Product Description

The world is reaching crisis point, as population growth escalates out of control, and species and cultures are being destroyed. With humans across the globe encroaching further and further upon Earth’s resources, the realisation that the supply is finite has dawned and we now face the urgent dilemma of knowing how to create a sustainable future for ourselves.
In this important book, award-winning author and international lecturer Thom Hartmann puts forward his lasting solution to our survival. Teaching us a new way of seeing, Hartmann introduces us to the lessons of our ancient ancestors - those which allowed sustainable living for many thousands of years but which we've forgotten.
It is a call for consciousness combining spirituality and ecology that offers real hope for the future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25521 in Books
• Published on: 2001-12-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ecology and spirituality are deftly intertwined in this well-written discussion of how we can save and preserve life on earth. Vermont author Thom Hartman offers a highly persuasive argument for adopting the spiritual values of our ancient ancestors, which means living with a strong connection to the earth as well as the sun that nourishes us all. Nowadays, humans often perceive themselves as separate from nature and born to dominate it, says Hartman who lays out some frightening, albeit thorough, research on the destruction of the planet. But as the book progresses, he guides readers into a convincing and intelligent vision for reversing our destructive ways.

Mostly, we could all use an attitude adjustment. For example, he explains how native and tribal cultures often considered all forms of life to be as sacred as human life--an attitude that may be one of our best shots at planetary longevity. Hartman devotes his final section to "What the Average Person Can Do", which includes the chapters "Turn Off the TV", "The Modern-day Tribe: Intentional Community" and "Reinventing Our Daily Lives and Rituals". --Gail Hudson

Review
'THE LAST HOURS OF ANCIENT SUNLIGHT shines like a beacon in the darkness, an education about reality, a needed wake-up call, and a guidebook through the swamps of denial and ignorance into a brighter, sustainable future.' (Dan Millman )

'Thom Hartmann is one of those people who puts it all together for us, explaining not only what has seriously gone wrong in the world but, even more important, all that can still go right. He is an awakener of the highest order.' (Marianne Willamson )

About the Author
Thom Hartman is an award-winning author, international lecturer, teacher, and psychotherapist. His books have been written about in Time magazine, and he has been on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. A former journalist, editor, and occasional woodsplitter, he lives in Vermont with his wife, Louise.

Customer Reviews

The ultimate "wake-up call" for mankind!
If you, like me, often worry about the destruction of the Earth's ecosystems and therefore its ability to support life in the very near future (i.e. the 21st century), then you should definitely read this book.

Thom Hartmann expertly takes the reader step by step through all the problems that civilisation has created for itself over the last 7,000 years.

The chapter titled "How Can Things Look So Good Yet Be So Bad?" brilliantly draws a comparison between a software company whose directors spend all of its investors capital to live a short life of great luxury (short term gain for the few) only to collapse within a year because it ran out of funds (long term suffering for the many).

I think the message is summed up elegantly by an American Indian saying:-

We don't inherit the Earth from our Fathers, we borrow it from our children.

a journey to awaken your slumbering soul...
Ever felt twinges of unease at the way we merrily strip our planet of it's vital resources? Do you wonder how we are going to cope with increases in population, or what we will do when the oil resources run out? This book addresses vital questions such as these, and Thom draws on a plethora of research to back up his views.

Thom takes us on a journey, looking at why we came to be facing the crisis we are in today. He looks at ancient tribes and compares tribal attitudes towards the planet (respecting nature) with our current western attitude (dominating nature). We need to respect the earth, to treat it with care. This book is a call to AWARENESS, and the realisation that, every act we do no matter how small, is important, as we are all connected.

Yes, this book will make you both depressed and angry at our actions. Yet in the second half of the book, Thom looks at practical things we can do, from small acts of kindness, turning off the TV, or joining/beginning an intentional community, amongst others. There is also a list of suggested reading at the end of the book, in addition to the footnotes throughout.

Buy this book, and buy copies for your friends! As Neale Donald Walsch says in the Afterword in this book: "You have just read one of the most important books you will ever read in your life."

Will this book change your life? That depends on you. If you believe in the message in this book, you will never view things in quite the same way again.

I also recommend 'The Prophet's Way', also by Thom Hartmann, in addition to this book.

Hard Hitting Wake Up Call !.
One of the most profound and important books I have ever read !.If you care about our planet and our children's future, READ THIS BOOK.Thom Hartmann backs up what he is saying throughout with a huge range of fact and examples. You will be shocked,saddened and angered, hopefully to the point that 'YOU' will be motivated to start contributing to doing 'something about it', no matter how small.
Above all you will have your eyes and mind opened to the seriousness of the situation we are really in, but the clock is ticking. Buy this book not only for yourself, but your friends and family as well, it will be one of the greatest gifts you could ever give them.