Reclaiming
What Was
Lost
David Klausner sips a drink during Current Events at Little House. Photo by Karina Patel.
“It starts with asking yourself, ‘Why am I doing what I am doing?’”
Many people search for ways to stay young. The secret, says David Klausner, is to be curious, especially about yourself. David doesn’t believe that anyone is entirely knowable, even to themselves. There is always something to learn about yourself and others. For him, that has been truer as he has aged.
“There is a tremendous amount that we don’t know about ourselves, and they don’t get discovered until certain points in our lives”
It is a gift to be curious, he explains. He believes life is a voyage of discovery. He also believes that the most important thing in life is listening. Both to others and oneself. His curiosity led him to a career as a software engineer, earning his pilot license, and acting in plays. Now, in his retirement years, his curiosity has him organizing current events groups.
When David Klausner started the Current Events social group at Little House, he was looking to escape the feeling of isolation the pandemic had left him in.
He felt unsafe until the vaccine became accessible to the public. However, as the world began to open back up, the isolation lingered. Thus, he began the search to change that.
“I had gone to Florida for a visit and met a man who organized a current events group out of a community center. Most of the people that showed up were older adults. So, I began researching senior centers where I could host a current events group.”
With a background in managing and teaching and a fascination with people who have differing opinions than him, David felt this was something he had the skill set for. In the beginning, only one person showed up. Now 10 to 15 people participate every week to talk about the world and the community they are part of.
David is motivated by the variety of people that show up every week. For him, it is informative, surprising, and satisfying to come into Little House and host Current Events.
“Every week I discover a different way of looking at things from the people that are in the group,” he said,
David Klausner poses for a photo in Little House’s courtyard.
Photo by Karina Patel.
“That encourages and reifies my belief that there is a remarkable variety of who we are.”
David also witnesses friendships growing outside of Little House because of the social group. It has become a place for people to see each other and is an incentive to get out and socialize.
He recalls his mother pushing him not to be afraid of socializing. He found that she regretted isolating herself as she aged; however, he understood why. David was born just after World War II in southwest Germany. Because they are Jewish, his parents felt it would be safer in the United States, which brought them to New York in 1949. He understood the wariness his mother must have felt when coming to a new country and not knowing whom to trust. For her, isolation meant safety.
As that may have been true for her, it did not have to be for David. His curiosity not only brought him to where he is today but also helped him reclaim what was lost: community for himself and others.
David Klausner listens to members during Current Events at Little House.