Four phases of life

Life 3.0

I  believe that there are four phases of life. Life 3.0 is our definition for the third phase of life.  According to a book that I am reading on Transitions – called  “Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes” by William Bridges – in the Hindi tradition there were four phases of life.  These phases were referred to by many names, but they consist of :

• The Student – that period of time from 12 to 24 focused on learning and discovering our role in society – it was a period of probation or training and included an apprenticeship
• The Householder – the period of time from 24 to 48 – a time of self sacrifice for others in society – a time for raising children
• The Elder Advisor – also know as Forest Dweller – the period of time from 48 to 72 – a time for reflection and to discover who am I
• Sannyasin – beyond 72 and is a period of time when one emerges from the forest understanding who I am – a time of wisdom and a time for reflection and preparation for the end of life

Today, we are living longer, and the ages have been pushed back for many of us, but we still yearn for that Forest Dwelling phase of life.  It is curious – in his book, Bridges glosses over this phase and sees it as an extension of the householder phase.  Others, including teachers like Dr. Wayne Dwyer, believe differently.  They believe that “A Shift” occurs at some point in the life of an adult and all of a sudden life can not be lived as it was.

Carl Jung, the famous psychologist wrote – ”One can not live in the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning; for what was great in importance in the morning will be of little importance in the evening and what in the morning was true will at evening have become a lie”

Unfortunately, for many of us in America, we feel stuck in our careers – even though they no longer fit our needs.  Inside of us a fire burns and calls us into the forest.  On-Core Ventures coaching programs help individuals, couples, and groups to discover life’s purpose and find a way to contribute to society in this very valuable phase of life, that we believe lasts from about mid-fifties to our mid-seventies

Life 4.0

The above information was written almost ten years ago in early 2012.  Reflecting on that writing, I was very much in tune with the transition to Life 3.0. Today as I am living in the 73rd year of my life I am aware that things change dramatically in our late sixties and early seventies.  Certainly, the impact of a pandemic is an event that has caused many people to transition to new phases of life.

The world has changed dramatically in the last ten years.  Wayne Dwyer is dead. As are over 600,000 Americans who died in the last year from COVID.  We have seen Trump come and – for now, go.  enforced isolation last year caused many of us to have time to think. I for one did not like what I was thinking about.