Promise Ahead: A Vision of Hope and Action for Humanity's Future [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Duane Elgin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 15, 2001

When Duane Elgin's classic bestseller, Voluntary Simplicity, was published in 1981, it transformed the lives of thousands and was hailed as the "bible" of the simplicity movement by the Wall Street Journal.  Now, for anyone seeking to navigate today's profoundly changing world, Promise Ahead is the powerful sequel to a road map for securing a promising future.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Promise Ahead offers us a new framework for our conscious evolution. A gem to inaugurate the twenty-first century." -- -- Barbara Hubbard, author of Conscious Evolution and The Evolutionary Journey

"The very act of envisioning a better future can in itself initiate change. . . .Promise Ahead inspire[s] those necessary dreams." -- --New Age

"The very act of envisioning a better future can in itself initiate change. . . .Promise Ahead inspire[s] those necessary dreams." -- -- New Age

"[Promise Ahead] alert[s] us to important problems and offers suggestion[s] that are genuinely constructive." -- -- Christian Science Monitor

"[Promise Ahead] alert[s] us to important problems and offers suggestion[s] that are genuinely constructive." -- --Christian Science Monitor

About the Author

Duane Elgin is an internationally recognized speaker and author. His books include The Living Universe, Promise Ahead, and Awakening Earth. In 2006, he received the international Goi Peace Award in recognition of his contribution to a global "vision, consciousness, and lifestyle" that fosters a "more sustainable and spiritual culture." He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060934999
• ASIN: B004E3XECA
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,406,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Duane Elgin is an internationally recognized speaker and author. His books include The Living Universe, Promise Ahead, and Awakening Earth. In 2006, he received the international Goi Peace Award in recognition of his contribution to a global "vision, consciousness, and lifestyle" that fosters a "more sustainable and spiritual culture." He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Promise Ahead February 15, 2002

By J. Michael Pendleton

Format:Hardcover

What an aptly named book! In a brief 200 pages, the author delves deeply into key issues facing humanity at an important juncture in human history. The book describes where humankind is along our evolutionary path, the global environmental and social problems confronting us, and the opportunities before us for charting a better future. Be forewarned -- if you read this book, you might just find yourself overwhelmingly compelled to make changes in your life that will ripple out to others. It has the ability to transform the way you view people and the world around you. It is a must read for anyone concerned about where humanity is headed, and wants to roll up their sleeves and make a difference. Enjoy!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Grown-Ups Who Feel Like Something's Missing March 6, 2002

By Robert L. Rose VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This is a well-written book which provides deep hope, in a realistic way, for the future of human society. Good insight into the historical development of human culture and the evolution of personal consciousness. Really puts its finger on the main developmental challenge as the personal and cultural transition from adolescence to adulthood. Read this together with another excellent book on the potential of adulthood for the planet: A Conscious Life: Cultivating The Seven Qualities of Authentic Adulthood, by Fran and Louis Cox.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Paradigm Shift Needed For Sustainable Living On Earth May 10, 2005

By Bugs

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As the title hints, this is a book filled with guarded optimism that humanity can wake-up to the devastation it's causing on Earth and that wake-up will cause a "bounce" in it's perception of reality moving towards a "paradigm shift" from the old paradigm of environmental parasitism and destruction, to a new sustainable , loving relationship with Earth and all it's myriad life forms and life-support cycles.

This is a close parallel to E. O. Wilson's thoughts outlined in his engaging book, "The Future of Life", where humanity is passing through the "bottleneck" of converging circumstances- a long history of environmental destruction, out-of-control population numbers which are depleting the Earth's resources faster than can be regenerated. In both books, education and adherence to vastly more sustainable lifestyles will be the determining factor as to whether we make it past the 21st century and into the future or we will not heed the call to reform and end up going the way of the dinosaurs.

"We have met the enemy and he is us"- Pogo. Now that we know, will we change our destructive ways?

We have arrived at what Elgin calls "Hitting the Evolutionary Wall" (beginning of chapter 2, p.15) and "Are We Are On A Collision Course With Nature?", so it was fitting that this chapter begins with two good quotes:

"What is difficult is to imagine how to get out of the situation we're in right now in a time frame that is in line with the rate of deterioration that we're seeing."- Paul Hawken ["Natural Capitalism"]. And:

"If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed." Indeed!

Ancient Chinese Proverb....

Chapter 3 begins with the mechanisms for change needed for our survival and that is: "A New Perceptual Paradigm: We Live In A Living Universe", we are interconnected to all life and need to realize that we do not live in a human-only world. Our life-styles immediately effect all other life and we need to adopt a much smaller "footprint" to insure the health and safety of all life. Realizing the dynamics and requirements of life for a healthy, rewarding existence vs. "living as just not dying" can be absorbed from meditating on a quote from Teilhard de Chardin: "The whole of life lies in the verb seeing" (p. 43). We might then ad to that: "...and feeling and doing."

Elgin posits that "Voluntary Simplicity" or again, reducing one's footprint and impact on the environment is the most immediate and helpful thing we can do to help lessen the load we place on Nature. Do we really need to be lead around by advertisers constantly telling us that we need this or that to be happy? Or can we learn to get by just fine by acquiring only what is necessary for a comfortable living? On that thought it helps to keep in mind, "The price of anything is the amount of life that you have to pay for it."- Henry David Thoreau (p 71).

