I go to sleep at night, not wondering if the sun will rise tomorrow. I don’t ponder if there will be a winter next January. I won’t check the night sky to see if the moon is still there. All those seem like certainties – they seem guaranteed.
I also don’t wonder if I will be alive tomorrow. I don’t worry about how much time I have left. I don’t worry if the salt and sugar is hardening arteries and forming diabetes. I don’t even worry if I’ll have enough cash when I get old. So, how could I spend much mental energy on universal design when myself and my surroundings suggest, “don’t worry about it; you’ll be fine; you’ll figure it out.”
Thinking about aging puts a knot in my stomach that I would rather not feel. I’m much happier pretending that I will be fine. I’m much happier worrying about the past day and the next one. To concern myself with the life I’ll be living 30 or 40 years from now just doesn’t hold my interest.
Is there a technique that I can apply that would help me take actions today that would assure an independent, secure, comfortable and joyful future? How do I get excited and motivated?
Remember the vacation you always said you would take and then finally took? The process began with a dream or maybe an impulse. A bit of research, a few conversations, some internet, and then one day, you hit CONFIRM and you had yourself a ticket, a hotel and a car. Did you just drift back into a ho-hum, everything-is-normal way of being, or did you have a spring in your step? Did you focus on the work at hand, or did you think about that cool cocktail being served to you as you glow in a setting sun. Once you had that ticket, you were not normal – you told the world; you cut out of work early and got a new outfit for the vacation. You were gone in a few weeks – you couldn’t wait!
That’s the technique that gets you revved up about life 30, 40, 50 or maybe even 60 years from now. It won’t be a pretense either – you’ll be on a real track. Here’s how it goes: much like the dream vacation, start to imagine your dream lifestyle as an older person. Who are you? Who have you become (go ahead and say these things out loud, write them in a journal, or create a mental image)? Are you rich in cash, rich in spirit, rich in love? Do you live in the sun or the cold? Are you social or solo? Is the family big? What will make you happy? What would you like to be doing for others? Do you live in the city or country? This is your fantasy – if you catch yourself being reasonable, cut it out, go wild! Get everything in there that you want to be and have.
With this vivid mental picture of yourself as an older person, imagine moving toward the present by ten years. Ask yourself this question: what would I have so that this dream is on track for being realized? Let’s say you pictured yourself at age 70 living on a beautiful ranch in Montana. Move forward ten years to age 60 –what have you done by 60 to be on track for that vision at 70; maybe you just moved to Montana. Once clear, move forward another ten years. Fill in that picture. In the example, you are now 50; what has to be complete by 50 so that the picture of 60 is a slam dunk? Maybe you have to sort out a new means of income so you can pack up and move to Montana. As we get closer to the present (let’s say that you are presently 40 years old), the time jumps are shorter. You would go from a picture of life at 50 to 45, then to one year from now, to 6 months from now, to 1 month, to one week, to now. What do you do right now so that next week will be a done deal (and then one month from now, 6 months, one year, age 45, then 50, them 60 and then 70)? Your right-now action might be to research Montana and begin planning a trip there – right now! And you are excited!
If at the beginning of this post, I asked, “what are you doing today so that being age 70 is gonna be just great,” your answer might be much less passionate, “uh, I have an IRA.” Now, many meaningful conversations are possible including one about universal design – in fact, it’s critical to your desired lifestyle at age 70, and, it also makes the years in between much more livable.
Are you planning on living in your own home at age 70? Will you be mobile? Will you still be earning an income? Will you be social? Will others be able to visit you? What do you want to do for others? An environment with universal design will make that future much more possible than one without. Your next action, right now, is to click: Universal Design Resource Find out more, discover.
Konrad Kaletsch, April 30, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Universal Design: Really, Why?
We know the primary reasons for universal design: It's inclusive; it doesn't marginalize; it's social sustainable; it's economically sensible; it creates opportunity; it supports independent living; and, it provides ease and comfort. None of that is bad or even questionable, but, really, why? Why have all those qualities? Why be more mobile, more secure, more independent, more comfortable or more economically sensible? With all that, what do you get?
