On The Road To Becoming An Elder

On The Road To Becoming An Elder

July 12, 2026 · 25 min

About this episode

Dr. Marc Cooper discusses the distinction between being older and being an enlightened elder.

What’s the difference between an elder and someone who is just older? Well, if you think about the word, ‘elder,’ you’ll likely have an image of an indigenous person in your mind. Or, perhaps, a medicine man, a swami, or maybe a shaman. Fair enough. But the truth is that, according to Dr. Marc Cooper , an elder is simply someone who is older AND enlightened. At the age of 81, Marc puts himself squarely into that category. While turning 81 was automatic, becoming enlightened certainly was not. However, the former dentist believes it is possible for anyone to reach an enlightened state of mind, so much so that he has established the Contemporary Elder Institute to provide the guidance needed to discover the path to happiness and satisfaction. Dr. Marc Cooper is our guest this week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theart2aging.substack.com/subscribe

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Guest: Dr. Marc Cooper

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