"Promise Ahead" is a beautiful collage of thoughts and parallels to Theodore Roszak's "The Voice of the Earth", Thomas Berry's "The Dream of the Earth" and "The Great Work", et al.

Duane Elgin has put together a substantial amount of data on life-style changes needed to help humanity "bounce" past the current "juggernaut" or "bottleneck" we are facing to insure a reasonable transition to an integrative existence with all life for a brighter future. His books include, "Awakening Earth" and "Voluntary Simplicity", et al. His website is an info central for more information on sustainable living and education [...]. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope for Humanity in Dark Times November 3, 2005

By Richard H. Burkhart

Format:Paperback

Duane Elgin's book "Promise Ahead" holds out hope for humanity in these dark times, as the Bush administration continues its obstinate pursuit of global domination and exploitation. Though Elgin is fully aware of the possibility of an "evolutionary crash", he also sees the deepening crisis as leading toward an opportunity for an "evolutionary bounce". The result would be similar to the "planetary society" envisioned by John Stewart in "Evolution's Arrow".

Elgin sees humanity as presently in its "adolescent" stage, with the crisis of the next generation becoming an ordeal of "initiation". To Elgin "our evolutionary challenge is to consciously retain the lessons of each era while moving on to the next". The next era, if we avoid the crash, will be marked by a "compassionate consciousness" for the "Earth and all its inhabitants".

The threat of crash or collapse comes from ecological factors like resource depletion, over population, pollution, and loss of biodiversity, but also from social inequality and injustice. Elgin was well aware of Peak Oil before most people paid any attention. He also cites Jared Diamond's study of the collapse of civilization on Easter Island.

This is balanced by the hope illustrated by successful experiments in sustainability like the village of Gaviotas in eastern Columbia. He sees the media as enabling the creation of a "common purpose for humanity". He has personally conducted "electronic town meetings" and proposes the distribution of "Earthvisions" to counter consumerism.

Duane Elgin sees humanity becoming a "self-organizing planetary family" as it emerges from its coming trials by fire. Yet, if the book has a weakness, it is its lack of a realistic of vision of how all this might come about.... For example, what specific institutional changes should we pursue and what strategies should we adopt for this pursuit? For some of us, new institutions and practices of democratic global governance are an obvious place to start, however visionary this may seem in the current political climate.

Deliberative democracy, to be effective, needs knowledge of viable means, as well as of desirable ends. Elgin's crusade for "voluntary simplicity" has helped promote a new morality, which I and many others are now attempting to practice. However it has not offered an alternative global politico-economic system to the current one based on over exploitation of resources for the over consumption of the world's affluent few. I suspect, in fact, that it won't be until "voluntary simplicity" becomes "necessary simplicity" for the affluent world that this alternative system will begin to take form. If Elgin were to team up with some progressive economists for his next book, we might be better prepared. Read more ›

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading as we face together our challenging future February 15, 2010

By Steven V. Ruddell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Promise Ahead: A Vision of Hope and Action for Humanity's Future" was written by Duane Elgin ten years prior to this review and the following decade has only illustrated ever more vividly the need for this articulate and well researched guide.

As Elizabeth Dowdeswell, former director, United Nations Environmental Program writes, "Promise Ahead is a book for the twenty-first century with a clear message: a sustainable planet is not an unreachable goal.... Elgin articulates an operating manual of possibility and hope."

As the storm clouds of adversity become ever more dark and foreboding on our horizon: extremes of weather, diminishing of fuels and water, population expanding unsustainably, species extinctions, extremes of poverty and disease, political conflict and unrest -- hope we need indeed. And we need a big picture vision to support our understanding and inspire our action.

Eligin offers an evolutionary model of our "human journey". Rather than brood in post-modern guilt, denial, self-contempt, or depression, Elgin reveals that we are on a Hero's Journey (Elgin worked with Joseph Campbell at SRI in decades past). As a species we are awakening in an initial phase of "separation" from Nature and approaching an evolutionary wall (Initiation), when further separation and dominance will lead only to suffering. What is needed is not a "crash", but a "bounce" (as humanity passes through the Initiation Phase by confronting the challenges presently before us) and a "return", integrating consciously with Nature and each other through self-sustaining systems and mutual cooperation and understanding.

Elgin inspires us to take into account the evolutionary trends of potential that support an evolutionary bounce.... Most importantly, science and deep, mystical insight reveal that we are living in a living, growing, meaningful universe rather than a dead, chaotic, random one. We are connected at every level. Now, can we awaken to this connection and start to live a new trend of voluntary simplicity, giving us choice and a much richer sense of meaning and creativity than the current trend of consumerism. Further, we now have the enormous power of communication technologies to support our connection and self-reflection, which further supports the trend toward compassion as we awaken to the suffering in our world and seek to find ways to alleviate it.

We need an aware global citizenry with a shared vision of possibility and alternatives for action to take the necessary steps in the little time remaining. Elgin's books are an important set of resources for enlivening our understanding and vivifying the vision. See "Awakening Earth" for a deeper understanding of the evolutionary journey that we are on together. Read the completely rewritten "Voluntary Simplicity" to understand the importance of this quiet revolution and essential pathway. Read "The Living Universe", Elgin's latest book, to discover how this new paradigm supports a sustainable and enriched future. And, of course, read "Promise Ahead" to inspire and support our journey ahead. We are not alone. We are deeply connected and we already have everything we need to pass through the coming Initiation and surpass ourselves. Read more ›