In a 2018 survey of 239 individuals age 56-75, they were asked to name who they considered to be one of the “wisest people in the world.” Their responses will be shared in category breakdowns previously described in two other blog series that described how younger generations responded to a survey about personal wisdom.

Humanitarians, Social Activists, Religious and Political Leaders-57% of respondents

As with the Millennials and Gen X, this was the most popular category that identified people who model wisdom and inspire us. However, with the Boomer generation their response was even more pronounced (with 57% making the selection compared to an average of 45% between the younger generations). The list supplied by the 56-75 year olds was fairly comprehensive with over twenty-five separate names being submitted.  Here is a list of their top ten in order of frequency of being selected:

• Dalai Lama*– for his healing presence and compassion for humanity
• Pope Francis*-for his contemplative nature, kind and open-minded leadership
• Barack Obama*-for his even-tempered and thoughtful leadership, communicating complex issues
• Mother Teresa*-for modeling a life of simplicity and love
• Maya Angelou*-for having lived, survived and thrived and expressing her authentic voice
• Mahatma Gandhi-for his understanding of love, peace and forgiveness
• Nelson Mandela*-for using love over anger to serve his community and inspire the world
• Jimmy Carter-for understanding the imperfection of the human condition
• King Solomon-for recognizing that true wisdom comes from God
• Queen Elizabeth-for enduring an incredible lifetime of challenges and changes

 *Also appeared in the top ten list of both the Millennial and Gen X groups surveyed

Business Leaders, Celebrities and Authors—14% of respondents

The Boomer response in this category was evenly distributed between business leaders, celebrities and authors in contrast to the Millennials that acknowledged business leaders and celebrities more frequently and Gen X who named Authors more often. Once again, the person named most frequently in this category was Oprah Winfrey because she is open-minded, spiritually grounded, has an “instinctual knack” for understanding the feelings of others, and has “reached so many people–regardless of race, religion or location.” Ellen DeGeneres was also acknowledged for her honesty, sense of humor and generosity.

The most specific acknowledgement in the business sector went to Bill Gates:  Once the richest man in the world, he stepped away from the enterprise he built (difficult to do all by itself) to create a foundation that, by all accounts, does good work.  To be effective, he set strict criteria for where the foundation would focus its attention, resources, and capital.  Other business leaders named in this category were Warren Buffet and Elon Musk but there was no explanation as to why the respondents made these choices. Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking were heralded for their knowledge of science and having a visionary lens.

Many of the authors named by this group were on the list because of their contribution to our understanding of human behavior and the effects on our health or that of our planet such as Stephen Covey, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and Charles Eisenstein. Others applied spiritual teachings to everyday life:  Pema Chodron, Ram Dass, and Joan Chittister.  Even poet Mary Oliver was acknowledged for drawing on the wisdom of creation found in nature.

Wrapping up this category was the recognition of Mr. Rogers (who was also mentioned by Millennials) as a positive role model for human kindness—an attribute that many of us are thirsting for in our quest for wisdom.

The Elders and Work Influences-13% of respondents

It is interesting to note that the younger generations named someone from this category at a greater frequency than the 56-75 year olds (23% as compared to 13%).  I wonder if the reason for this could be found in the John Denver lyrics quoted by a Boomer respondent:  “It turns me on to think of growing old,” that expresses a realization that the boomers were becoming “the elders,” so it was important to honor their own.

Many of the Boomer respondents did name their parents and grandparents as being wise, as they acknowledged the breadth of their life experience or the love that they had received from them. One woman admitted, “I didn’t fully understand the wisdom that had been shared with me until I became much older.”

They also shared their appreciation for Clergy, a Police Chief, an attorney and a professional basketball coach who demonstrated honesty, loyalty, humility and the ability to “do the right thing.”  Clearly this group had received positive mentoring and was interested in returning the favor.

The Unnamed—11% of respondents

Similar to the responses I received from the younger generations, the Boomers who did not want to name a single person as wise, instead described the characteristics of wisdom:

• A reflective listener who doesn’t judge, appreciates differences and learns from them
• Someone with good judgement who sees the big picture
• People who have developed resiliency by moving through their personal suffering
• A person who understands our fragile human condition and the complexity of our world
• Someone who has traveled and experienced other cultures
• Open-minded and humble-with an “unflappable sense of calm”
• Inspirational

Other Friends and Family Members—4% of respondents

Even though it is a category with only a few responses, it is heart-warming to read a parent recognizing his son for living an authentic life and being an effective listener or a friend acknowledged for being true to her priorities, and knowing “just what to say” when someone is in need.

Self—1% of respondents

Only the Boomers have a small percentage of respondents proclaiming themselves to be one of the wisest people on earth, but at least one of these shared it was because “I carry within me the spirit of God and I have been graced with life to learn and share.”  For the others, they simply jumped the gun on the next question in my wisdom survey:  Do you consider yourself to be wise?

To find out how my group of 56-75 year olds responded to this question, click here.