Passing the Torch

Generational bookending: at one end, a generation represented by archetypes of lives well lived, about wisdom and accomplishment . . . . at the other end, a generation represented by archetypes of life's yearning for itself, about fulfilling human potential. How do values and wisdom pass between generations?

The two nonagenarian archetypes who embody the spirit of accomplishment need no introduction:

Member Oak Thorne, Yale graduate, is practically an institution in his own right, having founded and operated Boulder's Thorne Ecological. He is all about mentoring young people having also served as an admission liaison for his alma mater

Member Bob Davis, Harvard-educated Phd economist, called to Washington D.C. in the early 60s, alongside the so-called Kennedy whiz kids, to take lead positions in the Department of Interior with a focus on economics and the BLM, spending time in Africa and other parts of the globe.

He now lives a Thoreau-like existence having returned to his agricultural roots on an acre of restored short-grass prairie where he raises vegetables and which sports a house, pool, a 50s canvas tent as a go-to retreat and a parked camper that features a bumper sticker “Honk If You Know What A Farrier Is”.

The two referenced archetypes representing life’s yearning for itself, Charlie and Gabriella, are new to the club and, in fact, are relatively new to the world as eleven-year-old fraternal twins, the son and daughter of members Paula and Todd Minnis. Do not be fooled by their age. They are thoughtful, well-spoken, direct-eye engaging and, above all, intensely curious.

The session will not be burdened by some tight agenda lest it get in the way of possible magic when these four “lead participants” engage in the way food meets hunger. The generational bookending referenced earlier brings to mind MM 3/20/17 The Fourth Turning with its underlying theme of the way history creates generations just as generations create history.

Bear in mind a special feature here is the age difference between the respective archetypes is roughly eighty years and thus represents a so-called seculum consisting of four 20-year cycles in Fourth Turning terms.

Witness: Big wheel keeps on turning.