The series, which launched this week on iTunes, sees creator and host Amber Petty talk to eight members of the ‘Silent Generation’ – born between 1925 and 1942 – about what they have come to know about life and what they make of the world now.
Amber says the series was inspired by her ‘nana’ Harriet Harper and the sense of connection she felt that she lost after her grandmother passed away.
“There’s so many people in the world who spend so much time and focus on where millennials are going, or predicting what they’re going to do,” she says. “I felt surely what is genuinely fascinating are people that have seen life play out.”
Lessons from a big life
We’ve listened to a few of the conversations and they are fascinating.
From life in London during the Second World War and surviving the D-Day landings to living through the Great Depression and reporting on post-war Germany, these men and women have lived through a lot – and they have plenty of lessons to share.
Amber says she has particularly learnt a lot about resilience – something she needed when her father passed away during the series.
“They don’t dwell as much as the younger generation do, and there is some wisdom in this,” she says.
A reminder that this generation does want to be heard – and it’s good for us and them to pass on the experiences of a “big life”.
You can download the series for free on iTunes here.
