Last night my Dad and his spouse Marian had a dinner to celebrate the publication of my text, Public Speaking: The Evolving Art. They invited several of their friends. As I looked around the room, I realized I was the youngest by a few years in one case and a lot of years in most cases. Listening to them talk reminded me of the importance of intergenerational friendships.
One of the attendees recently turned 90. He served in World War II and talked a bit of public speaking experiences during his time in the military. Another became an author in her 80s. And another, in her 70s, after a long career in nursing and public health, manages the website for the Democratic Party in her county. Marian talked about the Book Buddy program she's organized for the kids in her neighborhood (many of whom are eligible for free breakfast and lunch programs in the summer). Finally, a retired engineer in his 70s works in the local schools to promote an understanding of the United Nations.
So last night I had the opportunity to talk with a group of active seniors with interesting experiences involved in their communities. As I note in the web lecture, the youth-oriented focus of the dominant U.S. culture often leads younger communicators to dismiss and overlook more elderly communicators. Yet many of the projects the dinner guests are involved in as volunteers keep society going and help strengthen the ties of our interpersonal relationships.
Developing and maintaining friendships with people in a wide range of age groups gives you an appreciation for differing experiences and perspectives. My interactions last night encouraged me to think about what I might want to do when I retire and gave me additional insight into the key contributions of strong social networks in the aging process.
--Professor Cyborg
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Professor Cyborg, this was very touching, heartfelt, and inspirational for me to hear about the accomplishments and skill sets these older communicators brought to the table. I definitely can appreciate their volunteer works.
There is a great disparity between what the younger communicators currently know and what they could know if they did not dismiss the elderly communicators. Also, not everything is passed down to the next generation due to time constraints and/or life. For example, my husband's grandmother knew so much about arts & crafts and cooking, but I did not want to burden her (or neglected to find time to learn from her), and now the opportunity is forever loss. She also told interesting narratives about a different time period, and her style of speech was very proper, old-fashioned, and modest. That style is not transferred to the younger communicators.
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