Failsafe! –Chilling but hopeful book about future asks important questions
by Dan Bloom
OTTAWA(RUSHPRNEWS)10/31/08— A new book titled “Failsafe”, written by Canadian environmental activist Ian Prattis, is making waves across the Internet and is finally available in a print edition. Prattis, 66, warns that humankind is slowly but surely hurtling towards a series of cataclysmic economic, social and ecological events that will take future generations to the brink of destruction.
But Prattis says he remains optimistic in the long run, adding that our hardwired instinct for self-preservation can save us — but only if it triggers new ways of thinking, being and interacting.
In a recent email interview with RushPRnews, Prattis stated, “It seems that our technology and economic institutions have outstripped our humanity. How do we get it back? That is what ‘Failsafe’ is about. The reality is that we have not lost our humanity — it is right there. Only we have buried it under crises, ego and the culture of greed.”
The UK-born writer added: “Our separation from the environment is enshrined in present economic theory and practice. That has to be dispelled as economic and technological fixes will achieve nothing unless the underying mind-set that created both global economic melt down and global warming is changed. I draw on the wisdom of the elders about ecosystem balance and the teachings of the Buddha for science of mind change. There is no post-environment economy.”
The book comes with a forward by Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki, and one observer sees “Failsafe” as “a critical response to James Lovelock’s “The Revenge of Gaia”, which painted a darker picture for the future of humanity than Prattis does.
Prattis asks a vital question in his book: “Can we fix the planet?” His answer is that the question is the wrong one.
“Our present values and patterns of consumption are the architects of the present global emergency,” he insists. “The right question is: can we fix ourselves?”
Suzuki says in his introduction: “With this book, Ian Prattis offers a way to a perceptual transformation that is absolutely critical if we are to find a truly sustainable future.”
Prattis is the founder of Friends for Peace — a coalition of environmental groups that works for peace and planetary care. Read his book with planetary care.
When RushPRnews asked New Zealand climate activist Lila Smith what she thought of Prattis’ book, she replied in Internet time, “I, for one, can’t wait to read this book. It reminds me of the saying ‘change does not happen until a large enough crisis hits — real or perceived.’ And Prattis says that!”
Published recently by Manor House Publishing in Canada, the book, which retails for CD$24.95, comes just as a time when global economies are flirting with possible collapse. The book is now available in Chapters/Indigo stores across Canada as well as on their website and on Amazon’s order site.
LINKS TO BOOK:
www.failsafebook.com
www.ianprattis.com
Publisher: Manor House Publishing
Retail Price: CD$24.95
Publication Date: October 15, 2008
