It’s all about generativity and building a bridge between Personal Worth and the sense of Collective Worth we share with people we are assisting. The alternative is Stagnation and a fragile hold (at best) on any sense of Personal Worth. When in a state of generativity, we welcome the younger generation and help to prepare them for new leadership. When in a state of stagnation, we tend to isolate ourselves from the younger generation, often viewing young people as rivals and potential usurpers of the throne.
I am reminded of a trip I took to the French Quarter in New Orleans many years ago. I went to Maison Bourbon to hear Wallace Davenport, a legendary jazz musician. While Davenport was playing, “racket” (hard rock music) from across the street was invading the beautiful, soulful sounds of his quartet. I went up to Davenport after his set was finished and commented negatively about the quality of music coming from across the street. Davenport cut me off and declared with considerable passion that hard rock music was the future. He was glad the new music was there, across the street. Davenport could have resented the intrusion and competition. Instead, he chose to be generative and embrace and support the new music. I was the curmudgeon. Davenport was fully generative. We find much of the same generative attitude among the New Orleans musicians portrayed in the remarkable post-Katrina TV series called Treme. Collective Worth was being rebuilt by them through their music: New Orleans was once again “alive and well.” No hurricane can beat a Lagniappe of diverse music.
Guardian of Heritage
There is a third way generativity is expressed. George Vaillant (2012, p. 155) identifies it as guardianship: “Guardians are caretakers. They take responsibility for the cultural values and riches from which we all benefit, offering their concern beyond specific individuals to their culture as a whole; they engage a social radius that extends beyond their immediate personal surroundings.” The domain of concern is no longer just family, organization, or even community. Collective Worth is expanded by acknowledging, providing a context for, and maintaining the heritage of a society.
The bridge between Personal Worth and Collective Worth is built by expansion. We document and protect some heirlooms that we admire so that they can be admired by many other people. Those involved with Generativity Three now care about and care for fundamental legacies in their life. They engage in deep caring through wise and often soulful reflections on the past achievements of their society. Through Generativity Three, men and women re-enact a seminal battle on behalf of liberty. Gifted filmmakers like Ken Burns produce documentaries about contributions made in the world of music, sports, or nature preservation. In her backyard, a woman filled with Generativity Three spirit sets up a display of historic quilts she has borrowed from people throughout her state. She offers stories to those coming to her display about the women who jointly prepared these quilts many years ago at weekly quilting bees.
While this third way to express generativity can be identified as a form of resistance to change, or as an overdose of nostalgia, it also can be seen as an expression of deep caring for that which remains valid in contemporary times and which continues as a source of wisdom regardless of its date of origin or the quaint way in which it is stated, painted, or sung.
