Stephen Jenkinson - What The F*** Happened?

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Oct 18, 2021

Stephen Jenkinson, a culture activist and educator, dives deep into the medicinal truths of our society's fears and dysfunctions. He passionately discusses the diminishing role of elders and their vital wisdom, reflecting on the complexities of grief and trauma that many avoid. Jenkinson challenges the commodification of experiences and urges a reevaluation of endings in life, highlighting authenticity and community resilience. The conversation also touches on the haunting legacy of trauma in communities, urging for recognition and healing.

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INSIGHT

Starting Point for Elderhood

Begin with acknowledging the impoverishment of elderhood in North America.
We start from a deficit, not a place of existing knowledge.

ANECDOTE

Prayer Festival Anecdote

Stephen Jenkinson shares an anecdote about a prayer festival.
A Tibetan Lama questions why Jenkinson teaches, highlighting the West's spiritual hunger.

INSIGHT

Desire vs. Longing

Western culture exhibits desire, not longing, in its search for spirituality.
Longing acknowledges limitations, while desire seeks satisfaction, leading to disappointment.

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I’ve been running ManTalks for almost a decade and I’ve met a ton of amazing people who can speak truthfully and bluntly. But no one speaks carries their truth as authentically as Stephen Jenkinson. I find a lot of what Stephen says is medicinal: you might not think it tastes great, but damn if it isn’t what you need to hear. This is a deep dive into why things are the way they are. Fear of submission, love of consumption, death-phobia, the commodification of trauma, endings, what the pandemic tried to tell us, and so much more.

This is from a series I produced recently called The Wisdom of Elders, featuring experts on elderhood and culture to discuss what an “elder” actually is, where we are as a species, how we got here, and where we’re headed. Basically, what the f*** happened?

Culture activist, teacher, and author, Stephen Jenkinson teaches internationally and is the creator and principal instructor of the Orphan Wisdom School, co-founded with Nathalie Roy in 2010, convening semi-annually in Ontario, and in northern Europe. He has a Masters degree in Theology from Harvard University and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Toronto. Apprenticed to a master storyteller when a young man, he has worked extensively with dying people and their families, was a program director in a major hospital, and an assistant professor in a prominent medical school. He is also a sculptor and traditional canoe builder, whose house won a Governor General’s Award for architecture. Since co-founding Nights of Grief and Mystery with Gregory Hoskins in 2015, he has toured across North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

His new book, A Generation’s Worth: Spirit Work While the Crisis Reigns, sets out to learn liveable answers. Dying and death, love and matrimony, money and soul, aging and elderhood, drawn through the eye of a pestilential needle: this is the spirit work, and that is the crisis. https://orphanwisdom.com/a-generations-worth-spirit-work-while-the-crisis-reigns

He is also the author of Come of Age: The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble, the award-winning Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul, Homecoming: The Haiku Sessions, How it All Could Be: A Workbook for Dying People and Those Who Love Them (2009), Angel and Executioner: Grief and the Love of Life (a live teaching from 2009), and Money and The Soul’s Desires: A Meditation. He is contributing author to Palliative Care – Core Skills and Clinical Competencies.

Stephen Jenkinson is also the subject of the feature-length documentary film Griefwalker, a portrait of his work with dying people, and Lost Nation Road, a shorter documentary on the crafting of the Nights of Grief and Mystery tours.

Connect with Stephen:

-Website: https://orphanwisdom.com

-Latest book: https://orphanwisdom.com/a-generations-worth-spirit-work-while-the-crisis-reigns

-Books: https://orphanwisdom.com/shop/

-Griefwalker documentary: https://www.nfb.ca/film/griefwalker/

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