World Premiere Reading from Carbon: The Book Of Life, by Paul Hawken

This special extra to episode 204 features the last handful of minutes with the legendary best-selling author Paul Hawken. This is where the episode culminated in Paul offering a world premiere reading of the rousing finale to his upcoming book, Carbon: The Book Of Life. The reading happened to be accompanied, too, by some notable sounds from around the garden and surrounding redwoods.

Head here for a transcript, also available on Apple and some other apps. (Note the transcript is AI generated and imperfect, but hopefully serves to provide greater access to these conversations for those who need or like to read.)

Recorded at Paul's place in northern California on 27 April 2024.

Title slide: The nearby Muir Woods National Monument (pic: Anthony James).

Hear the full episode, and see more photos, on the episode web page. And to see and hear more from behind the scenes, become a member via the Patreon page.

Music:
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden, from Regenerating Australia.

The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests (thanks to Josie Symons).

Transcript

Paul: 0:00

You know what would be fun right now, because it doesn't come out until February 25, it would be fun to just read the last paragraph, if you want. AJ: Do you want to? PH: Yeah, yeah, if you'll let me.

AJ: 0:10

Totally PH: Okay. AJ: All right, take your time.

Paul: 0:13

Okay, ready, AJ: yeah, PH: okay. The cascade of troubling information about the future is staggering in disparity, great damage has been done to the whole of the living world. There is, and will be suffering. Chief Oran Lanz of the Onondaga Nation described a prophecy, foretold a time when the earth became biologically degenerated and the purpose of humanity was lost. There would be two signs. One the wind would howl and blow as never before and the envelope of the earth would be ripped and torn apart, caused by the activity of humankind. The second sign would be the children. Throughout the world, millions of children would be homeless, hungry, exploited and ignored. This is no longer a prophecy. This is heartbreak.

Paul: 1:10

Most of us turn down the dial to function. Quote consciousness, the great poem of matter seems so unlikely, so impossible. And yet here we are with our loneliness and our giant dreams, writes Diane Ackerman. People sense something momentous is happening. Barry Lopez wrote we feel ourselves on the verge of something vague but extraordinary. Something big is in the wind and we feel it. We know that if we mean to make this a true home, we have a monumental adjustment to make. We must turn to each other and sense that this is possible If you are afraid of what might happen in the future.

Paul: 1:55

Find the person you respect who does not act out of fear. If you feel overwhelmed, read the biographies of Sojourner Truth or Cesar Chavez. If you think being kind, respectful and polite is ineffective, listen to Jane Goodall or Robin Wall Kimmerer. If you feel ineffective, mentor a child. Help heal a wounded animal. If you are weary of chasing hope, read original instructions written and edited by Melissa Nelson, a member of the turtle band mountain band of the Chippewa. To stop the mind from caving in on itself. Go outside. Replace digitized awareness with direct experience. Mend and revive a verge, some solid land, a habitat, your backyard, a relationship. Reintroduce native plants that provide food and sanctuary for pollinators and birds. Learn their names and stories, as Wendell Berry counseled. Be joyous, though you know all the facts.

Paul: 3:01

Although we face what appears to be an insurmountable endgame brought about by ignorance, aggression and greed, we also live in the most brilliant period in human history. Breakthroughs arise from breakdowns. Renewal results from disturbance. Regenerating the world is the journey to possibility. Vistas open. The extraordinary diversity of voices, social organisms and entities emerging in the world are rehearsing the future. As I wrote this sentence above, a swallowtail butterfly flitted about the window and came in its wings, gently fanning the air above my fingers and keyboard.

Paul: 3:44

Change and wonder. Doubt and fear walk hand in hand. This is the nameless era it was predicted, but the common fate of prophecy is to be ignored. The juggernaut institutions that lay waste to sea, land and people cannot endure. Top-down solutions for regenerating life on earth will fail as well, because nature does not work that way. A beginning is near a threshold and so too is an end.

Paul: 4:15

Without fail, meaningful change begins with one person, one idea, one aspiration, an audacious dream. Singularity is the birthright of the planet and every cell. It is the seed of community. Plant it. Doom and gloom are cobwebs. Brush them aside. We seek rapprochement with Mother Earth, the vast and mysterious primordial intelligence that steadily gives birth to all that exists, that sustains all that is. Beliefs do not change our actions. Actions change our beliefs. Complex realities begin as simple acts Enchantment, humility, respect, imagination and constant gratitude, greater openings to the aperture of the living world.

Paul: 5:05

Monica Galeano suggests we stop playing God and instead play midwife. We can't save the planet, it will save itself. The planet is innately regenerative and we are invited to join. The invitation is to create a world that's worth saving. Living species are rapidly dwindling in number. We eat, drink and breathe because of this mantle of life. Do we keep it or lose it? You can't be both cautious and courageous, so choose Focus on what is in front of you. Give yourself permission to fail, leave room for foibles and giggles. Find a restorative movement you can sing and dance to lest creation plays to an empty house. Where you are is where you are most effective. The power to act does not lay elsewhere. Fundamental human rights and needs must be met. Everyone on earth comes first. There's no second. Revive, honor and nourish the wild, bountiful lives that forever astonish us with their splendor and grace. Our intention and our reward are the same To experience and express our irrevocable connection to all beings. It's the only way forward. Connection to all beings it's the only way forward.

AJ: 6:28

PH: So you can take whatever you want. AJ: Oh I'll be taking it all. PH: anyway. AJ: Wow, I was just listening to the garden singing as you spoke and I thought, yep, the garden's singing there too. PH: Yeah. AJ: what a great privilege to share.

Paul: 6:40

Oh yeah, it was lovely to be with you.

AJ: 6:43

That was Paul Hawken, bestselling author and dear friend and supporter of the podcast from almost the very beginning. For more on Paul, his broad array of highly influential bestselling books and other work and how you can take next steps on the Regeneration website - that's his website, a ctually spelled Regeneration - see the links in the show notes. There are a couple of photos on The RegenNarration website - that's my website The RegenNarration - and more for subscribers on Patreon. A nd it's thanks again to you generous supporting listeners for making this episode possible. If you've been thinking about becoming a member or other kind of supporter, please consider joining us. Just head to the website or the show notes and follow the prompts. Thank you, and thanks also for sharing the podcast as usual and continuing to rate it wherever you can. The music you're hearing is Regeneration by Amelia Barden and at the top it was Green Shoots by the Nomadics. My name's Anthony James. Thanks for listening.