The Sacred Balance : Rediscovering Our Place In Nature

Suzuki, David ; McConnell, Amanda

ISBN 10: 1550549634 / ISBN 13: 9781550549638

Published by Douglas & McIntyre, Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 2007

About this Item

The book is signed and inscribed by David Suzuki on the half title page. The book is near fine with very slight edge wear and previous owner's gift inscription on the inside of the front cover. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item.

Seller Inventory # 015238

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Sacred Balance : Rediscovering Our Place In Nature
• Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre, Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1550549634
• ISBN 13: 9781550549638
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Signed
  • Ecology & Environmental Issues

About this title

Synopsis

The economy and global competitiveness are the bottom line for society and governments, or so says conventional wisdom. But what are the real needs that must be satisfied to live rich, fulfilling lives? This is the question David Suzuki explores in this wide-ranging study. Suzuki begins by presenting the concept of people as creatures of the Earth who depend on its gifts of air, water, soil, and sun energy. He shows how people are genetically programmed for the company of other species, and suffer enormously when we fail to live in harmony with them. And he analyzes those deep spiritual needs, rooted in nature, that are also a crucial component of a loving world. Drawing on his own experiences and those of others who have put their beliefs into action, The Sacred Balance is a powerful, passionate book with concrete suggestions for creating an ecologically sustainable, satisfying, and fair future by rediscovering and addressing humanity’s basic needs.

Review

Sat somewhere on that uneasy continuum between commonplace book and New Scientist magazine article, David Suzuki's The Sacred Balance disguises its serious intent behind the tricksiness of its presentation. But the aggregate effect of its box- outs, pull-quotes and sub-headings is undeniably powerful: a many-pronged effort to stake out some common ethical ground between the increasingly polarised worlds of environmentalism and big business. Suzuki's diagnosis of the late Capitalist condition is one in which our adaptive behaviours have become dangerously divorced from the environmental conditions in which they evolved. "The definitions of 'cost' and 'benefit' have changed", Suzuki writes. "Whereas in the past the most important factor was the long-term survival or well-being of the family or group, today decisions are made based on the implications for a company, job, market share or profit. So we assess costs and benefits within a very different framework of values, ignoring, for example, the health of the community or ecosystem. We have gotten out of the habit of thinking about things that really matter to us ...

The Sacred Balance is an eloquent expression of the general yearning for a closer connection to our planet--the kind of ill-understood urge that makes more people visit zoos than attend all major sports events combined. "Through us [the world] becomes conscious", writes Suzuki's co-author Amanda McConnell. This book is a timely reminder of that simple and revolutionary fact. --Simon Ings