The intention of the question is to search beyond meeting basic lifestyle needs.
Long ago, humans fought hard just to survive. Today, many have sorted out survival - probably a bit to well. The need to survive was replaced by the need to consume. In order to consume, you need mobility. Get to a job; trade a skill for cash, go buy stuff. To be cut out of this loop isn't fair; inclusiveness matters. But what else? You have reduced barriers and restored your ability to participate. Was it just to jump back into the exercise wheel?
Survival is essentially human. However, consumption is a decadent devolution that comes long after the mastery of survival. If we are only hunks of flesh and bone, then there is little else to say - make as much money as you can, and to the victor goes the spoils.
But, we are more than a body that we spend 70ish years keeping fed, sheltered, rested and alive, aren't we?
The other half of who we are as humans are eternal beings: energy, light, love, God, beauty - choose the one that fits you. As such, we have the opportunity to connect to the eternal and manifest it in this human one. Now, being alive goes way beyond food and shelter. Yes, those things have to be handled, but, they are handled so you can manifest something greater.
When universal design promises comfort, that's great. Make it happen. You won't be much good manifesting the eternal if you are limited as a body. But once you have that worked out, don't settle for your return to the consumption exercise wheel, stop, ask yourself, why am I here? What footprint will I leave behind when I am gone that has made this a better place? The answer to that is in the eternal, not the flesh.
Access to the eternal is in the quiet, not the action. How do I know what it is for me to do? You be quiet and you listen. You trust. You put practices in place to support this. Practices might be meditation or journaling. Contemplate bigger things; ask bigger questions. Maybe you will be guided toward solving world hunger; maybe you will make one other person happy. In answering to the eternal, you will find bliss. In answering to the eternal, you will leave a great footprint.
Universal design, why? So you can restore for yourself and others your ability to participate fully as a human, and, so you can get back to your very own profound expression of the eternal.
The intention of the question is to search beyond meeting basic lifestyle needs.
Long ago, humans fought hard just to survive. Today, many have sorted out survival - probably a bit to well. The need to survive was replaced by the need to consume. In order to consume, you need mobility. Get to a job; trade a skill for cash, go buy stuff. To be cut out of this loop isn't fair; inclusiveness matters. But what else? You have reduced barriers and restored your ability to participate. Was it just to jump back into the exercise wheel?
Survival is essentially human. However, consumption is a decadent devolution that comes long after the mastery of survival. If we are only hunks of flesh and bone, then there is little else to say - make as much money as you can, and to the victor goes the spoils.
But, we are more than a body that we spend 70ish years keeping fed, sheltered, rested and alive, aren't we?
The other half of who we are as humans are eternal beings: energy, light, love, God, beauty - choose the one that fits you. As such, we have the opportunity to connect to the eternal and manifest it in this human one. Now, being alive goes way beyond food and shelter. Yes, those things have to be handled, but, they are handled so you can manifest something greater.
When universal design promises comfort, that's great. Make it happen. You won't be much good manifesting the eternal if you are limited as a body. But once you have that worked out, don't settle for your return to the consumption exercise wheel, stop, ask yourself, why am I here? What footprint will I leave behind when I am gone that has made this a better place? The answer to that is in the eternal, not the flesh.
Access to the eternal is in the quiet, not the action. How do I know what it is for me to do? You be quiet and you listen. You trust. You put practices in place to support this. Practices might be meditation or journaling. Contemplate bigger things; ask bigger questions. Maybe you will be guided toward solving world hunger; maybe you will make one other person happy. In answering to the eternal, you will find bliss. In answering to the eternal, you will leave a great footprint.
Universal design, why? So you can restore for yourself and others your ability to participate fully as a human, and, so you can get back to your very own profound expression of the eternal.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Universal Design: Boomers Know
Baby Boomers have had quit a run and it is far from over. They created civil rights, a sex revolution and aerobic exercise. Their presidents included Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and Bush. Their health improved and they are living longer. They are wealthy. In 2007 the first boomer collected social security. As they enter what used to be known as their retirement years, it is up to them again to define who they are by defining what it means to be an older person.
