The Emergence of Us - Softcover

Gooding, Timothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 059540653X ISBN 13: 9780595406531

Publisher: iUniverse, 2006

Synopsis

What force compels people who are deeply concerned about the state of the earth to pollute on a daily basis?Just as gravity affects us all regardless of whether you believe in science, spiritual laws, or the omnipotence of God, human emergent behavior works invisibly to define the character of our society.These forces are created whenever enough people come together to form a group, a society, or all of humankind. People's thoughts and actions are then subtly herded by these mechanistic forces.By becoming aware of human emergent behavior, we create the opportunity to bring consciousness and love to this powerful presence that is blindly ravaging society and the world.

About this title

From the Author

This version is 6 inches by 9 inches and is written in American English.

The following is a reader’s review from Pen Press Publishing and Marketing (penpress.co.uk).

Somewhere between a self-help guide, a work of social psychology and a philosophical treatise, The Emergence of Us is a probing yet approachable work that ponders various ‘big’ life questions about the nature of wealth, belief, human potential and behaviour, and how we can harness all these things to bring about change and achieve goals of health, happiness and an enduring planet.

This is a timely and in some ways quite an original work, in that it casts doubt on the link between material wealth and self-fulfilment that many people in the West have long believed in, yet are now beginning to question even as they continue to seek it. Starting from research that suggests ‘once our basic needs are fulfilled, more wealth does not make much difference to our happiness’, the book goes on to explore how humanity might use our creative energies to find true happiness by rethinking our belief systems and perceptions, taking collective responsibility for social ills and precipitating significant changes in our world.

The key idea of emergent behaviour and systems is articulately expounded, as are the political implications of world leaders’ deference to them, which Gooding delves into with knowledge and gusto. Little anecdotal snippets give the book an extra ‘story-book’ dimension – for instance, the tale of the Jarawa tribe who, armed with only pagan spiritual beliefs, survived to a man he 2004 tsunami that devastated Indonesia, and the imaginary scenario in which an advocate of the free-market economy tried to convince a tribal chief of its merits. I also found particularly fascinating the section on our quest (ultimately doomed, claims the author, despite vast strides forward in medicine and technology) for future immortality.

Gooding is a skilful writer whose style seems effortlessly polished. While there are, necessarily, some instances of ‘psychospeak’ and scientific jargon (eg ‘Human emergent behaviour’; ‘a loving consciousness’, etc), it is weaved into the fabric of prose in such a way as to seem quite natural. Direct and fairly informal addresses to the reader (eg What if it turns out there are no villains?’; ‘Well, that is fine, but how?’; ‘Sounds like a fantasy, doesn’t it?’, etc) are apt in that they draw us in and make us feel part of the problem and its solution, while more lyrical and metaphorical moments give the book a sometimes poetic feel (eg the notion of ‘belief lenses’; ‘untapped potential that is currently wilting on the barren ground of our current emergent system’).

Overall, this is an intelligent, compassionate and very readable book whose themes are more apposite today than ever. One of the lines near the end will stick in my mind due to its simplicity and basic truth; ‘Happy people do not commit rape and genocide, abuse children, or need prove [sic] how tough they are, or fly aeroplanes into office buildings.’ One can only hope that Gooding’s wish will one day come to pass: that a ‘growing presence of joy could just as easily explode into a world-wide epidemic’ as the present epidemic of anger, unease and dissatisfaction.

About the Author

Tim has spent much of his life trying to grasp why it was the system we live in and apparently control is obviously not well-suited to human happiness or sustainability, and what exactly could we do about it. His journey took him to university, to live with the Native Americans, and take on all manner of jobs including dance instructor, senior administrator, and dead meat butcher. He has lived in Canada, the US, and currently the UK. While currently rather poor, he hopes that at some time in the future he will be in a position to build some schools based on his work.

Edition details

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 059540653X
• ISBN 13: 9780595406531
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 148