Who Do We Choose To Be?

Form Follows Function: The Design of This Book

For many years, I have needed to know what to do, how best to use my heart and mind and energy to meaningfully serve as things fall apart. This book mirrors my own process: using the lens of new science to understand where we are and how we got here, using the patterns of complex civilizations to deepen my historical awareness and then reflecting on what I’ve learned from working with leaders who did not lose their way but persevered in doing the best that was possible in difficult, even dire circumstances.

Here is a guide to the design of this book, how I’ve chosen to organize its many different elements. This is a complex work because it needs to be, and in the next essay I describe “Dwelling Mind” ...