Thriving in the Crosscurrent

"Are we living in an age of moral decay or moral growth?" James Kenney asks his audiences in talks in the U.S. and abroad. The pessimists win out, citing everything from road rage to economic crisis, religious fanaticism, global violence, and environmental disasters. But the good news, says Kenney, is that what we see is not what we get. We misperceive things because we’re in a period of accelerated cultural evolution, or "sea change." The last one being 300 years ago, it’s no wonder we may not grasp what’s happening now. Kenney illustrates using two intersecting waves: A dominant wave, representing worn-out values such as patriarchy, racial inequality, the inevitability of war, exploitation of nature, and materialism, is on the decline. Another wave, representing more evolved values such as gender equality, nonviolence, spirituality, ecology, human rights, is on the rise. At this point in time, the influence of the two waves is about equal. It is a crosscurrent marked by chaotic change, uncertainty, identity crisis, and extremism. But it is also enriched by new understanding, energy, commitment, and spiritual growth. Kenney not only provides a historical perspective on the phenomenon, he ends the book with 12 principles for personal growth.