News & Events

Toward a Poetics of Aging: A Different Understanding of Life

PCBC 50+ HOUSING FORUM: Moscone Center, San Francisco

Thursday, June 28 | 2:30PM - 3:30PM

As a culture and people we are ready to move beyond the nonsensical notion that the later and last years are declining years - years that are supposedly less valuable than those before. Too often, the “decline-metaphor” has permeated our culture; often visible to us, at other times entering our awareness in more subtle ways.

Dr. Nader Shabahangi offers a new, more complex and rich understanding of life and aging - a radical departure from the dominant paradigm that life is “fulfilled” the prime of life, at the highpoint of a career, or at the peak of one’s power. The Poetics of Aging recognizes that the poem called “life’s poem” finds its final stanza, its completion, only at the very end of life. Aging understood as such is an active process of becoming, learning and growing. We do not get old but grow old. Eldership is the apex of a lifetime of learning and experiencing, of struggle and concern, of being courageous and creative.

This fascinating session will move beyond the superficial, surface layers of what we perceive of “older consumers,” offering a more comprehensive view of aging and refreshing, new perspectives on community development and operations.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
http://www.pcbc.com/theshow/Attending/Conferences/50housing.html