[Green-Activist] "Ishmael"; Daniel Quinn

[Anne Goddard]

Hiya list members :-)

Highly recommended reading:
Daniel Quinn's "Ishmael"

visit http://ishmael.org to get it online, join the friends of Ishmael 
community, start a local group, etc, or get it from your local bookstore, 
it's not out of print. If you can't afford to purchase a copy of your own, 
visit your local library and request a copy asap, you won't be disappointed.

What's the book about? My clumsy summary:

It's a novel about an incredibly wonderful captive gorilla who becomes the 
teacher of a human.
Ishmael (the gorilla) teaches about humanity and our cultures. Specifically 
it's about the "taker" and "leaver" cultures. Civilisation (as we currently 
know it) is of the taker culture, this culture evolved around 5000 years ago
and has spread very quickly across the globe (in line with the human 
population explosion). Leaver cultures pre-dated the taker culture and have 
been around for a lot longer than this particular culture, which now rules 
the planet and all that live upon her.

The book has shown me that human evolution has not stopped (and never will 
while a few humans survive) and human cultures continue to evolve with/from 
humans. It also identifies the Law.

The book identifies the prison that is the taker culture, opens the mind and 
shines a light on the evolution of new cultures.
It clearly identifies the bars of the prison of the taker culture.
:-)
It's totally awsum!

There are more books by Daniel Quinn... the next is "the story of B"... i am 
devouring it now which (so far) is a re-run of Ishmael, though clearer...
Sorry if i wreck the book for you, but in Ishmael the gorilla dies... :-( I 
was quite devastated! The human that Ishmael taught (B) teaches his words to 
other humans in the following book (The story of B). From there Daniel Quinn 
wrote another "My Ishmael" which is via a 12 year old girl who was also 
taught by Ishmael (I have to get a copy of this one). Then he wrote a little 
book called "Beyond Civilisation" - i am also reading this one now. So far 
this book appears to be a concise summary of them all. The books have taken 
me on an emotional roller coaster.

I have been lucky enough to find these books through a very good friend. 
They have opened up deeply disturbing feelings inside me that have always 
been there... though in the same breath have given me a very positive new
mindframe. I have begun exchanging emails with others who have read these 
books... there is a whole community of mind altered people out there right 
across the globe, there are little groups all over the world... I have an
itch to start a local group myself!
His books make me feel like there is a new culture ... a better culture... 
which has always been and always was, and it is quietly and peacefully ... 
waiting to happen...?

If you get a chance, devour one for yourself, i am positive you won't be 
disappointed.
oh, btw, i get no commission/monetary rewards from the promotion of these 
wonderful books.

Warm regards and big fat hugz to all
Anne


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