Did humankind abandon ancient wisdom and take the wrong path 500 years ago? Can the world unite to deal with environmental catastrophes caused by modern lifestyles that cannot be sustained by our planet? Are the problems of today’s chaotic world somehow linked to the choices we each make in our daily lives?
Elon University philosophy professor John Sullivan provides provocative views on these questions in a new book titled “Living Large: Transformative Work at the Intersection of Ethics and Spirituality.” The book offers a new vision for the future and concrete practices to make that vision a reality.
Sullivan makes a convincing case that humans have ignored relationships with one another in their rush to build modern society. He believes that in forming countries, establishing businesses and acquiring the trappings of an affluent lifestyle, people have sacrificed ethics and spirituality. Sullivan says humanity is now at a crossroads, faced with difficult choices about the environment and justice.
Sullivan says throughout the past 500 years humanity has highlighted individualism, but has done less well with the communal – with marriages, with organizational loyalty and with enhancing our sense of the earth as community.
“Our modern world focuses on the short term and establishing power – taking from others rather than collaborating with them. How do we reverse that and begin to think in a larger way?” he asks.
In answer, Sullivan lays out a path to “living large,” asking individuals to integrate a deeper approach to ethics and spirituality into their daily lives. “We must see that we are communal beings through and through, linked to and dependent on each other through interpersonal, organizational and global communities,” Sullivan says.
In a twist on the “think globally, act locally” philosophy, Sullivan recommends specific steps individuals can take, such as “practicing gratitude and gratefulness, focusing on the deep nature and mission of each partnership, acknowledging others, being a good listener, letting go of what no longer serves and taking effective action.”
Sullivan also says the world community must take a new approach to deal with the unsustainable demands on the environment by modern societies. “Conditions for life on the planet are in peril,” he says. “We can’t get to a sustainable future with business as usual. We must adopt a ‘living large’ positive motivation that recognizes the major issues of this new century: our relationship to the earth, justice between peoples and care of future generations.”
Sullivan says each of us has an obligation to “honor our ancestors and serve our children.”
“Living Large: Transformative Work at the Intersection of Ethics and Spirituality” is available in paperback for $19.95 through the Elon University Campus Shop or through the Tai Sophia Institute bookstore at (800) 735-2968, ext. 6632, or www.tai.edu.