The Sacred Balance: A Vision for Life on Earth

this book is truly wonder-full. david suzuki's words flow naturally and serenely. the learning gained in the book is accompanied by a sense of awe at the beauty and wonder of this world. there are passages that i keep re-reading (e.g., 'the universal glue') and know that they will continue to inspire me to love the universe and all that it has blessed me with.

This is an excellent and enlightening work about the general state of
the planet, humanity as a species, where we belong on the planet and
what it means to us in terms of sustaining us as a species for the
long run. Well-written and divided into chapters which could be
summarized as humanity, air, earth, water, fire, community, love,
spirituality and balance, this book paints an accurate state of the world
picture with facts as well as metaphors. It always presents its
information with concern about the greater picture without losing sight
of the details. A great balance of general science and spirituality, with
just enough facts and personal stories of many to make the points
convincing, this book also is threaded with impacting and eye-opening
quotes and poetry from a variety of sources and people. A superb
book, overall, from someone who has seen a lot of what he wrote
about. This book should be on the curriculum for senior year high
school so that the future generations can get a good grasp of the
world as they become contributing adults in that world which they will
own and determine, more impacting ways than ever, for future
generations. No matter how much or how little they will get from it,
every bit helps at a time when that is truer than ever in the past from
every one of us living today. Don't get me wrong, though, it's not the
book that's profound. It's what you do with what you learn from it which
will be.

In this book Suzuki explores human needs in three categories: physical needs, social needs, and spiritual needs. Physical needs represent our essential biological requirements for daily living and are divided into 4 themes: air, water, soil, and fire (i.e. energy from the sun). Social needs are the additional elements required for human beings to thrive, these needs are related to the interconnectedness of all life as well as families and love. Spirituality provides us with our reason for being and is the final ingredient needed for a happy and complete existence.

Suzuki quotes extensively from other authors and borrows material from some of his own earlier works. The extent of the quotations impedes the flow of the text in some chapters. However, the quotations do provide an extensive resource of additional readings for those who may be interested.

In the final sections of the book, Suzuki provides some practical ways to live more harmoniously with our environment and a selection of inspirational stories from around the world.

This book gave me a sad, down to earth feeling. If all the ants in the world disappeared almost everything would be affected. If people disappeared, almost everything would benefit. Except maybe a few cats and dogs trapped inside our houses. Very few books have inspired me to change the way I live but this one has affected the way I look at everything and to see that the only impact I have on the earth is a positive one. If everyone read The Sacred Balance the world would be a better place.