Did Michelangelo really believe that his life had been
wasted because he failed to pursue a spiritual goal? Yes, he
did believe that and wrote about in his journal in later
life. Nonetheless, his later works are an astounding example
of
THE RIPENING IN US
Posted on by James Woodward
When grapes turn
to wine, they long for our ability to change.
When stars wheel
around the North Pole,
they are longing for our growing consciousness.
Wine got drunk with us,
not the other way.
The body developed out of
And what of our old age?
Posted on by James Woodward
From a lecture given 17th October 2012
Chichester
WHAT ARE OLDER PEOPLE FOR?
The profit motive, the mass media’s love affair with the new, and the anxiety provoked by growing old in a youth obsessed culture have led millions to surrender their faces to the war on wrinkles
The Pleasures of Ageing?
Posted on by James Woodward
JAMES HILLMAN:
"Suppose we all lived to be 125, or 185; how would we
live? It's a frightening idea, because it’s a deep denial of
something fundamental to the human experience...
Life extension isn’t even enough as a goal. [Scientists] want
to prevent dying
Growing great?
Posted on by James Woodward
"A society grows great when old men plant trees
whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
-Greek proverb
GRACE APPROACHING
Posted on by James Woodward
There is a grace approaching
that we shun as much as death,
it is the completion of our birth.
It does not come in time,
but in timelessness
when the mind sinks into the heart
and we remember.
It is an insistent grace that draws us
to the edge and beckons us surrender
safe te
UnMasking Age
Posted on by James Woodward
Unmasking Age: The significance of age for social research
Social Research
Bill Bytheway Policy Press 2011
When the history of social gerontology is written, the chapter devoted to the contribution of individual researchers to the field, will certainly feature Bill B
Time and Age – some more questions!
Posted on by James Woodward
Is it absurd to suggest that the tick of the clock is relevant to understanding age?
Picture it: a landscape, a family enjoying a picnic, rolling hills in the distance; Can you think of an equivalent timescape?
How routine is your daily life? Do you think it is becom
How Old do you think I am?
Posted on by James Woodward
Try this out for a starter if you want to reflect in Age!
Do you feel age masks 'the real you'?
When did you last take a hard look at yourself in the mirror?
Do you look your age?
Do you feel your age?
Spirituality and Personhood in Dementia
Posted on by James Woodward
‘SPIRITUALITY AND PERSONHOOD IN DEMENTIA’
Edited by Albert Jewell, Jessica Kingsley publishers 2011
ISBN: 978-1-84905-154-5
Albert Jewell is a skilled researcher and together with his knowledge of the field of ageing, a third book has been publi
CARE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
Posted on by James Woodward
"The only thing that can save us as a species is seeing how
we're not thinking about future generations in the way we live.
What's lacking is generativity, a generativity that will promote
positive values in the lives of the next generation. Unfortunately,
we set the
Beatitudes for the Ageing
Posted on by James Woodward
Blessed are those who have the courage to do nothing.
They demonstrate to us a different level of living for one another.
Blessed are those who no longer expect anything and yet are able to smile.
God's goodness is shining through them.
Blessed are those who are able to l
We continue to fail older people
Posted on by James Woodward
Councils cut back on free adult social care
Some authorities say they have no option but to cut one of their biggest areas of spending
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services study found just 26 out of 148 councils would fund people in "moderate" or "low" need, dow
Growing Older?
Posted on by James Woodward
The first fifty years of life give us the text;
the next thirty supply the commentary on it.
-Arthur Schopenhauer
How do we look after the vulnerable in our ‘Big Society’?
Posted on by James Woodward
This isnt going to be the easiest weeks for many people. What a strange and perplexing world we live in - a Big Society accepting the inevitability of cuts. The following research should give us all soem cause for concern.
Some councils in England fear budget pressures will hit
Leadership and Listening?
Posted on by James Woodward
............ it is significant that our English word for 'obedience' is derived from two Latin words -ob and audire- which mean to 'listen keenly'. As Bill Kirkpatrick observes in his book The Creativity of Listening, listening has three meanings:
The first is to hear; the
I Look Into My Glass
Posted on by James Woodward
I look into my glass,
And view my wasted skin,
And say, ‘Would God it came to pass
My heart had shrunk as thin!’
For then I, undistrest
By hearts grown cold to me,
Could lonely wait my endless rest
With equanimity.
But Time, to make me grieve,
Part steals, le
In memory of W.B. Yeats
Posted on by James Woodward
Earth, receive an honoured guest:
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel lie
Emptied of its poetry.
...
Follow, poet, follow right
To the bottom of the night,
With your unconstraining voice
Still persuade us to rejoice;
With the farming of a verse
Make a vineyard
Befriend the Older stranger in yourself?
Posted on by James Woodward
In a science museum, there is one exhibit in particular which attracted long lines of children: "Face Ageing". A child sits down in front of an automatic camera and has their portrait taken. They wait and their digitized bust appears on a TV. monitor. Then, tapping a button lik
When will we learn to care for our older people?
Posted on by James Woodward
Patients can apply for NHS funding through the continuing care system
Vulnerable elderly people are being unfairly forced to pay for health care, the new chairman of the House of Commons health committee says.
Stephen Dorrell said patients with conditions such as dementia