The Elder Within: The Source of Mature Masculinity

Terry Jones, the author of The Elder Within: Source of Mature Masculinity, Bookpartners, 2001, Wilsonville, Oregon, shares his passion, the search for the elder within. This is a search both in the world and inside the soul. Jones encourages and celebrates the expression of eldership: an approach to the second-half-of-life that is apparent in expressions like active grand parenting, mentoring and stewardship. The man who embraces elder qualities makes himself available to the young, to his family and the community. He has confidence in the fruits of his long life experience, and wants to seed the future for the sake of the young. Jones imagines men as they enter the retirement years taking on roles such as mentor, mediator and a source of blessing. North American men, however, don't have models for how to utilize the expanded life span we have today. We lose ourselves in work for most of our adult lives. Like fathers before us, we have been emotionally distant from our children. We have not developed skills in nurturing our spirit. The elder within is a source of a spiritual and balanced expression of masculinity. The Elder Within shows the relationship between the acceptance of responsibility for stewardship both of people and the earth and the recovery of men from the damage done to their souls in recent history. In the 18th century men became detached from family and community as they moved from farm to factory. Competing for jobs and profit, men forgot the joy of collaboration. In order to survive men learned about asserting power in the workplace. They then returned home and allowed their power to darken the nature of fatherhood and grand-fatherhood. Today we have come to decry abuse by men who beat their wives, perpetuate violence and discriminate against people. These are not mature men. In The Elder Within we celebrate mature men who express mature masculinity. The focus of the book is men, but women will also enjoy the hopeful potential of mature masculinity. Jones believes men are looking for a next step in the personal growth and healing many of them began in the men's movement. The Elder Within offers elder, as an alternative to elderly: that stereotype of older people that frightens the young about aging. Eldership, the expression of elder qualities, is a second half of life adventure in modeling mature masculinity. Elder expression fosters consensus rather than conflict. The man or woman who expresses elder energy uses tools of wisdom like meditation, contemplation and active listening. The elder expresses confidence in their long life experience and wants to seed the future by being accessible to and holding the dream for the young.