Four years ago, at 57, I quit my plum corporate job to have more time for writing. Everybody said it took a lot of courage, but I knew I still harbored many fears. The fear that I now HAD to write, no more excuses. The fear that my writing wouldn’t be any good.

Like ‘Elder’, the Crone is another archetype ripe for discovery and a reframe, in these modern times. As I hit my late 40s, I found Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to be an incomplete, and at times overly gendered fit for my own wandering journey through the decades. I wondered if there was a Heroine’s Journey?

During the Great Depression, Mexican artist Pedro Linares became very sick and was in and out of consciousness for weeks. One day, while unconscious, he dreamt of a strange place resembling a forest. Suddenly, some peculiar animals showed up.

Roughly 30% of the US population today hadn’t been born on 9/11. Nearly half weren’t born to see the stock market precipitously crash in 1987. And even fewer felt the fear of the most contagious years of the AIDS epidemic.

Our very own MEA alum Chris Murchison’s article on how to be a remarkable boss during this crazy time was featured in UC Berkeley’s prestigious Greater Good magazine last week.

China sneezed, and an unprepared world got a Depression. It’s odd that our two definitions of bad times, economically and emotionally, use the same word. Of course, given the fact that the world is having to decide between the health of the economy versus public health, maybe it’s not so odd. In either case, choice is tough, especially when so much is on the line. That’s where wisdom comes into play.

When I was 22, I got caught in a revolution in Venezuela. Caracas became the most violent city in the world with more deaths every day than anywhere else, including war zones. It was a scary place to be.

What can we learn from a Grammy winning guitarist? Recently a client was envisioning his evolving role in the organization. His goal was to develop younger leaders to grow and flourish in responsibility and authority.

CC: Instead of our typical Friday Book Club, this week we welcome one of my favorite writers and thought leaders. Good morning, Arthur. Honored to have you join us. No article went more viral in our MEA alum community in the past year than your June 2019 “The Atlantic” magazine piece entitled “Your Professional Decline is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think.” Why do you think the article drew such attention globally?

I know it can feel oxymoronic to be full of anxiety and wisdom at the same time. But they often live side by side, a fact which forces us to choose which side to lean toward. Most days, I choose wisdom. It’s far more comforting and practical.