All your life mother culture has been whispering in your ear the lies and fairy tales that make it all seem normal. Occassionally you may catch a glimpse of reality, but you have been well conditioned, you shake your head and carry on shopping, working or watching TV. Humans are the pinnacle of evolution, and this society is the ultimate acheivement of humanity - right?
But perhaps, like many of us the doubts just wont go away.
There is something inherently wrong with the way we live. So many single issue problems to campaign against. You start to question your role as consumer or worker – why should you work to pay to have a roof over your head? Why should some people have more power than others? The mantra of economic growth starts to ring hollow in your ears, and you just cant get excited anymore about the things you used to – new purchases, christmas, tv shows. It all seems so shallow and meaningless. If only you could put all those nagging doubts together and get a clear overview of society, perhaps you could come up with an alternative way?
But where to start?
Daniel Quinns book, Ishmael, is a pretty good place to start. A dialogue between a gorilla and his human student, the book poses some powerful questions about civilisation, humanity’s role on the planet, religion and how we got here. Labelling our culture as ‘takers’, and other less destructive cultures as ‘leavers’, Ishmael explains it like it is in a clear simple way that will leave you changed. Not a ‘how to’ book, but it will prod you into questioning everything you’ve ever been told.
