Sometimes I come across a book that confirms and clarifies a worldview I had held for some time but never quite managed to articulate.
For a long time I have been wondering why, when we have an extraordinary planet that could meet the needs for food and shelter for all of humanity, do we come up with economic and political systems that leave millions of people in poverty and destroy the ecosystems on which we depend? I have long felt that it doesn’t have to be like this.
Eisenstein shows how our current systems are all based on a story which he calls the Story of Separation. Not only are we separate from nature, we perceive ourselves as separate from each other, our many social and environmental problems as separate issues. This story and its consequences are so deeply engrained that they have become accepted as reality.
Many people are now experiencing the feeling that the world no longer makes sense, that everything is breaking down. The climate crisis, multiple conflicts worldwide, increasing inequality and poverty, crime. . . . Both the issues themselves, and our approach to solving them, arise from the Story of Separation which is embedded in our worldview and therefore in the systems we create.
Eisenstein proposes a new story: the Story of Interbeing. He describes the book as “a guide from the old story, through the empty space between stories, and into a new story.”
This is a book that goes deep into our hearts and minds in the exploration of the two stories, the old and the new, and how we might navigate the transition from one to the other. In a sense it is quite a challenging read. However, the way the book is structured, in a series of very short chapters, makes it easier to take in, and I found it very engaging and difficult to put down. There were a lot of “Oh yes, of course!” moments.
The book begins with 3 chapters introducing, in this order, Separation, Breakdown and Interbeing. In the section on separation, he asks some basic questions: Who am I? Why do things happen? And answers them from the perspective of our old Story, Separation. In answer to the question “What is human nature?” he responds “To protect ourselves against this hostile universe of competing individuals and impersonal forces, we must exercise as much control as possible. We seek out anything that furthers that aim; for example money, status, security, information, and power – all those things we call “worldly.”” Within our current systems, this is indeed the behaviour that is often taken for granted and accepted as “normal”.
In ‘breakdown’, Eisenstein outlines how, over the last 60 or so years, we have moved from a world that felt safe, and where we felt that environmental and social problems could and would be fixed, to one where this no longer seems possible. Crises in all areas of our lives are multiplying and getting worse.
‘Interbeing’ introduces the new story, with its principles including “That my being partakes of your being and that of all beings. This goes beyond interdependency – our very existence is relational.” And “That humanity is meant to join fully the tribe of all life on Earth, offering our uniquely human gifts toward the wellbeing and development of the whole.” This second point contrasts with the view of Separation, which sees our uniqueness, our rational mind and consciousness, as enabling us to shape and control the world to serve ourselves. In this section Eisenstein also includes among the principles of Interbeing: “That every act is significant and has an effect on the cosmos.” This feels like a big claim and maybe a step too far, but on reflection, if we accept that we are all one, then of course everything we do affects everything else. . . .
Each chapter in the rest of the book explores a concept, and aspect of our lives, or an emotion, in the context of the old and new stories. He begins, tellingly, with cynicism. This chapter, along with many others, is likely to trigger strong emotions in the reader: derision, possibly anger on the one hand, or affirmation and relief on the other. Eisenstein invites us to question our response, whatever it may be, suggesting that fear and pain may underlie our reactions.
It would be tempting to write off the Story of Interbeing as unscientific, impractical and unrealistic. This is discussed in the chapter on science. He shows how increasingly scientific discoveries are changing the way we see the world and ceasing to underpin the Story of Separation. Genetics and ecology are revealing interconnections between organisms, and between species. Quantum physics has brought into question our assumptions about cause and effect, and about objectivity.
So how do we facilitate the transition to the Story of Interbeing, when the way forward is not defined? By embracing and embodying the new story – since every act is significant in a world of interconnection, kindness and compassion that comes from the heart will contribute to the new story.
This is a far reaching, thought provoking and important book. Although it was written over 10 years ago, it still feels very relevant. I think it will continue to be so until the transition Charles Eisenstein writes about is well under way.
Charles Eisenstein, is a social philosopher, public speaker and the author of several ground-breaking books including The Ascent of Man (2007), Sacred Economics (2011) and Climate: A New Story (2018).
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