You Can Change the World: The Global Citizen's Handbook for Living on Planet Earth [Hardcover]

Ervin Laszlo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

You Can Change the World: The Global Citizen's Handbook for Living on Planet Earth should be required reading for anyone who cares about the future of the planet. Written by renowned scientist, futurist and Club of Budapest founder Ervin Laszlo, You Can Change the World answers two pertinent questions-first, what is at the root of all the conflict and crisis in today's world? And second, what can actually be done to move toward a world where we can live in peace, without marginalizing and killing each other and destroying the environment?A handbook that urges readers to become global citizens who aspire to live responsibly on this precious but highly exploited and crisis-prone planet, You Can Change the World provides a simple and basic message: in today's world it is neither wealth nor power, nor the control of territory and technology that make the crucial difference. How we think and act shapes our present and decides our future.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a groundbreaking book for healers environmental activists and pro-active citizens who see the world as a global community." -- New Living Magazine, September/October 2004

From the Publisher

According to systems philosopher and Club of Budapest founder Ervin Laszlo, our world is both unstable and unsustainable. Population pressure is increasing – there are over 77 million humans added to the world each year, 97% of that number in poor countries. More than one-third of the world’s natural resources have been destroyed by human activity and, if this trend were to continue, we would need not one, but two other planets the size of Earth by the year 2050. Poverty is spreading – there are nearly 2 billion people living on less than 2 dollars a day, and the threat of terrorism is growing. Laszlo predicts that change must come: "Our world is divided and conflict-torn, and socially and ecologically unsustainable. We cannot remain as we are, nor can we go back to the conditions that are now behind us. We can only move forward, but not on the same path we have been following until now. We need to find a new direction for our individual and collective future. Half a century ago, Albert Einstein noted that we cannot solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that gave rise to it."

To inspire citizens to become agents of change, Laszlo created You Can Change the World: The Global Citizen’s Handbook for Living on Planet Earth. Based on a report by the Club of Budapest, You Can Change the World (SelectBooks, $19.95) answers two pertinent questions – first, what is at the root of all the conflict and crisis in today’s world? and second, what can actually be done to move toward a world where we can live in peace, without marginalizing and killing each other and destroying the environment? You Can Change the World includes an introduction by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, and contributions from Japanese spiritual master Masami Saionji and best-selling spiritual author Paulo Coelho, as well as a guide to further reading.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Select Books (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159079057X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590790571
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #821,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly lives up the promise its ambitious title, March 8, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Can Change the World: The Global Citizen's Handbook for Living on Planet Earth (Hardcover)

You Can Change The World: The Global Citizen's Handbook For Living On Planet Earth by Ervin Laszlo is a positive guide written for the readership of ordinary people, clearly explaining just how they can make a difference on global issues. From working ways to apply pressure to government, big business, and media; to advocating a grassroots revolution; to the insightful wisdom of Japanese spiritual master Masami Saionji; to the crucial importance of thinking responsibly, and so much more, You Can Change The World truly lives up the promise its ambitious title and is a highly recommended, life-affirming work.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Awakanees, May 26, 2009

By 

Andy Stocker "Andreas Stocker" (Menzingen-Schweiz) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Can Change the World: The Global Citizen's Handbook for Living on Planet Earth (Hardcover)

This book is a must read for each and every human being whose consciousness is gradually awakening to the problems that humanity shares on our beautiful planet. The more it is being read and the pieces of advice adhered to, the more planetary consciousness will spread and take a lasting effect in the minds and hearts of our fellow inhabitants on planet earth. May the book's vision not turn out to be wishful thinking. The only thing I do not understand is the reason why Ervin Laszlo does not mention other visionary authors such as Thom Hartman (The Prophet's Way, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight), Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God), Ken Wilber (Four Quadrant Model), Don Beck (Spiral Dynamics), Stanislav Grof (Psychology of the Future) and others.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Can Change The World, Ervin Laszlo, August 25, 2008

By 

marlyn rosa "nanc" (I am here, now.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Can Change the World: The Global Citizen's Handbook for Living on Planet Earth (Hardcover)

A must for all who seek to help save our world's resources and sanity by embracing who we are and the way we all help even with simple intention and conscious awareness.