Why "The Wisdom of America's Elders"?
by Harris Sherline

In 1998, I started interviewing seniors about their experiences and the lessons they have learned during their lives.  At the time, I had a book in mind.  However, as I accumulated the interviews, the material eventually became a series of newspaper articles called, The Wisdom of America’s Elders, which have been appearing weekly in our local newspaper since mid-2005.  The articles are a compilation of the experiences, comments and observations of seniors. 

I decided to do this project as a result of several events in my life: When I turned 70, I started to reflect back on my life and many of my experiences.  About that time, I was asked to talk to a group of high school students about my business career.  This caused me to review my personal history in some detail, which in turn led me to think about many of the lessons I have learned.   It became a challenge for me to try to impart what I believed were some important lessons to a group of teenagers whom I knew would not be interested in having some “old guy” preach to them.   So, I looked for a way to weave the lessons into my story - as examples of mistakes I had made or witnessed - and what I learned from them.  I also began thinking about passing my personal story on to my children (three) and grandchildren (six), who really do not know much about me and my philosophy (I was divorced when my oldest was twelve).

As a result of these events, I realized that most of America’s seniors have a great deal to say about living and life and the important lessons they have learned on their individual journeys.  All too often we are ignored or passed by, in spite of our experience and knowledge.  Seniors are, without a doubt, America’s most underutilized asset.  That’s what this effort is all about: America’s seniors and the things they have learned from their many years of living, in their own words.  It is their personal observations, made from their individual perspectives – looking back.

However, it is not in narrative form.  Instead, it is organized as a series of individual answers to various questions, grouped under eleven headings, such as Looking Back, Looking Ahead, Religion and Values, Advice To Younger Generations, Pet Peeves, etc.

I also developed a condensed Timeline of the 20th Century, which I thought might help jog people’s memories a bit - by providing an overview of the major events that have occurred during their lifetimes.

To encourage candor, participants’ full names are not used.  Only their first names and ages are included with their responses to my questions.  And, their personal histories are also identified with just their first names and ages. 

Finally, I think it’s important to note that just about everyone who has participated to date has told me that they enjoyed the process, that it caused them examine and evaluate their personal views and gave them a new perspective on their lives and experiences.

If you are interested in participating, please click here to send me an email and I will gladly get in touch with you.