms, expanding neural networks, mighty search engines, Chatbots, and hundreds of apps. But beware, these particular attributes of ferocious individualism, obedient ego governance, and obsession with materialism become the primary sources of prolonged suffering in late age.

Our findings suggest it would be best to have other intentions that reshape yourself at late age. Intentions that would restructure and reprogram, whereby individualism would lose its significance. The ego becomes subordinate rather than the monarch. And the driving obsession for "more," losses its addictive influence. At least, that's what we're seeing in our members, certainly in myself.

When you let go and stop clasping onto your past, when you realize your identity carries no weight and realize you can consciously hush your ego, an undiluted space opens where higher wisdom appears. Higher wisdom has always been there, just buried.

HIGHER WISDOM

Higher wisdom is eternal.

Higher wisdom is inherent, innate, and intrinsic to human beings.

Higher wisdom occurs out of time.

Higher wisdom magnifies and expands self-discovery and self-understanding.

Higher wisdom supports transcendental, spiritual connectivity.

Higher wisdom opens the gate to truth and authenticity.

Higher wisdom transforms and transfigures.

Higher wisdom grows personal and global responsibility.

Higher wisdom alters the rapport with death.

Higher wisdom improves the quality of daily life.

Higher wisdom resides on the inner horizon.

Higher wisdom sets you free. 

Elders follow the inner horizon path, where higher wisdom continues to uncover itself as they shed their former caricatures and impersonations.

THE APPARENT MISSION

The mission of the Contemporary Elder Institute is to bring forth the heritage, spirit, and embodiment of First Nation elders into Second Nation conversational rivers, tributaries, and streams. Drinking from this water will make a difference.

And yes, we realize one of our complex challenges is to have Western culture see the value of having elders participating in decision-making and conflict-resolving conversations up and down the line.

Second Nation elders can carry the traditions and hearts of First World elders, bringing their presence and wisdom to transform today's conversations. Edges can be dulled. Righteousness can be submerged. Humanity can be restored.

I am calling this the Elder Effect, and it is how the world can save itself from itself.

AN ASIDE - CHATBOTS

Given that the beacon is now shining brightly on AI and Chatbots, I asked one of our advisers, Charles Jennings, about higher wisdom and Chatbots. Charles is a prodigious and highly respected AI expert and a first-class poet.

Furthermore, as our institute moves forward into the future, we want to consider creating a ChatBOT that actually delivers higher wisdom. And we want to be able to discount and counter those that do not but say they do.

Here is Charles's response:

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Charles Jennings

To marc@drmarcbcooper.com

5:30 PM (7 minutes ago)

Hi Marc,

Here is my initial response to your inquiry.

Re: Chatbots and other forms of conversational AI:

First, AIs have steep exponential learning curves—particularly once they've mastered the basics. So whatever I say might be less accurate a year from now.

But in general, wisdom—elder wisdom or any other—is the last thing any AI has. They lack even common sense. But when it comes to giving humans advice, they are now faking it well.

We have a term in AI called the uncanny valley. Perhaps you've heard of it. It's the gap between a human's awareness and that of an AI. It's what you don't see when you gaze into the eyes of a robot.

I think AIs are still a decade or three away from crossing the uncanny valley, and until then, the role of elders—and poets—is extremely important.

We, humans, need to understand and precisely define what it means to be uniquely human, especially now that we have another supersmart species in our midst. Again, the voices of both elders and poets can help.

Best,

CJ

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If you are intrigued and have become engaged in the conversion from older to Elder, from age to sage, please visit our Website www.requestingwisdom.com/retreat

It is our stand that elders can change the world, but to do that, requires changing themselves first – from older to elder.