Avoidance Doesn't Work

Iain Scott has written a number of books, but this is the first that I have seen for around 15 years. He writes as a mystic who has been involved in practical conservation work on a large-scale for more than 30 years. Quite apart from the interest of the text, the photographs of African wildlife are stunning, including elephants, rhinoceros, tigers and leopards. He and his team are responsible for a conservation area of some 30,000 acres. His fundamental interest is in the possibility of a process of change and transformation. Consonant with his experience, he advocates unselfish service to others and diagnoses the root of many of our challenges as selfishness in different forms: one for all, and all for one. This is simple but far-reaching. He cites his wife Becky as an extraordinary example of capacity to change if one demands the highest standards from oneself and focuses on making a real difference. We then embody values as a sign of our level of awareness and integrity. We need to start from a realistic assessment based on reason and evidence. Ultimately, it is about what the author calls perspective and approach. Perspective can be either selfish or non-selfish, while approaches represent the attitude of can do or can't do - this removes excuses and helps us focus on action rather than words. The book is a powerful message for our time.