What is a Wise Society and why do we need it?

A wise society is one where the energy and enthusiasm of youth is

combined with the judgment and compassion of age. The present
ageing population is an opportunity to create a wiser society.

Wisdom is that character trait which enables us to integrate years of

knowledge and experience with sound judgment when adapting to new
situations. In a wise society this translates through altruism into the
most effective action for everyone. It is a society where logic, beliefs
and values integrate through awareness of self and others needs.

To develop a wiser society we need to develop brighter brains and

deeper awareness so that more elders have wisdom (because all wise
people are old but not all old people are wise); prevent the current
percentage of the population developing dementia (1 in 20 over 65
and 1 in 5 over 80); encourage young and elders to work together for
collective wisdom in work and society.

New working structures and new cultural expectations of elders will be

important. Personal responsibility for body and brain health will need
to be developed by each of us. Wise communities and workplaces will
be the result of effective inter-generational expectations,
communication, problem solving and decision making.

This requires respect, knowledge, understanding and a shared

purpose. I believe we have the opportunity to create such a society if
we take action to build it. I have initiated the campaign for a wiser
society to encourage awareness and action.
 Charter for the Campaign for a Wiser Society
Purpose
The campaign exists to raise general awareness of the ageing
population and the choices we can each make now to ensure a positive
future.
Vision
A balance of young and old will combine to create a world where
energy, spontaneity and creative ideas could combine with better
judgment, compassion and understanding of big picture consequences.
Personal responsibility and community support for developing our
minds will lead to positive contribution by all able members of society
and the protection of all those who are disabled.
Specifically this will mean:

• Fewer cases of age-related dementia and more individuals

reaching a state of wisdom
• People looking forward to contribute to society for their lifetime
• A society better balanced (but not constrained by) wisdom
• Each individual able to take responsibility for maintaining and
developing their own minds
• A compassionate society where everyone works for the whole
and the whole protects the individual
• A new interpretation of old age where old is not automatically
regarded as 'useless' or 'tired'
• There will be new and responsible roles for those over 65

The campaign for a wiser society is a group dedicated to using the

current opportunity of an ageing population to create positive results
for society. The movement has partly been made possible by recent
research into brain plasticity which has shown that each of us can
create our own minds, but we must choose to do so. We can reduce
our likelihood of age related dementia and also build a stronger, more
connected brain through simple practices; we can connect to others
and forge a far greater collective mind.

Wisdom is not only a function of age, but of development of the mind.

It is an advanced state of mind but is not to be confused with
intellectual thinking. A culture of wisdom will create the framework for
everyone working together. Collective wisdom can then grow in the
soil of extreme diversity. The population is ageing and we have the
opportunity, if we choose, to have more people with wisdom within it
and a critical mass of interconnected individuals. However, we must
act now.