The more beautiful world…
The Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible is a 2013 book by Charles Eisenstein that had a profound effect on me by describing something that I sort of knew in an unspoken, physical/spiritual way but at the same time had not thought about, let alone said. It’s in the tile really – what Charles describes is known to our hearts more than our brains.
I came across this book in 2014 and read it cover to cover pretty quickly. Charles has a very specific writing style (I’ve seen it since in other books and essays – he’s a prolific writer). He conveys really complex themes in a way which is accessible without being dumbed down. It is both intellectually challenging and deeply engaging. He has a worldview about our current systems that is meticulously researched and extremely challenging. It probably helps to have some sympathy with his opinions when reading his material, but even open-minded agnostics should appreciate his prose.
In the case of The Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible Charles posits the view that our story (by ‘our’ I mean everyone’s) is currently an old one of separation, which is an act of self-harm and eventual destruction on both the personal and global level. And that the more beautiful world requires a new story of interbeing. And the only way to get there is via some sort of societal breakdown – in other words we are not going to simply evolve ourselves to there. The language takes some getting used to, both in terms of the topics covered and the way in which they are described – but the basic concept is simple enough; this is why the world is like it is and this is what it will take for it to be in better shape.
As for the book itself, at about 270 pages it’s not overly long but does feel substantial. However, it’s broken down into about 35 chapters and so quite accessible. Each chapter heading is one word, which I found particularly useful in both navigating and also dipping back into the book from time to time. The chapter headings contain Charles perspective on topics, accompanied often by stories from his research. Although each chapter can stand on its own two feet, together they create a narrative arc that brings a kind of poetry to a tough subject.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an open mind who is struggling with the way things are right now and who wants to hope for something better but either is too frightened or doesn’t know how. It can help you understand why things are as they are right now (in the old story of separation), what is keeping us stuck here and what needs to breakdown in order for the new story of interbeing to emerge.
This idea of interbeing had a profound effect on me and is at the heart of the philosophy that underpins Still Waters. So I’ll leave this review with a list of principles used to explain the new story of interbeing:
My being partakes of your being and that of all beings. This goes beyond interdependency – our very existence is relational
What we do to another we do to ourselves
Each of us has a unique and necessary gift to give to the world
The purpose of life is to express our gifts
Every act is significant and has an effect on the cosmos
We are fundamentally un-separate from each other, from all beings and from the universe
Every person we encounter and every experience we have mirrors something in ourselves
Humanity is meant to join fully the tribe of all life on earth, offering our uniquely human gifts toward the well-being and development of the whole
Purpose, consciousness and intelligence are innate properties of matter and the universe