Global Shift: How A New Worldview Is Transforming Humanity

The purpose of Global Shift is to describe a fundamental shift in humanity's way of viewing the world. Such a shift has been developing over the past three decades and will continue to evolve through much of the twenty-first century. The shift accompanies a profound rite of passage that the earth and its people are going through now and in the future. In order to best understand the future and what one needs to do to change, you must first examine present problems and how they came to be. Therefore, the first part of the book looks at the adverse effects of the dominant worldview, and how it has compromised our collective ability to move forward. The primary problem is that the current worldview promotes a separatism that has been encoded into many of our social and economic institutions. It has led individuals and groups to prioritize their needs over the good of the whole, to exploit others and the natural environment, and to disassociate their own well-being from that of the world around them. However, there are scientific advances and philosophical developments that have contributed to a broader understanding of who we are and what we are capable of becoming. The book also illustrates how paradigm shifts are showing up in a variety of institutional settings, and then goes on to describe personal transformational practices that readers can implement in their daily lives. There are practical and realistic ways to live a life that is consistent with enlightened values and core beliefs, such as compassion and sustainability, and that can perpetuate our potential for an evolved consciousness and way of life. The book concludes with several more practical chapters. Given the broad changesin the way we perceive the world, what actions and personal practices are consistent with this new vision? In short, how does each of us implement the new paradigm in the way we lead our daily lives? In "Transformative Practices: Aligning the Inner Self with a Conscious Universe," Bourne describes practices such as voluntary simplicity, caring for one's body, nonviolent communication, forgiveness, mindfulness, inclusive (global) thinking, and letting go that can foster personal healing, as well as bring our lives into alignment with the needs of the planet and a conscious universe. And in the chapter, "Healing the Planet," he describes specific actions the reader can take to help the environment and other global issues.