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Like great plays, movies, and novels, our lives tend to reveal their meaning with greater clarity near the end. To get it right, we must apply artistry and the wisdom of experience to our final chapters. With The Rapture of Maturity, lifelong learning advocate Charles D. Hayes reminds adults in the September of their days that they have one last chance to matter as human beings. What will people say of you when you are gone? What do you wish they would say?

What really matters when your own mortality looms on the horizon? Will future generations be better off because of you? Hayes reminds us that as long as we are alive these are open questions. By continuing to examine our values, our motivations, and our common beliefs, by exploring issues beyond the superficial level of popular culture, and by teaching our grandchildren to do the same, older adults can demonstrate to younger generations that we truly have something going for us after all. The Rapture of Maturity affirms the joys of discovery and insight that accompany thoughtful reflection on our years of lived experience and a pursuit of deeper understanding. It encourages the kind of thinking that can transform human relations on a global scale. Rapture is the reward of living authentically and acting deliberately to leave the world a better place than we found it. For those who seek such a goal, this book is indispensable.

About the Author

Charles D. Hayes is a self-taught philosopher and one of America’s strongest voices in support of lifelong learning. Promoting the idea that education should be thought of not as something you get but as something you take, his work has been honored by the American Library Association and featured in USA Today, in the UTNE Reader, and on National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation. Hayes’ September University: Summoning Passion for an Unfinished Life has been described as a “must read” for anyone aspiring to a better world. His previous book, The Rapture of Maturity: A Legacy of Lifelong Learning, upholds the importance of seeking truth and serving others to achieve our full potential as human beings. Hayes spent his youth in Texas, and then served as a U.S. Marine and a police officer before embarking on a career in the oil industry. Alaska has been his home for more than 30 years.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0028AD09I
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Autodidactic Press
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 30, 2009
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 293 KB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0962197949
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #2,783,267 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #257 in Non-Formal Education #1,960 in Aging Parents (Kindle Store) #4,980 in Aging (Kindle Store)
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