“Matters of Consequence is a master work in applying evolutionary understanding to the critical problems of our time and revealing a design of action to carry humanity through to the next stage of our development. I highly recommend it.” Barbara Marx Hubbard, futurist, author of Emergence and Conscious Evolu- tion, and founder of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution. “Copthorne Macdonald has written an utterly splendid review and analysis of what is really important in life. Its particular value is its focus on what we most need to attend to about our emerging world. He has organized his book well, with sharp, incisive comments. Matters of Consequence shows us our own human faces with real gems of insight. I finally found myself creating a new file called ‘Cop’s Gems.’ Get it. You need it.” Paul H. Ray, co-author of The Cultural Creatives and author of The Integral Cul- ture Survey, books that report on his extensive studies of the lifestyles, interests, values, expectations, preferences, and choices of Americans. “Herein you’ll find a guided tour of the inner and outer landscape an educated, compassionate and engaged citizen needs to inhabit to gen- erate a rich future worth living into. This book is brilliant yet accessi- ble, terse yet so deeply considered that each paragraph opens worlds. One of Macdonald’s greatest gifts is the section where he evokes a plausible and pleasing vision for 2050 and then tells us the intelligent steps we could take now to get there. Matters of Consequence is a good read and a lasting resource.” Vicki Robin, co-author of Your Money or Your Life. “This is an important synthesis of some of the most important thinking being done today among those who hope to heal and repair the world.” Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor of TIKKUN and author of Spirit Matters: Global Healing and the Wisdom of the Soul. “Matters of Consequence is a truly important book that should be read by everyone interested in the nature of the world, the nature of society, and human nature.” Ervin Laszlo, system-theory pioneer, author of nearly 70 books, including Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World and several reports to The Club of Rome, founder and President of the Club of Budapest, advisor to the UNESCO Director General, member of the International Academy of Science and World Academy of Art and Science. “Never has a single book brought together such a rich trove of facts, resources, and wisdom. Here, Copthorne Macdonald blends compelling wisdom of the inner world of mind and consciousness with a keen knowledge of the reali- ties of politics, business, and ecology, to yield up a rich serving of insight and practical suggestions for a spiritually sustainable future. It is authors such as he, and those who read them, who offer the truest future hope for humankind. Read this book for pleasure. Read it for wisdom. And read it for the wealth of books, organizations, and web resources it puts at your fingertips.” Allan Combs, author of over 50 articles, chapters, and books including The Radiance of Being: Complexity, Chaos, and the Evolution of Consciousness which won the 1996 best book award of the Scientific and Medical Network of the UK, Editor of Integralis, and member of the Club of Budapest. “Wake up WORLD. Matters of Consequence outlines the TRUTH—the WHOLE TRUTH. It is a REAL BOOK filled with REAL SUB- STANCE—IMPORTANT stuff for us to read, digest and take action on. As a member of planet Earth I ask everyone to PLEASE read it—we all must work together if we are to realize our fullest potential as a species.” Doug Hall, CEO Eureka! Ranch, author of Jump Start Your Business Brain. “A tour of The Force and a tour de force!” Martin Rutte, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work. “Occasionally when I read a book I get the unmistakable feeling that there is an original mind behind the writing—it is not just a rehash of what has previously been said, but contains genuinely new ideas. Humanity is in great need of a convincing worldview that strongly values both personal development and improvement of our eco- nomic and social systems. This book is major contribution to the development of such an integrated approach.” John Stewart, Australian evolutionary theorist, author of the book Evolution's Arrow and of a number of scientific papers on evolution and its implications for humanity. MATTERS of CONSEQUENCE This Acrobat eBook edition, ISBN 0-9689618-8-6, is published by BIG IDEAS PRESS P.O. Box 2941 Charlottetown Prince Edward Island C1A 8C5 Canada Phone: 902-675-2949 To order the paperback edition (ISBN 0-9689618-7-8) of this work, or the hardcover edition (ISBN 0-9689618-6-X), contact your local bookseller — or check online ordering options at http://mattersofconsequence.com/booksales.html COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE NOTICE: The authorized recipient