Will Boomers draw on their lifestyle from the 1970's, aka the "Me" generation? Will their lives over age 65 be defined by only their needs and wants? Or will they redefine what it means to have lived a full life and to pass on a planet to a succeeding generation that is better than the one they inherited?
There are many ways to step into this responsible time of life. Not so long ago, living past age 65 was itself a blessing, not something that could be counted on. Today, 65 is 55 - no shortage of possibilities. So what responsibilities will Boomers take on? Universal design fulfills on social sustainability. Boomers can take on this responsibility perhaps more easily as it is also serves ones own self interest.
To embrace universal design would be to personally acknowledge that one is aging (yikes - not by the generation that invented the cult of youth). What is physically possible has changed. One had 20/20 vision. Then in the 40's the eye muscles loose full power and one needs reading specs. By the 50's one begins to loose low light ability as contrast sensitivity diminishes. By the 70's you might have not only minimal contrast but also poor focus. You adapted to the changes in eyesight, why not apply that same adaptability throughout the rest of your environment and much as you maintained the ability to see, also maintain the ability to live independently.
To apply universal design in your life is to honor yourself. It is a commitment to think about your future and to build accordingly. Our lives are lived in many homes. As we approach retirement, we tend to plan one more move or renovation. This is the window to move forward with universal design. It is in the planning stages that universal design adds little to the construction, renovation or relocation costs. How much? Typically between 1 and 2%.
In looking at a generation leaving a legacy, universal design ongoingly provides the full and independent lifestyle so cherished and provides everyone else with an environment that is more livable. Mobility is easier for moms with strollers; grandparents can visit their children's homes, homes can once again be multi-generational, and those with disabilities become less disabled because the environment isn't designed for able bodies only.
For years to come, http://www.universaldesignresource.com/, has much information to assist you in developing your awareness and becoming a consumer fit to serve the person you've been caring for, yourself, as well as those around you, your community.
Will Boomers draw on their lifestyle from the 1970's, aka the "Me" generation? Will their lives over age 65 be defined by only their needs and wants? Or will they redefine what it means to have lived a full life and to pass on a planet to a succeeding generation that is better than the one they inherited?
There are many ways to step into this responsible time of life. Not so long ago, living past age 65 was itself a blessing, not something that could be counted on. Today, 65 is 55 - no shortage of possibilities. So what responsibilities will Boomers take on? Universal design fulfills on social sustainability. Boomers can take on this responsibility perhaps more easily as it is also serves ones own self interest.
To embrace universal design would be to personally acknowledge that one is aging (yikes - not by the generation that invented the cult of youth). What is physically possible has changed. One had 20/20 vision. Then in the 40's the eye muscles loose full power and one needs reading specs. By the 50's one begins to loose low light ability as contrast sensitivity diminishes. By the 70's you might have not only minimal contrast but also poor focus. You adapted to the changes in eyesight, why not apply that same adaptability throughout the rest of your environment and much as you maintained the ability to see, also maintain the ability to live independently.
To apply universal design in your life is to honor yourself. It is a commitment to think about your future and to build accordingly. Our lives are lived in many homes. As we approach retirement, we tend to plan one more move or renovation. This is the window to move forward with universal design. It is in the planning stages that universal design adds little to the construction, renovation or relocation costs. How much? Typically between 1 and 2%.
In looking at a generation leaving a legacy, universal design ongoingly provides the full and independent lifestyle so cherished and provides everyone else with an environment that is more livable. Mobility is easier for moms with strollers; grandparents can visit their children's homes, homes can once again be multi-generational, and those with disabilities become less disabled because the environment isn't designed for able bodies only.
For years to come, http://www.universaldesignresource.com/, has much information to assist you in developing your awareness and becoming a consumer fit to serve the person you've been caring for, yourself, as well as those around you, your community.
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