Description
The heroic quest is universal, but not uniform. Elder heroes behave differently from youths. Their journeys are often inward rather than outward, backward rather than forward, slow and intentional rather than fast and impetuous. But their actions are just as heroic, if not more so, for the stakes are higher, time is short, and the flesh is weak. Victory, which is far from guaranteed, demands full acceptance and then transcendence of the self, an authentication of one’s experience and a willingness to let it go as one helps others to prepare for the ascendancy of the next generation.

Join us as our elder heroes—men and women, Swedish, American, and Brazilian—hit the road to show us what old age, and especially the new old age, is really about.
I will briefly introduce each film. After we have spent one and a half to two hours watching the film and taking a break, we’ll have a 40-minute discussion of its themes and how they relate to our own experience of so-called old age. We’ll also read and discuss one or two ElderQuest novels. Films: Wild Strawberries, The Trip to Bountiful, The Straight Story, Central Station, Praisesong for the Widow, About Schmidt, Carry Me Across the Water.

Readings: We will read two novels. All films will be viewed in class.

Computer: Desirable, but not necessary.

Bio
Michael Connolly is a facilitator and consultant to non-profits and social change organizations and a member of the Board of Directors of Stonewall Communities. He has taught management at Northeastern University and Curry College, and worked with groups and individuals using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Jungian literature to deepen awareness of the paths we tread and the paths that call us. With his friend, Bob Rimer, he published “HIV+: Working the System,” detailing how to manage and survive the medical system. He lives in Cambridge with his partner John, two golden retrievers and a Burmese cat.