Images for Change: The Transformation of Society

Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking but the writing is a bit redundant
Review: The author's insights and general ideas for a better society are worth contemplating. For me, however, the metaphors grew tiresome and I wanted to rush through the excessive words and get to the point. Haughton discusses how hospitality is necessary to help our world: "Hospitality means letting go of total control of the environment. Rather than guarding our spaces from the foes-the terrifying neediness of more than half the world, the possibility of the imposed necessity of a radically changed lifestyle...we recognize that the higher we build our barriers the less the life-quality we can conserve." She states "a healthy community, in very sense, needs the sense of home, which means that everyone belongs and that the system (whatever its shape) belongs to them since they are responsible for it and, once accepted as a part of it, they are the "hosts" to others who may need their example or their services." "Images For Change" challenges us to use our imagination so that we may visualize a society letting go of fear, therefore letting down barriers and "letting go of anxiety about possession") and instead sharing resources and space thereby bringing about connection, meaning, and interdependence between individuals. In addition, she writes that "..we human beings not only may not but ultimately cannot impose on the earth sthe structures we have developed for the exlusive glorification and comfort of ourselves" resulting in a less safe, more lonely, disconnected people in a polluted environment. Haughton also attempts to marry the disciplines of psychology and sociology, saying that both depend on each other. Although the author mentions social structures currently in place in some societies where there is "a non-violent way of life...everyone contributes to ensure the best use of scarce resourses", I wanted much more information about those so that I could see evidence of the possibilities she entertains. This book does not offer much in the way of concrete, specific answers to society's problems, but a new way of thinking. Haughton does not try to sell the reader on a possible utopia, she is realistic that there is no such thing as perfection. After reading you will not know exactly we can transform society, but you can imagine how be a part of working toward change.