The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible by Charles Eisenstein

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Eisenstein

Website: https://charleseisenstein.org/

My introduction to Eisenstein was during a frenzy of reading books on the climate crisis as part of a research project. I read Climate A New Story and was impressed by his reframing of the crisis as being more profound than an excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If the crisis were simply about CO2, as soon as a technological fix was found, it would be over. Eisenstein, and other writers, say that the crisis goes deeper. It is about the profoundly dysfunctional human relationship with the Earth. I find this view convincing and so I have sought to explore these ideas further.

More Beautiful World begins with Eisenstein addressing Separation. This is a fundamental concept in his thinking and bears some examination. Separation is the notion that whilst we know something to exist or to be true, we speak and behave as if something else were the case. It is not necessarily a lie, it is the dismissal of one reality in favour of a preferred reality.

Eisenstein illustrates this with his own upbringing. He was brought up in the story of American progress; newer and better technology every year, wealth as a result of hard work and appropriate choice, the USA as the bastion of freedom and democracy. As he grew up, the cracks in this story started to appear; American democracy relied on nuclear weapons aimed at cities of ordinary people in other countries, the rain forests were being destroyed, wildlife was rapidly vanishing. The story turns out to be deeply flawed and the only way to believe it is to ignore the inconvenient aspects of reality. The story only works when we separate ourselves from parts of the world. It is the Story of Separation.

Eisenstein then proceeds to counter the Separation with the Story of Interbeing. This is a complete contrast. Interbeing tells us that we are profoundly connected to everyone and everything around us. That our actions and inclinations feed into a pool of movement that is the world. Perhaps the key statement is “what we do to another, we do to ourselves”.

This is not novel. We all understand that a functioning society requires a consideration of the needs of others. We have a name for people who radically step out of that understanding. They are psychopaths. But Interbeing goes far beyond a civil society, it requires that we establish a peaceful relationship with the world: humans, animals, trees, soil and oceans.

If we look hard enough, once again, this is not novel. Indigenous people across the world live in a much closer relationship with the world. The ways of life that existed in the Western world prior to the various revolutions and invasions that shaped the modern world, acknowledged the world as a living, breathing entity that required respect.

The book then works through a number of crises, conditions and states of mind. Cynicism, Science, Climate, Urgency, Evil, Destiny and others.

Some of his conclusions are deeply counter-intuitive. Given that he acknowledges the severity of the Climate Crisis, there are points at which he advocates doing nothing about it. In this position, he draws on the Taoist principle of wu-wei. This calls for a pause when a new direction is called for. Rather than a reflexive response, wu-wei calls for the subject to pause and seek the most appropriate response. This might entail a consideration of what skills the subject brings to the situation and how best they may be deployed.

Eisenstein reminds us of the value of all acts of Interbeing. The loving care of dying relative is a contribution to The More Beautiful World, just as leading an environmental movement contributes. There is no economy of care, no double-entry book keeping of love.

I read The More Beautiful World as part of my climate crisis research. The book deals with the climate crisis but not as the prime focus. The Story of Interbeing which Eisenstein asks us to adopt is about how we save ourselves. Because we humans are the cause of the climate crisis, by healing ourselves, we create the potential to heal the Earth.

Many climate campaigners call for system change, implicitly calling for a radical overhaul or replacement of Neo-Liberal Capitalism as the dominant world system. Critics question whether that can be achieved within the window of time available for action. They argue that, whilst right in principle, quick fixes are needed now to avert disaster. Or further disaster. In many ways, Eisenstein’s agenda is even more radical, a transformation of humanity, especially humanity in the developed world, in their relationship with the Earth. Whilst it is more ambitious, it is perhaps more deliverable. This transformation is not dependent on election cycles or the vicissitudes of whoever happens to be in power. It happens in anyone willing to make the change, and willing to establish new connections. Maybe the revolution of Interbeing is the one that will save us.

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-more-beautiful-world-our-hearts-know-is-possible/9781583947241

Your local book shop is an essential service. But if you can’t visit in person, your purchase through bookshop.org helps your local bookseller.

Originally published at https://chrisjerrey.me on December 13, 2020.