November 2022
In his latest book, Choosing Earth, about “Humanity’s Journey of Initiation Through Breakdown and Collapse to Mature Planetary Community”, Duane Elgin, who wrote the classic Voluntary 1 Simplicity back in 1981, suggests we - the human race - have three choices this century - 2 functional extinction, authoritarianism or transformation. Climate scientists are unanimous 3 about the prospect of a hellish future if we continue with fossil-fuel business-as-usual. Survival would seem to depend now either on giving power to a strong, authoritarian leader, or transforming ourselves to create a society that is based on freedom, truth, and goodwill. Choosing the latter is about seeing democracy as a way of life, not just a political system.