Wednesday 14 May 2008

Why this book?

We have enormous challenges facing us. Global warming, extinctions, war and genocide, rape and child abuse: is this really the best we can do?

One school of thought is that if we improve or heal ourselves as individuals, that will ripple out and change everything. But even if this is true, we're running out of time. There are groups that have been trying to do this for 1,000's of years. We don't have another 1,000 to wait for all this to work.

But even if we had a million years, it still would not work because a crucial piece is missing in this thought.

There is a scientific concept call emergent behaviour which is in action in society. In a nutshell, it is the shape and power of all our connections put together and operating over time. The result is an incredibly powerful force that shapes our thoughts and actions and operates outside the lifetime of any one of us. In other words, what we do in an individual life means nothing to this force, unless we do something that directly changes it.

The Ancient Art of Connection describes how this force works in our society and a simple way to start making direct changes to it.

When water changes to ice, the individual water molecules don't change at all. What changes is how they connect to one another. The resulting force can split mountains.

If you will let me, I intend to help us all break open some of the more harmful patterns in humanity that have previously been considered impossible to change.

By myself, I am powerless. I need you. I really hope to see you there.