Blessed Unrest

Readers may recall the commencement address by Paul Hawken printed in the last issue. When asked if he is pessimistic or optimistic about the future, he always says that if you look at the science and aren't pessimistic, you don't have the correct data. However, if you meet the people in this unnamed movement and aren't optimistic, you haven't got a heart. This movement he refers to consists of millions of people dedicated to change in an organic, self organising manner, and together they constitute the largest social movement in history, which aims to restore grace, justice and beauty to the world. They represent the World Social Forum rather than the World Economic Forum; glocalisation rather than the current form of globalisation. Our greatest resource is our capacity to adapt, leading the author to conclude that 'evolution is optimism in action.' The first part of the book describes our overall situation and the areas in which people are working, while the second, in the form of an appendix, describes in more detail the activities of NGOs and the number involved. All this makes very encouraging reading and can be followed up on www.blessedunrest.com