How Are We to Live?
The philosopher’s question and Spiritual Aging’s Community Guidelines
Spiritual Aging is the next frontier for those of us growing old. And while we each have to go our own way, we don’t have to walk alone. The Spiritual Aging community we are building together here at Substack has been growing together since the beginning of summer 2024. Approaching 2000 in the larger community and 100 in the paid membership, there has never been an unkind word passed between us. We have been building the kind of civil society we believe answers the philosopher’s ultimate question: “How are we to live?”
Why Upgrade your Subscription to a Pledge to Join? January 1 marks the initiation of Spiritual Aging’s online home base Spiritual Aging Study and Support Group (SASS) here on Substack. Joining elevates and deepens your connection to equally committed members. Only paid members will have access to the Spiritual Aging Study Guide that will be published on Substack exclusively on a week-by-week basis through 2025. Members will be invited to post comments, ask questions and raise related issues stimulated by each week’s guide, synchronized to that week’s reading in Carol Orsborn’s new book Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life. Members will be invited to post your response, comments, questions and related issues stimulated by each week’s Study Guide and to engage with one another online at your convenience 24/7. There will also be space to ask one another for wisdom and strength on pressing issues of interest or concern related to aging. These exchanges are by posts only. For those who would prefer or also like in-person or interaction on Zoom, visit HERE.
It is no accident that I am choosing today to post the Spiritual Aging Community Guidelines. In the future, I will be adding a link to these guidelines in the Welcome email so that we are all on the same page of elevated trust. I want this to be that rarest and most precious of offerings for our shared times: a safe place where we can grow towards our full human potential in the company of like-hearted others.
In this spirit, I am keeping the community guidelines broad, relying heavily upon what the good folks at Substack have determined to be the gold standard for online communications. Of course, deepening the conversation about spiritual aging online is new territory for us all and I appreciate your taking this leap of faith with me, trusting that we will all learn as we go, especially as the advanced comment and chat features kick in January.
At this point, as week by week we grow towards the Spiritual Aging Study and Support Group (SASS)’s launch goal of 100 paid members, I am reassured by how many in this inner circle I have come to know personally. Many are my peers—authors, scholars, therapists, professionals in related fields. Others are personal friends and readers/participants who have become supporters. I am excited by the number of recent pledges and newcomers who have felt called to commit to our community of old souls. There’s still room for more. We have volunteer monitors assigned to help things run smoothly but with our small numbers, we will also rely upon ourselves and each other to maintain community standards. Without further ado, the Guidelines:
Spiritual Aging Community Guidelines
1. Be kind to each other.
Spiritual Aging is founded on the principle that there’s no right or wrong way to do aging. We’re all in this together yet this is an individual journey and each one of us deserves compassion. Respect one other’s perspectives, personal spirituality and life experiences in your conversations. If you get triggered by a comment, this is an opportunity to practice refraining from judgment and if you feel called to say something at all, make sure it is helpful not hurtful. As the twelve step programs put it, we are here to “share our wisdom, strength and hope.” Let’s keep this a safe space.
2. Stay on-topic.
We want this publication to support thoughtful discussion around our experiences of the challenges and opportunities related to spirituality and aging. It is not a place for off-topic digressions. In our present climate, be mindful of introducing potentially divisive opinions about particular political issues or religious positions. Again, we are inspired by the twelve step program’s approach which refrains from dogma but rather allows us to define our beliefs personally as we “come to understand” spirituality for ourselves.
3. Promotion Guideline.
Off-topic includes spam and repetitive self-promotion. There will be opportunities to introduce yourself to the group and provide links to additional information for those who are interested but this is not an arena for self-promotion, marketing or sales.
4. Respect Diversity.
We will not tolerate any form of hate speech, discrimination, harassment or proselytizing.
5. Confidentiality.
The depth of our communication is based on trust. Refrain from sharing personal information from our comments and chats with others who are not directly engaged in the interaction without consent. Please note that Substack offers the option of using a pseudonym to the host but not to subscribers. As a result, I will likewise refrain from posting anonymously so that we are all on the same page both regarding taking responsibility for what and how we choose to make public while at the same time trusting one another that shared information will be kept within the confines of the SASS community.
From Substack: How we’ll enforce Community Guidelines
If you believe someone has violated these guidelines, please report the offending comment to the Substack Community team by using the “Report comment” option next to the comment. For more, click HERE.
We approach Community Guidelines enforcement with a baseline assumption of positive intent. If we take action on a comment, we’ll provide a reason where it makes sense to do so. Transparency and good faith are important to us, and we want to communicate our expectations as clearly as possible.
Our team has full discretion to remove comments that we deem misaligned with the Community Guidelines, or to suspend individuals—temporarily or permanently—for behaviors that we deem inappropriate.
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As wayshowers in a society that needs its wise elders more than ever, what we do here with and for each other matters. For those of us who are opting for an even deeper commitment by pledging to join the Spiritual Aging Study and Support Group (SASS) that launches here in January, the stakes of modeling a civil society are elevated—and I for one trust that we are up to it.
--Carol Orsborn, founder of Spiritual Aging and The Spiritual Aging Study and Support Group