If we think of ourselves only as separate, competitive individuals, it’s easy to believe there isn’t much we can do in the face of a large-scale, multi-facetted global crisis. Fortunately, we live at a time when spiritual traditions and contemporary science converge in challenging this limited view of who we are, opening us to the discovery of deeper levels of our identity. The first discovery is a shift in consciousness, as we learn to experience our profound rootedness in larger systems of life. Chapter Five, A Wider Sense of Self, describes this shift as one of the most exciting developments of our time, it being a spiritual process that is also fully in accord with the modern scientific framework of systems thinking and Gaia Theory. This deepening of self leads to the shifts in thinking and perception explored in the next three chapters.

Our beliefs about what we’re capable of are linked to our concept of who we are. Seeing ourselves differently changes our assessment of what’s within our power, allowing us to move beyond old limiting views of what is and isn’t possible. Chapter Six, A Different Story of Power, introduces the concepts of synergy and emergence, showing how these lead to new ways of appreciating, developing and using our power to create change. The shift here is from the domination model of power-over to the surprising potential of power-with. Opening to this co-operative and participatory expression of power is the key to countering the sense of futility many feel when facing the massive scale of our planetary crisis.