Is it simply ageing that
changes our perspective
of world affairs or is it
that we have been around
long enough to see
things as they really are?

It is difficult to deny that Capitalism 'delivers the goods', as they say, when it comes to increasing the material wealth of nations. It does seem however, to be essentially underpinned by its encouragement of ever increasing and perhaps unnecessary consumption, accompanied by the steady depletion of increasingly limited world resources.

Where it faces its biggest challenge, is to continue to build material wealth, without further damage to the other parts of the triple bottom line, those of world wide social justice, and an improving environment .

As I see it, the rich are still getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and the world now teeters on the brink of catastrophic climate change. [A by product of industrialisation perhaps, rather than any one eco-political system.]

Something has gone badly wrong with the way we are managing this beautiful blue/green world of ours.

Capitalism appeals to the baser instincts of greed and self interest, and I have some difficulty in seeing that system, as it stands today, surviving the challenges ahead..

The grand Socialism/Communism experiment also failed dismally. [Although perhaps Sweden and Norway are on the right track with their brands of Socialism].

We need a new and better way, a third way, perhaps, between the two.

After six months of work we have completed our first DVD on matters of interest to seniors. It includes interviews with experts on both financial and social matters on the following subjects:

Retirement living options - Reverse mortgages - Where to retire in Australia - Wills - Powers of attorney - The law and seniors - Dealing with Centrelink - lnvestment risk basics - Financial terms and forms of investment - On line trading - Scams and ldentity theft. See video trailer here

The format is non studio and in armchair style where the experts are asked a series of questions that the average senior might ask given the opportunity to do so.

You can find it in the greypath shop via the shop tab above, and at $15 including postage, it's a gift...

We have a couple more such DVD's in the planning. The first on Ageing Well, and the second on Mental Health and Seniors.

For some years now we have been umming and arring (?) about seniors and relationships. We have been approached very many times to provide links to grey dating sites, but were always too uncomfortable with the idea and the unknown people behind them.

On the weekend I met a couple who had re-married in their seventies and were quite happy, and recently too, I have come across a dating group that are seeking to work with Greypath and whom seem to be OK.

We know that all of us value companionship, but how many of us might wish to find a new soulmate?

[In passing, the dating links put on the right hand column are from Google Ads].

Up and running now. (April 15) see links in the forums and chat room.

Looking at this as objectively as one can from the White side of the settlement of Australia Felix, (Lucky Australia), it seems to me that the luck was one sided indeed, and that settlement by invaders brings with it more than simple dispossession of one’s world. Such angst can carry through and fester for many generations. I for one am still acutely aware of our fruitless ANZAC sacrifices where we were the colonial cannon fodder of others.

I have listened with interest to every argument I can over the past few weeks, and have been dismayed by both the lack of honesty and also the surplus of emotional rhetoric that has abounded.

Nissan engineers seem to be the first auto company to have realised that seniors are commanding a bigger share of the new car market, and that consequently, some sensible design improvements are warranted. They have recently devised a special suit that simulates many seniors declining visual acuity and physical status. They recognise that young development engineers can have no real understanding of arthritic stiffness, difficulty in low light in reading instruments and fine text, climbing in and out of vehicles, etc. Hence they wear the new suit when considering how their designs will work for us. By designing for we seniors as a market, they hope to make their cars safer and driving a more rewarding experience. Good on them!