The World Needs Love
Messages from Alice and Richard Matzkin
The world needs love. It sounds like a song lyric, but it's the simple truth that we as a couple have embodied for over four decades. Alice and I have walked this path together as students of the heart. We've built a magnificent, loving relationship over the years and from this point of view we can see how few people have enough love in their lives.
There is a warmth that the two of us exude to each other, coupled with a sincere desire for the growth and well-being of the other. When there is a major conflict, when there is a lack of care or support, that warmth leaves the room. We see it happening to the world now in our Golden Years more so than when we were younger.
As elders, we feel called to do something about. We remind the world of loving connection through our artwork, our books, our videos sharing wisdom about how to create a magnificent relationship as ways of giving hope to others. Here our our Core Messages:
- Embrace Aging as a Nature Process Worth Celebrating. Read The Art of Aging
- You can Create a Magnificent, Loving Relationship. See a Legacy of Love and Read our Guide: How to Have a Successful Marriage.
- Leave a Legacy for the Younger Generations. Read Leave a Legacy of Goodness through Elderhood.
Our work is born from the belief that every stage of life holds a unique gift. Whether you are navigating the complexities of a long-term partnership, discovering the joy of aging with purpose, or preparing to leave a legacy of wisdom for the next generation, there is a path forward. Below, you will find out more about our core messages, each rooted in our books, our art, and our life experience.
Table of Contents
Enduring Love: 40 Years of Marriage and Emotional Intimacy
"Love is not a feeling that happens to you. It is a choice you make, over and over again."
In a world of fleeting connections, we have dedicated our lives to the art of enduring love. Our 43-year marriage to each other is not a fairy tale; it is a testament to the power of emotional intimacy and the daily practice of generosity. From our early days with fifteen cents in the bank to our current life as elders, we have learned that keys to a successful marriage lie not in perfection, but in the willingness to grow together.
This guide draws from our books Loving Promises and Love and Time. We share the 39 Loving Promises—statements of intention that transform a relationship from a negotiation of needs into a sanctuary of mutual giving. Whether you are celebrating a 40 years marriage anniversary or simply seeking to deepen your connection, our teachings offer practical tools for building mature love.
LOVING PROMISES
The Master Class For Creating Magnificent Relationship
by Richard Matzkin
In this unique inquiry into the most profound incarnation of love, author Richard Matzkin looked to his extraordinary, three-decade-long marriage to Alice as a living laboratory to research the elements that comprise a truly loving, magnificent partnership. As a result, he discovered thirty-nine Loving Promises statements of intention you pledge to yourself, not your partner, that are the behavioral components of deep, abiding love.
These Promises are a profound path to transforming even a good relationship into a magnificent one.
The Art of Aging Gracefully
"Is summer more beautiful than winter, or is spring more beautiful than fall?"
Too often, society tells us that aging is a decline—a time of loss, shrinking, and fading. But Alice and I have found the opposite to be true. Aging is an expansion. It is a time to shed the superficial and embrace the authentic self. Inspired by our award-winning book, The Art of Aging: Celebrating the Authentic Aging Self, this pillar invites you to rethink the narrative of growing older.
We explore how to cultivate a positive aging mindset that sees the golden years not as a waiting room for the end, but as a vibrant season of growth. Through our art and personal stories, we discuss body acceptance after 60, the deepening of sensuality, and the spiritual freedom that comes when we stop fighting time and start dancing with it.
THE ART OF AGING
Celebrating the Authentic Aging Self
by Alice & Richard Matzkin
In their award-winning book, The Art of Aging, painter Alice Matzkin and sculptor Richard Matzkin share the wisdom of elder mentors to look for the positive side of growing older and coming to accept and appreciate their aging.
Their art features well-known people such as feminist Betty Friedan and potter Beatrice Wood, friends, neighbors, relatives, and themselves. Both artists find a source of creativity in the older nude body. This profusely illustrated book contains a wealth of inspiration, especially for those about to enter their later years.
Leaving a Legacy: A Call to Wise Elders
"The world needs your wisdom. It needs your voice. It needs you."
We are living in a time when the wisdom of our elders is often overlooked, yet the world is starving for it. Our upcoming book, A Call to Wise Elders, is a manifesto for those ready to step into their role as mentors and guides. This pillar is dedicated to the profound responsibility and joy of leaving a legacy.
True elderhood is not defined by age alone; it is defined by the willingness to pass the torch. It is about elder wisdom that transcends generations, offering guidance to youth and mentoring the next wave of leaders. We explore what it means to leave a legacy that is not just about what we leave behind, but about how we show up for others while we are still here.
A CALL TO WISE ELDERS
Leaving A Legacy Of Goodness For Future Generations
by Richard Matzkin
“This book is not only a call to action, it is an affirmation that old age can be a life stage with meaning and purpose of its own.” —Carol Orsborn, PhD
“But I'm old,” you say, “Let me relax and enjoy my `Golden Years.' Yes, the world's a mess, but let the younger generations deal with it. It's their world now.”
Except it isn't. It's our world, too. And we in the older generation bear responsibility for helping to create the mess.
We're not too old and it's not too late.
In this timely book, author Richard Matzkin shows how those in the elder generation can be of service and leave a legacy of goodness through their wise words, their beneficial actions, and their wholesome example. The reader will find valuable information and practical suggestions that can help elders define and bring their legacy into reality.
About Alice Matzkin
About Richard Matzkin
