Most of us will have more than one answer for this question - related to our roles in life (some chosen, some perhaps not chosen but which we may find ourselves in):  We may have roles as a parent, a son or daughter, a sibling, a neighbor, a friend, a member of a group, organization or community, etc.

    We would like to suggest that being an elder carries with it what Zalman Schachter-Shalomi calls an evolutionary imperative: to have an elder mission which involves caring for the well-being of future generations.  This elder mission may involve your role as parent, grandparent, great-grandparent.  And it may involve taking broader responsibility for the well-being of future generations of your community, nation, world.

How do we determine our elder mission?

    A number of wise people have suggested that what we care most deeply about, what we love to do, and what we are very good at are guideposts to determining our mission(s).

    There is great value in consciously exploring your understanding of your mission(s), and writing them down.  This enables you to keep a focus on them in the midst of all the stuff of life; to evaluate them periodically; and to evaluate the extent to which you are living your mission(s).

    We have developed an exercise for working on your elder mission:  Elder Mission Exercise.

    We would like you to share your Elder Mission with other elders on our Elder Mission Forum.