50 Bits of Wisdom for My Grandchildren

The First Native American tradition of elders imparting wisdom to younger generations has no counterpart in contemporary American culture. Our culture has no systematic way of transmitting the knowledge of our seniors to our young people. If anything, a societal disconnect or gulf exists between our older and our younger people. As a grandfather and as an elder at age 60, I use this book to pass on to my three grandchildren (as well as to other readers) 50 bits of wisdom I have learned from six decades of living in this society. The 50 bits are derived from experiential learning. They come from the joys and the vicissitudes I have had and from the successes and the mistakes I have made. The 50 bits of wisdom are by no means intended to be exhaustive of all the wisdom available to us. Numerous sources contain additional and valuable wisdom, and I encourage my grandchildren (and my readers) to pursue these other helpful resources. The 50 bits are those which I have been able to integrate into my life, and so I know them personally. They are a part of my value system and my daily behavior. My goal for this book is to help make my three grandsons lives (and my readers lives) a little bit better, happier, or easier. My hope is that something written here will be of benefit to them. The book is organized into three sections and an appendix. Section I: Universal (Non-Spiritual) Concepts is devoted to a discussion of 14 concepts experienced by most, if not all, people; hence, the word, Universal. These concepts are: Change; Struggle; Suffering; Wounded and Healing; Diversity; Acknowledgment; Cause and Effect; Broad Strokes versus Fine Strokes; Communication; Transcending Ego; Projection; Support Systems; Unintended Outcomes; and Entropy. Section II: Spiritual Concepts explicates 19 concepts which draw on interfaith spiritual wisdom, transcending teachings of any one particular religion. They also draw on near-death experience research findings. The concepts included are: God; The Golden Rule; Unconditional Love; We Are All Children of God; Religious Pluralism; Mindfulness; Balance; Helping Others; Karma; Dark Night of the Soul; Compensatory Gifts; Go With Your God-Given Gifts; Environmental Stewardship; Putting Problems in Gods Hands; Thankfulness; Mission; Be a Good Person; Forgiveness; and Find Your Own Spiritual Path. Section III: Helpful Maxims elucidates 17 principles which have provided guidance for leading my life. These are: take a problem and turn it into an opportunity; most things in life are neither all black nor all white; always try to make things a little bit better; it is better to be safe than sorry; speak truth to power; bad things may happen to good people; when is enough, enough?; waste not, want not; the known often seems safer than the unknown; all behavior is understandable if seen through the eyes of the person doing the behaving; learn from your mistakes; never stop learning; trust your feelings; if you are not sure, dont make a hasty decision; dont be afraid to go against the grain; make hay while the sun shines; and, vote. And, the Appendix catalogues 20 additional axioms, the truth of which I have been able to glimpse but the essence of which I have not been able to incorporate into my life as fully as the 50 bits of wisdom discussed in Sections I, II, and III. These are: if it isnt broken, dont fix it; let the person who is without sin cast the first stone; dont panic; what are the underlying, unspoken feelings here?; dont look back; cut your losses; everything happens for a reason; make time for play; buyer beware; laughter is good medicine; when one door closes, another door opens; image, regrettably, matters; two steps forward and one step back; expectations may lead to disappointments; speak from your own experience; the ends do not justify the means; do the job right; practice right speech; recognize a window of opportunity; and namaste! The 50 co