The Destructive Power of Uncertainty and Chaos

An Elder’s higher purpose is to heal the world. To "heal" means restoring something to a state of health or well-being, whether physical, emotional, or psychological. Healing also refers to recovering from an injury or illness, but it can also describe emotional recovery from trauma, pain, or distress.

According to these definitions and the current conditions in our country, we need “healers.” The elders' principal deliverable is healing.

But to heal, what needs to be known is what is causing the damage.

Today, the diagnosis is obvious. The trauma from uncertainty and chaos is causing damage.

Uncertainty and chaos profoundly influence physical health and mental well-being. They spread insidiously through every aspect of life, causing instability and unease.

Chaos and uncertainty stress you out, triggering a series of bodily reactions that affect your overall well-being. When you're stressed, your cortisol levels shoot up, affecting your immune system, heart health, and sleep.

Our bodies handle short-term issues well but struggle with prolonged uncertainty, increasing sickness, and slowing recovery.

Chronic uncertainty and chaos enhance cytokine production and transit, which increases inflammation throughout the body. Chronic diseases get worse, and mortality increases.

Uncertainty and chaos also ramp up anxiety and make you feel helpless. Our brains like things to be predictable and under control. When they're not, we get stuck thinking about all the worst things that could happen.

Aren’t you doing that right now?

Mental unrest clouds judgment and impairs decision-making and problem-solving abilities. Over time, the distress gradually erodes self-esteem and resilience, making coping with challenges even harder.

Exposure to chaotic and uncertain environments exacerbates conditions like depression and anxiety, perpetuating cycles of emotional distress.

Hey, realize we’re all going through it.

Moreover, uncertainty's damaging effects extend beyond the individual, permeating interpersonal relationships and societal dynamics. It drives us further apart.

Our country is now gripped by uncertainty and chaos, with diminishing trust in institutions and each other. Communication is breaking down, and collective efforts toward improvement are flailing. It feels like we’re going downward, not upward. The rabbit hole we fell into is getting deeper and darker.

Economic instability, geopolitical tensions, and environmental crises amplify the prevalent sense of unpredictability, compounding the toll on our collective well-being.

Chaos and uncertainty are kicking the sh*t out of us.

This is precisely why Elders are needed ASAP.

THE ELDER'S WISDOM ON NAVIGATING UNCERTAINTY

Elders show you how to deal with uncertainty by shifting your fundamental thinking. They enable you to adopt approaches that significantly reduce the adverse effects of uncertainty.

Elders teach resilience, the key to handling life's many twists and turns. Resilience isn’t about avoiding challenges but understanding them in a new way that makes you more substantial than the circumstances.

The circumstances don’t disappear, but Elders open the gates to higher wisdom. Looking through your wisdom lenses, you experience uncertainty’s form and mass much differently, far less toxic, much more benign.

Looking through wisdom lenses, you are on the shore watching the rapids, not immersed in the whitewater, being powerfully pulled toward the approaching waterfall.

Elders facilitate practices like mindfulness, rethinking thoughts, and seeing the bigger picture to help you stay emotionally balanced. They also model this emotional balance, so you know it isn’t smoke and mirrors.

Elders have fully embodied the principle of impermanence, so they remind you, “This too shall pass.” Hence, they have a calming presence and can create a condition of equanimity and composure.

Elders remind you that a strong support network is vital. Having friends, family, or community groups around you offers an emotional sense of connection. Connecting with others reduces fear and trepidation. Feeling connected promotes a sense of safety and fosters resilience.

Elders know that having a higher purpose, living into that higher purpose, and shaping yourself to deliver on that higher purpose is the best vaccine for uncertainty and chaos.

Wake up! Our current politics is purposefully designed to maximize uncertainty and chaos. Our rapid reaction makes us more susceptible to manipulation and control and prevents us from focusing on long-term solutions or collective well-being. It keeps the survival mechanism churning. It keeps splitting us further apart.

The Elders' role is now crucial because they embody and transfer stability, patience, and long-term strategic thinking needed to move beyond the chaos and uncertainty.

Forget Red Bull; it’s Elders that give you wings.

JUST THINKING - THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ELDER COALITION

There are nearly 60 million of us over 65. The aggregate wealth of Americans over 65 is vastly more significant than the combined wealth of tech billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and others.

While the net worth of individuals over 65 is more difficult to calculate as a single figure, it is estimated to be $28 trillion, based on various averages and estimates. In contrast, the combined wealth of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and other top billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison is roughly $1 trillion.

This makes the wealth of Americans over 65 about 200 times greater than the combined wealth of these tech moguls. Compared to the entire U.S. economy, which is valued at around $26.7 trillion, older Americans' wealth is comparable to the nation's total GDP, emphasizing the immense wealth accumulated by this demographic.

Using the 80/20 rule, the Contemporary Elder Institute estimates that 20% of the 60 million Americans over 65 (about 12 million people) hold much of the wealth in this demographic. With the total wealth of Americans over 65 estimated at around $28 trillion, the wealth of this top 20% comes to approximately $22.4 trillion. The combined wealth of tech billionaires and others is around $1 trillion.

This means the wealth of just 12 million older Americans is about 22 times greater than the combined wealth of the tech moguls. This stark contrast highlights the concentration of wealth among older generations and their immense financial power compared to the tech elite. We don’t realize it, but we’re the “badass.”

Many of you are among the top 20% of individuals over 65, and as readers of this post, you understand this: We can shape the future and rise above constant uncertainty and chaos. The power is not in their hands but in ours.

COMMENTS REQUESTED

Please give your thoughts and comments below: Given our numbers, our depth of knowledge-based experience and talent, our core values, and our understanding of our humanity, “How would you design an Elder Coalition that you would join?”