TED #10# A rite of passage for late life

Bob Stein: A rite of passage for late life

Collection

I grew up white, secular and middle class in 1950s America.
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But by the time those traditions got to me, they were hollow, commercial enterprises, which just left me feeling empty.
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So from a relatively young age, I found myself looking to fill an existential hole, to connect with something bigger than myself.
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So I got the fountain pen, but I didn't get the sense of belonging and confidence I was searching for.
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Many years later, I couldn't bear the thought of my son turning 13 without some kind of rite of passage.
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A good story became a launching pad for a much deeper discussion, in which my visitors made meaningful connections to their own lives.
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Turns out to be just what I was looking for: a ritual that's less about dying and more about opening the door to whatever comes next.
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Onward!

我在20世纪50年代的美国长大成为一个白人，世俗（很普通的人）和中产阶级。
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但到轮到我来承受那些传统的时候，（我发现）他们都是空洞的商业企业，这只是让我感到空虚。
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所以从相对年轻的时候起，我发现自己正在寻找东西来填充已经存在的洞，与比自己更重要的事物联系起来。
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所以我拿到了钢笔，但我没有得到我正在寻找的归属感和信心。
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许多年以后，我不能忍受我的儿子没有经过某种仪式而转向13岁的想法。
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一个好故事成为深入讨论的起点，在这个讨论中，我的访问者（将故事、讨论）与他们的生活建立了有意义的联系。
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结果就是我正在寻找的东西：一种仪式不那么关于死亡，更多是关于开启未来任何事情的大门。
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向前！