Drawing on her work as an educator, indigenous and land rights advocate and her mixed family history, Vanessa invites us to reflect on what it means to die well. How to become good elders and ancestors?

“It ​cannot ​be ​just ​about ​us. ​It ​has ​to ​be ​about ​our ​responsibility ​to ​the ​time ​when ​we ​are ​no ​longer ​here. ​And ​it ​cannot ​be ​a ​choice ​either. ​It ​has ​to ​be ​something ​visceral.” Vanessa Andreotti 

  This timeless wisdom teaches us about the ways in which we can be in service of the greater good. The times we are living in often make it difficult for elders to play their role and teach the younger generation about the mistakes and successes they have experienced. Vanessa sparks ideas around the multiple layers of time, aging and pain and opens up opportunities to interact differently with our elders and ancestors so we can let their stories be medicine for generations to come.

 

This is from our archives, part of a beautiful and powerful conversation we had in episode 156 with Vanessa Andreotti on Radical Tenderness, Eldership and Decolonisation // Embracing Our Pain. We hope that hearing this small piece will allow you to find new insights, embrace them and continue this practice of becoming a good elder and ancestor. 

 

Links from this episode and more at allthatweare.org