DISCERNMENT: THE ELDER'S GATEWAY [7-minue read]

Discernment

"Discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right. – Charles Spurgeon

Discernment is?the ability to perceive, understand, and judge things clearly, especially those that are not obvious or straightforward.?It is also defined as the ability to grasp and comprehend obscure information.

Discernment allows elders to know the stranger within and the uncertain world without. It involves perceiving, recognizing, and distinguishing the finer aspects of situations, ideas, and their experiences.

Discernment means recognizing the deeper meanings, motivations, and consequences that happen as life is lived.

Discernment displaces distraction.

Discernment is vital in developing self-awareness and self-knowledge, which enable elders to navigate life with greater clarity, insight, serenity, and purpose.

Discernment allows elders to talk and, most importantly, be heard by unobservant people. Elders sense how to have meaningful conversations with these people, and with discernment, elders increase others' discernment.

Discernment is a transformative process closely tied to distinctions, self-inquiry, and insights, ultimately leading to wisdom.

Discernment is the discipline elders practice.

The Nature of Discernment

"Obscurity is dispelled by augmenting the light of discernment, not by attacking the darkness." - Socrates

For elders, discernment is way deeper than choosing right or wrong. Seeing something as right or something wrong teaches nothing. Right or wrong provides no insights or greater awareness but only validates your existing beliefs.

Discernment does not rely on beliefs. Elders know beliefs are false causes.

Discernment goes below the surface to uncover the previously unrecognized, often hidden patterns that shape perception that determine behavior. Elders understand, change what you see, change what you do.

Discernment and the Process of Distinctions

"The more you can increase your discernment, the more comfortable you will be in handling uncertainty. – Brian Tracy

Discernment allows elders to determine distinctions. Distinctions are the mental processes by which elders separate and categorize different aspects of life’s experiences.

Distinctions allow elders to differentiate between similar yet distinct elements, making deeper understanding possible.

Creating distinctions is foundational because it allows elders to see things as they are rather than through preconceived concepts or convictions.

Distinctions help elders move beyond binary thinking—seeing things as simply right or wrong, black or white—whereas distinctions open up a spectrum of possibilities.

By sharpening their ability to distinguish, elders become better equipped to perceive reality in its complete and unadorned uncertainty.

Self-Inquiry and the Role of Discernment

"When you learn what you can live without, you are able to ask life for the very best because you possess the gift of discernment. You are able to create an authentic life because you are able to make conscious choices." ??- Sarah Ban Breathnach

Self-inquiry is the process of introspection and reflection that leads to a deeper understanding of oneself. It involves identifying thoughts, emotions, experiences, beliefs, and actions to reveal underlying motivations and patterns.

Self-questioning and self-examination help peel away layers of conditioning, allowing elders to have a more authentic and insightful understanding of themselves.

Discernment’s self-inquiry allows elders to separate transient thoughts and emotions from core values and principles.

Self-inquiry helps people identify and unchain from the beliefs unconsciously adopted from societal conditioning, family expectations, or cultural norms that have defined them throughout their lives.

Elders' discernment in self-inquiry involves realizing the difference between what they think they know and what they understand. Elders are constantly reminded that what they think they know “isn't necessarily so.”

Self-inquiry requires humility and an openness to challenging personal assumptions and long-held beliefs. It also requires being OK with being wrong. Being right keeps self-inquiry away.

Elders understand they can't change something they are unwilling to see about themselves.

This way, discernment’s self-inquiry becomes an essential tool for self-transformation. No outsiders are required.

Insights and the Path to Wisdom

"Insight perceives, intelligence understands, intellect comprehends, wisdom knows." ????????? ―?Matshona Dhliwayo

Discernment allows elders to see the relationship between seemingly unrelated events, ideas, or emotions, providing them with a more integrated view of themselves and reality—something AI can’t, and never will, be able to do. Machines can’t have insights; they can only conclude.

Discernment is not a passive process but an active engagement with life. It involves looking beyond as well as into appearances and assumptions and accepting complexity and ambiguity.

Discernment requires the courage to confront uncomfortable truths and let go of comforting or righteous illusions. Wisdom occurs when the uncomfortable truths are owned, and the illusions dispelled.

Wisdom, in turn, is the capacity to make practical, ethical, and compassionate choices without restraint. Wisdom allows elders to trust themselves to express themselves.

Wisdom involves seeing the interconnections and understanding that their actions have consequences beyond immediate circumstances.

With wisdom, elders learn to navigate life's complexities and absurdities. You become more adept at recognizing the difference between what is essential and what is trivial, what is true and what is false, and what is beneficial and what is harmful.

Discernment allows elders to cultivate wisdom and its ensemble of clarity, compassion, humility, and integrity.

"True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best." - Sinclair B. Ferguson

Discernment

"To see the unseen in all that appears, ?

To hear the quiet beneath the noise of years, ?

To know the truth beyond what's supposedly clear, ?

This the elder magic of being a discerning seeker."

- Marc Cooper

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MAKING MY CASE

OPENING STATEMENT: KNOW THIS

The population is aging, birth rates are declining, and life expectancy is increasing, a megatrend that will continue for decades.

Lifespan has nearly doubled in the past century, a remarkable success story, from age 45 to today's 79.

In the U.S., 10,000 people turn 65 daily, the fastest-growing population in the country and in the world.

By 2050, the number of people 50 and older will double.

In 25 years, people over 65 will outnumber people younger than 15.

Today, people over 50 and older account for 50% of spending in the U.S. and 83% of household wealth, and these percentages will only increase.

Over half of the children now being born are expected to live to the age of 100 and beyond.

By 2050, 45% of the U.S. population will be older than 65, and people over 80 will make up 8% of the population.

CLOSING ARGUMENT: HERE’S WHAT’S POSSIBLE

If 20% of 65-year-olds became genuine elders, our country's political, social, familial, and spiritual context and systems would be transformed.

Peace, compassion, common sense, and a higher purpose would be alive at home, in our communities, in our nation, and in our world.

Older to Elder is a time that's come. Help me make this possibility possible.

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