of this Acrobat eBook edition of MATTERS of CONSEQUENCE is granted a non-exclusive license to store it on a computer disk and view it on a computer screen. All other rights are reserved. Copying all or part of this work to paper, disk, or any other medium for use by others is not permitted, nor is retransmission of this work via any mode of telecommunication. COPTHORNE MACDONALD’S BOOKS Toward Wisdom: Finding Our Way to Inner Peace, Love & Happiness Free eBook download at http://www.wisdompage.com/ebooksinfo.html Online ordering info, paperback edition, at http://mattersofconsequence.com/booksales.html Getting a Life: Strategies for Joyful and Effective Living Free eBook download at http://www.wisdompage.com/ebooksinfo.html Online ordering info, paperback edition, at http://mattersofconsequence.com/booksales.html Matters of Consequence: Creating a Meaningful Life and a World That Works Free eBook download at http://www.wisdompage.com/ebooksinfo.html Online ordering info, paperback and hardcover editions, at http://mattersofconsequence.com/booksales.html RELATED WEB SITES This book — http://mattersofconsequence.com/ The author — http://www.copmacdonald.com/ The Wisdom Page — http://www.wisdompage.com/ (An Internet-based compilation of wisdom resources) MATTERS of CONSEQUENCE Creating a Meaningful Life and a World That Works Copthorne Macdonald BIG IDEAS PRESS Copyright © 2004 by Copthorne Macdonald All Rights Reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in a review, no part of this book may be reproduced, recorded, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, the Internet, or information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published by Big Ideas Press, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 8C5 Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following organizations and individuals for per- mission to include in this book excerpts from the following works: Spirit Matters, by Michael Lerner, copyright © 2000 by Michael Lerner. Used by permission of Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc. The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, by Abraham H. Maslow, copyright © 1971 by Bertha G. Maslow. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. A Brief History of Everything, by Ken Wilber, © 1996, 2000 by Ken Wilber. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc, Boston. www.shambhala.com Evolution’s Arrow, by John Stewart. Used by permission of John Stewart. Macroshift, by Ervin Laszlo. Used by permission of Ervin Laszlo and Berrett–Koehler Publishers, Inc. The Integral Culture Survey, by Paul H. Ray. Used by permission of Paul H. Ray and the Institute of Noetic Sciences. “World 2000: An International Planning Dialogue to Help Shape the New Global System,” by William E. Halal. From http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~halal/ world2.html. Used by permission of William E. Halal. “An Energy/Awareness/Information Interpretation of Physical and Mental Reality,” by Copthorne Macdonald, in Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science, Volume 29: No.2 (June 1994). Used by permission of Blackwell Publishers, Ltd. “Naked Ape to Superspecies,” an eight–part radio series aired by CBC Radio, Ideas. Used by permission of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Macdonald, Copthorne Matters of consequence: creating a meaningful life and a world that works / Copthorne Macdonald Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-9689618-6-X (hardcover); 0-9689618-7-8 (paperback) 1. Wisdom. 2. Human ecology—Philosophy. 3. Conduct of life. 4. Self-realization. 5. Self-knowledge, Theory of. 6. Knowledge, Theory of. I. Title. BJ1470.M33 2004 128 C2003-904755-5 Big Ideas Press books are available through most book stores and from online booksellers such as Amazon.com and BN.com. Distribution to the bookstore trade is handled in the U.S. and Canada by Ingram Book Company, and in the UK by Bertram Books. Visit the Big Ideas Press web site at www.bigideaspress.com. To Bev, in appreciation for everything. And to Rachel, Camille, Meghan, and Katie, whose world this book is about. PREFACE vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS At one point in this book I express my belief that who we are and what we do arises from the convergence of multiple influences— physical influences such as genes and nutrition, and mental influences such as family, education, and personal experiences. I don’t mean by this that there are no original ideas. We can and do come up with mental and physical creations that are genuinely novel. But even the ability to create something new is grounded in a matrix of influences. We are able to bring forth novelty because the life we have lived— our preparation for the creative moment—has been what it has been. Among my valued influences are the authors whose ideas I refer to in this book and whose words I quote.