The Path to Wise Elderhood by Eric Hepburn

As I reach the midway point of my Doctor of Ministry in Social Justice program at Meadville Lombard — our UU seminary in Chicago — I want to share the heart of what has been unfolding. Stephen Jenkinson has said that we live in a time with more old folks and fewer wise elders than ever before. In this reflection, I’ll explore what it might mean to rescue wise elderhood from western history’s dustbin — to draw a clear, compassionate distinction between wise elders and old adolescents. Together we’ll consider how a culture might mature, how wisdom could become visible again, and how we might help bring forth “the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible."