Introduction: Welcome to Wisdom of Age
After a lifetime of experiences, what perspectives hold true? What opinions and beliefs have been forged over decades of lessons learned? What do people know for sure when they are 80, or 90?
In this introduction to Wisdom of Age, Stacy Raine shares her inspiration and intention for this show. Join her as she explores the lives and life lessons from people in our oldest generations, who have a lifetime of wisdom to share.
You’ll meet:
a 97-year-old WWII veteran in Missouri,
an 83-year-old Christmas tree farmer in Virginia,
a 97-year-old great-grandmother in Louisiana, and more.
Read the Transcript
Stacy Raine:
Hey, I’m Stacy Raine, and before you dive in to Wisdom of Age, I want to first thank you for being willing to join me on this journey. And to me, that’s exactly what this show is. It’s a journey. It’s been a personal journey for me, one I’ve thought about undertaking for years, and a journey of perspective as well, as I listened to people tell the stories of their lives as they lived them and the lessons they learned along the way.
Years ago, I was having a conversation with my great aunt, and we were talking about childhood vaccines. Some people were delaying them, some weren’t giving them to their children at all. I turned to my great aunt, at the time she was in her 90s, and asked her what she thought. She simply said: “I don’t want to get polio.”
My generation, at least those of us here in the US, grew up in a world where polio had been almost entirely eradicated. No parent ever had to fear their child getting that devastating disease. I can imagine living with the fear of polio has certainly shaped perspective. Our perspectives are shaped every day, by events large and small. We don't have the same experiences, and really, part of what shapes us is our experience. So after a lifetime of experiences, what perspectives have held true? What opinions and beliefs have been forged over the decades of lessons learned? What do people know for sure when they are 80, or 90?
The guests you’ll meet on this show have entire lifetimes of experience. What an honor for them to share it with me – and with you.
So much has changed over the decades, and yet so much of the human experience remains unchanged. I found it fascinating to hear about their lives in times past, and also, to hear about their thoughts and beliefs, and how they arrived at them. Of course, we don’t always agree with everyone we meet on everything, and this show will be no different. But, I hope you’ll join me in these conversations with the intention to learn what you can from people with a long view, to think about what lessons you might apply to your own life.
And I hope this show helps to bridge the gap just a little bit between young and old, something that might be missing in this culture especially. I hope it gets you thinking about the elders in your own life, and what you might learn from them. I hope it starts conversations that you’ve not yet had.
I believe there is so much to be learned from each other, and especially from our elders. I also believe that stories can connect us all.
So with that, welcome to Wisdom of Age, and thank you for listening.