Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in Without Going Crazy

How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy

The challenges we face can be difficult even to think about. Climate change, the depletion of oil, economic upheaval, and mass extinction together create a planetary emergency of overwhelming proportions. "Active Hope" shows us how to strengthen our capacity to face this crisis so that we can respond with unexpected resilience and creative power. Drawing on decades of teaching an empowerment approach known as the Work That Reconnects, the authors guide us through a transformational process informed by mythic journeys, modern psychology, spirituality, and holistic science. This process equips us with tools to face the mess we're in and play our role in the collective transition, or Great Turning, to a life-sustaining society.

Dimensions: 8.5" x 5.5"
Details: Paperback, 288 Pages
Author: Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part 1. The Great Turning -- Chapter 1. Three Stories of Our Time -- Chapter 2. Trusting the Spiral -- Chapter 3. Coming from Gratitude -- Chapter 4. Honoring Our Pain for the World -- Part 2. Seeing with New Eyes -- Chapter 5. A Wider Sense of Self -- Chapter 6. A Different Kind of Power -- Chapter 7. A Richer Experience of Community -- Chapter 8. A Larger View of Time -- Part 3. Going Forth -- Chapter 9. Catching an Inspiring Vision -- Chapter 10. Daring to Believe It Is Possible -- Chapter 11. Building Support around You -- Chapter 12. Maintaining Energy and Enthusiasm -- Chapter 13. Strengthened by Uncertainty -- Notes -- Resources -- Index -- About the Authors.

Biographical Note:
Ecophilosopher Joanna Macy, PhD, is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and the environment, she interweaves her scholarship with five decades of activism. Physician and coach Dr. Chris Johnstone is a specialist in the psychology of resilience, happiness, and positive change.

Review Quotes:
"Books about social and ecological change too often leave out a vital component: how do we change ourselves so that we are strong enough to fully contribute to this great shift? "Active Hope" fills this gap beautifully, guiding readers on a journey of gratitude, grief, interconnection, and, ultimately, transformation."
-- Naomi Klein, author of "The Shock Doctrine"
"To the future beings of the twenty-second century, "Active Hope" might turn out to be the most important book written in the twenty-first."
-- Bill Plotkin, author of "Soulcraft" and "Nature and the Human Soul"
"More than any book I've read, "Active Hope" shows us the true dimensions of this crisis, and the way our heart and actions can be part of the great turning toward healing. Please read this book and share it with others -- for your own awakening, for our children, and for our future."
-- Tara Brach, PhD, author of "Radical Acceptance"
""Active Hope" is a brilliant guide to sanity and love."
-- Roshi Joan Halifax, abbot of the Upaya Zen Center
"If you have despaired for our world, and if you love life, "Active Hope" will be for you an extraordinary blessing."
-- John Robbins, author of "Diet for a New America" and "The Food Revolution"
""Active Hope" is not just a book but a gateway to transformation."
-- Jim Douglass, author of "JFK and the Unspeakable"

Contributor Bio:  Macy, Joanna
Joanna Macy, whose eight books include World as Lover, World as Self, is a scholar of systems theory and Buddhist thought who helps people find inner resources for dealing with global crises.

Contributor Bio:  Johnstone, Chris
With a background in medicine, psychology and groupwork, Dr. Chris Johnsto