The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight

I just finished reading The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight by Thom Hartmann. Finishing it took a little effort on my part. The first third of the book details our current world situation in regard to the world oil supply, how we are running out of it and how the consumption of their entire supply of fuel and food ultimately led to the downfall of all past empires on this planet and how we as a society are following in their foot steps. It was so full of gloom and doom that I put the book down for several days. All through this section of the book, Hartmann states that he will get around to making suggestions as to how we can avoid the very ruin he seems to be predicting so I took him at his word and picked it up again. I am so glad that I did.

The tone of the book begins to shift about half way through as he chronicles the lives of indigenous people and their ancient knowledge of themselves in relation to their environments. Then he begins to talk about what worked for these peoples and how we may be able to incorporate some of their knowledge and outlooks into our lives. No, he doesn't necessarily mean going back to nature and living off the land with no modern conveniences. Instead, he talks about changing our view of our own relationships with the world around us, including our relationships with each other.

My bottom line: Get brave and read the book. Don't skip over the Afterward written by Neale Donald Walsh.

Soundtrack: Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi

cross posted at Shimoda's Dream