The Boomer Blog’s guest blogger, Dr. Carol Orsborn, recently wrote a series of articles on “Meaning and Marketing.” No surprise, that marketers of all ilks are cashing in on boomers’ and especially boomer women’s desire to find meaning and purpose in their lives, above and beyond making more money or sending their kids to the best schools.
If marketers of products get it…it must be a phenomenon. The boomer generation, Orsborn declares, “invented the notion of eclectic spirituality,” much as they were harbingers of women’s liberation in the 1970s, of green construction building standards, of eco-tourism, of “sixty is the new forty,” work-life balance, and now of reinventing oneself instead of “retiring.” Boomers think of themselves as being at the forefront of the new and exciting, in whatever domain. But, Orsborn believes that this urge progressed from “bubbling beneath the surface of the elite to a geyser-full of purpose and meaning” for lots of us.
How many of you have attended weekends at Kripalu in the Massachusetts Berkshires? Or Canyon Ranch in Arizona? How many of you meditate? Or do yoga or any form of a meditative martial art like T'ai Chi? Or Reiki? Or listened to Oprah's Soul Series with Eckart Tolle?
Yes, boomers partake of this whole smorgasbord of spiritual experiences, but how do they lead to finding meaning and purpose beneath all the busy-ness of life’s responsibilities? Are they just pleasant oases, giving us a breath of fresh air in an otherwise frenetic lifestyle?
I’ll tell you my experience. I’ve never been to Kripalu or Canyon Ranch, although I often recommend them to clients who can afford them and want to “chill out.” I’ve tried meditating and yoga from time to time, but am successful only at night with listening to meditative tapes to fall back to sleep. But, I do sense a creeping spirituality…defined only by paying attention to the “now,” as Tolle and many others name it. And by reading about spiritual-like questions (Angeles Arrien, Lynne McTaggart, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh) and writing about them here and to my mailing list. I’ve become curious about how our thoughts can affect the universe, for good or bad.
But, more profoundly, I’ve become conscious of limited time “in this body form” and of finding meaning and purpose in being in the present. It is this, I think, that attracts many people to the products suggested above: spiritual retreats, mind-body practices, and spiritual teachers’ books and workshops. These are holding places that have the power to contain our connection with the universe and our connection to our true selves.
I sense myself being in a process of awakening to a new domain that so far is both soothing and compelling. What about you? What is your journey to meaning and purpose? Comment here on the blog to continue the dialog or write to me at Karma@LifeSpringCoaching.com.
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