A Future We Can Love

"In early 2021, a humble, old Tibetan monk in maroon and yellow robes met with a slight young woman from Sweden. He is a survivor of violence and oppression whose radiant happiness and empathy have become world famous; she a fiery activist whose uncompromising clarity helped spark the global youth movement for climate action. When these two people-the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg-met and spoke for the first time, millions of people around the world took notice. The palpable sense of promise in their meeting drew its energy in part from the contrast of these two figures-one a scion of peace and patience, the other a rising symbol of the need for urgent action. Yet Greta and the Dalai Lama agree wholeheartedly that the climatic and ecological threats facing our planet require the attention and action of all human beings. "It is encouraging to see how you have opened the eyes of the world to the urgency to protect our planet, our only home," the Dalai Lama had written to Greta in a letter encouraging her to persevere. Though more and more people are alarmed by climate change, many of us remain stuck in inaction-paralyzed by difficult emotions like fear or grief, or simply uncertain what we can do. A Future We Can Love uses the inspiration of the Dalai Lamaand Greta's words and life stories to embark on a four-part journey toward connection, hope, and purpose. The Buddhist concept of interdependence shows that even the most ominous aspects of climate change, such as the greenhouse gas feedback loops that are ever closer to spinning out of control, can be related to understandings familiar from our daily lives. And once that connection is made-once we see that the climate is our climate-then there is no turning back from our responsibility to act, which includes our responsibility to sustain our own spiritual and emotional well-being such that we can continue to act. Filled with the Dalai Lama's hard-earned wisdom, Greta's piercing focus, and dozens of accessible practices of climate activism and personal resilience, this book offers a path not just out of inaction but toward a future we can love. "Things may look dark, but I'm telling you, there is hope, and that hope comes from the people, from democracy, from you," says Greta. "We have passed a social tipping point, we can no longer look away from what our society has been ignoring for so long. It is an existential crisis. We must now do the seemingly impossible. And that is up to you and me. Because no one else will do it for us.""--
Sharing the words of two great figures—the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg, generations apart—this urgent book brings them into dialogue with cutting-edge climate scientists, activists and spiritual leaders to start a world-changing conversation.
Discover wisdom and guidance to face the climate emergency from the most influential spiritual and environmental leaders of our time, including the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg, Joanna Macy, Vandana Shiva, Paul Hawken, Katharine Hayhoe, and Matthieu Ricard. When the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg spoke for the first time in January 2021, millions of people around the world took notice. “It is encouraging to see how you have opened the eyes of the world to the urgency to protect our planet, our only home,” the Dalai Lama wrote to Greta before their meeting. A Future We Can Love shares the words of these two great figures, generations apart, bringing them into dialogue with dozens of visionary scientists, activists, and spiritual luminaries. These include indigenous scholar and artist Lyla June, medical biochemist and author Diana Beresford-Kroeger, climate scientist and Zen teacher Kritee Kanko, interfaith environmental leader Dekila Chungyalpa, Buddhist teacher Willa Blythe Baker, Rabbi Steve Leder, and many more. Through this world-changing conversation, readers embark on a four-part journey toward active hope in the face of the climate crisis: from knowledge of climate science, through the capacity for change, and to the will that is needed and the actions we can take. The book will help you: comfort your climate anxiety and metabolize grief or burnout into wonderment and useful energyrecognize interdependence as key to our well-being and as a lens for understanding both the climate crisis and its solutionsclarify why feedback loops leave us no time to wait on climate actiondevelop your own rituals and practices for connecting to Earth and renewing hopeovercome common obstacles to speaking and acting clearly on behalf of the human and wild communities most affected by the climate crisisA Future We Can Love inspires each of us to rise to the occasion to ensure a brighter future for generations to come.