Episode 04: The hidden gifts of aging with Ken Dychtwald
Growing older has been cast in a negative light in our society and this has led to many negative effects that aren’t only felt by older adults. This is one of the issues that Ken Dychtwald tackles in his memoir, Radical Curiosity: One Man's Search for Cosmic Magic and a Purposeful Life. In this book, Ken compiles some of the most impactful life lessons he has learned from his greatest teachers, and today he joins us to share just a few of them. We begin our discussion on the theme of Ken’s lifelong curiosity that has seen him in search of the irregular, the extraordinary, the wild and crazy, and the meaning of a purposeful life. Along the way, Ken didn’t just hear the teachings of influential thought leaders, but also found mentors in many older people who taught him one of his biggest lessons: give life your best shot because before you know it, it will be too late! Over the years Ken interviewed many wise people who wrote on the subject of getting older, names like Dr. Robert Butler, Maggie Kuhn, Erik Erikson, and Betty Friedan. We take a deep dive into the lessons he learned from these voices about how our culture has missed the mark of what aging is supposed to be, to its own detriment. We talk about how aging should be seen as an ascent, not a descent, and the huge contributions that older people could make to society if their wisdom was seen as an asset, and so much more. So for an important conversation about getting back to the magic of aging, be sure to tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
Tweetables:
“I've been lucky. I've had more than my fair share of great people who not only took the time to answer some of my questions, but to drop some deep ideas on me, which in many ways, I think, have been the lessons that have guided my life.” — @AgeWave [0:09:06]
“I guess, what I've tried to gather in Radical Curiosity here, is from the time I was around 20 to now, the ways that I've gone about trying to make a better version of me.” — @AgeWave [0:13:24]
“We have not created high standards for either wellness, financial responsibility, or purposeful aging.” — @AgeWave [0:28:00]
“One of the things that I struggled with in Radical Curiosity is who will my role models be for me as an elder? Nelson Mandela is about as high up as you can get.” — @AgeWave [0:38:05]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Radical Curiosity: One Man's Search for Cosmic Magic and a Purposeful Life