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Book Reviews
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Creating a World that Works for All
by Sharif Abdullah
Introductory Essay by Vaclav Havel, President of the Czech Republic
(Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.; San Francisco; $14.00; 1999)
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From the Preface: “We live in a world that works for only a few. Overfilling one group does not create a society of fulfillment or enoughness. The rest of us live in a world that’s insecure, threatened by violence, lack, and spiritual malaise. Ethnic hatred, from Los Angeles to Djakarta, from Russia to South Africa, threatens our way of life.”
Sharif Abdullah calls our current world “The Mess,” with all parts interconnected. “Breakers” are us, the American society, and also those societies who have bought into the American greed program. We all contribute to the destruction of earth, and of man’s so-called peace of mind, because we are seeking personal satisfaction, in the form of money, possessions, appearances, and fame. But real happiness and a satisfactory life, says Sharif, as do all the great avatars throughout the centuries, including the Buddha and Jesus, comes through loving, caring, belonging, to each other and to the earth.
The Keepers are the native peoples who do not deplete the earth, who care for each other and who are responsible for what they take from the earth. The Menders all work hard in their attempts to make the world a better place. They know something is wrong and maintain a clear resolve to do something about it, Stories about The Mess become part of a powerful movement ushering in the Mender era.. Our present official social myth is simply an illusion. As we poison our environment, our bodies and our spirit, rather than face the emptiness, we participate in the lie. If we were to be truthful, we would face our emptiness; however, we get angry at people who ask us to do so. We participate in a cultural group system, where we support one another and build the egos of those within our system. Whether this supports all peoples and all the earth, is not our concern! For Menders, there is a dual purpose in our activism: to transform ourselves and to transform our world. Either one, by itself, is not enough. Being a Mender for an inclusive society is a spiritual discipline. Success doesn’t mean I’ve saved an endangered species or cleaned up a toxic waste dump or fed hungry children. Success means awakening in myself a Spirit that can help make a better life for others. Success means I have acted in the world as though I were a part of it, not apart from it – becoming conscious of and faithful to my values.
Breakers — There is Never Enough
The Breaker Society works to get enough for themselves, taking resources from others, thus providing greater self security in times of lack. Keepers — The Earth is Abundant Because the earth is abundant, all we need to be is receptive to this abundance and take care of it with reverence. Menders — Abundance Needs Our Help Menders believe the Earth is abundant but since she has been stressed to the limit by greed, fear and selfishness, the Earth needs to come back into balance, creating a healing and regenerating global ecosystem. Menders are not a resistance movement seeking to undermine Breaker society. Our goal is to provide true alternatives, based on a fundamentally different way of thinking. Here are some of the ways to do this:
1 - End the Politics of Fear and Hatred.
2 - Create a Society of Enoughness
3 - Transform the Spiritual
There is Hope
The world is in a mess, and the author includes a full page of disaster-causing conditions, which include over-population, destruction of cultures, children in warfare, weapons of mass destruction, AIDS, public-school violence, extinction of species, expanding global corporations, overconsumption, to name a few. He also includes a full page of practicing enoughness, including concerns for population, food, water, shelter, love, education, service, work recreation. Instead of cursing us for our selfishness and shortsightedness, it is the author’s message of hope that our children will offer us their blessings as we become Menders of The Mess.
“Creating a World That Works for All” is the author’s gift to future generations. This is a compelling and inspirational book, igniting practical creativity and renewal of commitment to mend a world that works for all.
Victoria Townsend
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