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Who Do We Choose To Be?: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity
This book is born of my desire to summon us to be leaders for this time as things fall apart, to reclaim leadership as a noble profession that creates possibility and humaneness in the midst of increasing fear and turmoil.
I know it is possible for leaders to use their power and influence, their insight and compassion, to lead people back to an understanding of who we are as human beings, to create the conditions for our basic human qualities of generosity, contribution, community and love to be evoked no matter what. I know it is possible to experience grace and joy in the midst of tragedy and loss. I know it is possible to create islands of sanity in the midst of wildly disruptive seas. I know it is possible because I have worked with leaders over many years in places that knew chaos and breakdown long before this moment. And I have studied enough history to know that such leaders always arise when they are most needed. Now it's our turn.
I know it is possible for leaders to use their power and influence, their insight and compassion, to lead people back to an understanding of who we are as human beings, to create the conditions for our basic human qualities of generosity, contribution, community and love to be evoked no matter what. I know it is possible to experience grace and joy in the midst of tragedy and loss. I know it is possible to create islands of sanity in the midst of wildly disruptive seas. I know it is possible because I have worked with leaders over many years in places that knew chaos and breakdown long before this moment. And I have studied enough history to know that such leaders always arise when they are most needed. Now it's our turn.
336 pages, Paperback
Published June 19, 2017
312 people are currently reading
1451 people want to read
About the author
Margaret J. Wheatley
35 books173 followersMargaret Wheatley, Ed.D. began caring about the world’s peoples in 1966 as a Peace Corps volunteer in post-war Korea. As a consultant, senior-level advisor, teacher, speaker, and formal leader, she has worked on all continents (except Antarctica) with all levels, ages, and types of organizations, leaders, and activists. Her work now focuses on developing and supporting leaders globally as Warriors for the Human Spirit. These leaders put service over self, stand steadfast through crises and failures, and make a difference for the people and causes they care about. With compassion and insight, they know how to invoke people’s inherent generosity, creativity, kindness, and community–no matter what’s happening around them.
Margaret has written ten books, including the classic Leadership and the New Science, and been honored for her pathfinding work by many professional associations, universities, and organizations. She received her Doctorate from Harvard University in 1979, an M.A. in Media Ecology from NYU in 1974, and a B.A. from University of Rochester in 1966. She spent a year at University College London 1964-65.
Margaret has written ten books, including the classic Leadership and the New Science, and been honored for her pathfinding work by many professional associations, universities, and organizations. She received her Doctorate from Harvard University in 1979, an M.A. in Media Ecology from NYU in 1974, and a B.A. from University of Rochester in 1966. She spent a year at University College London 1964-65.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
August 9, 2017
Steal yourself for a cold dose of what Wheatley's vision of what leadership should look like during a time of disintegration and collapse. The facing reality part of her book is grounded in two bodies of work: The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter and The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival by Sir John Glubb. Wheatley uses these lenses as the backdrop for where we are.
If you can look past the stark and depressing characterizations of current events through these filters, Wheatley offers much to be absorbed and considered.
The extensive footnotes and references after each chapter are worthy of the price of the book if you are determined to be a conscious leader.
The larger themes of service Wheatley describes coincide with some of my personal observations. I appreciated the validation I felt from reading her take.
This is not a book of hope...it is a manifesto of clear eyed determination.
If you can look past the stark and depressing characterizations of current events through these filters, Wheatley offers much to be absorbed and considered.
The extensive footnotes and references after each chapter are worthy of the price of the book if you are determined to be a conscious leader.
The larger themes of service Wheatley describes coincide with some of my personal observations. I appreciated the validation I felt from reading her take.
This is not a book of hope...it is a manifesto of clear eyed determination.
August 26, 2024
This was perhaps one of the worst books I've ever read.
It was riddled with contradictions, far-right dogwhistles, and a general misunderstanding of history and science. It lacked focus, its central thesis was consistently volleyed around screeds on how technology is evil and "kids these days" rhetoric.
The reliance on Glubb's The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival led to broad generalizations on the nature of humanity based on ahistoric conclusions. Wheatley argues that all human civilizations, regardless of time period or historical context, follow a cycle of conquering a previous civilization, accumulating resources, intellectual growth, an Age of Decadence (dogwhistle), and finally, a fall as the civilization is in turn conquered by someone else. This cycle reportedly spans 250 years or 10 generations.
She then argues that "we" are in an Age of Decadence "now." Wheatly does not explain who "we" are, though one can infer the "we" is Western civilization or citizens in the United States based on many us/them dichotomies established. She does not explain when "now" is, though we can infer that "now" is the 21st century/the 2010s based on her luddite views on the technology and social media of the digital age.
Being, as she argues, in the Age of Decadence, we now have an obsession with celebrity culture, which I find remarkably odd considering I can think of individual celebrities we've had in the US alone since the 18th century. The Age of Decadence is also marked by a reliance on consumer goods and marketing, which, again, I can think of being around for hundreds of years at this point. Must be a long Age of Decadence.
And again, apparently every civilization falls this way and then is obliterated in favor of the new conquering force. Every civilization is doomed to fail because of internal problems, Wheatley has apparently not heard of colonialism or imperialism. Or, perhaps based on this book, the argument would be that the colonized are at fault for being colonized? There is even a line in Section 7 of the book: "I am not interested in romanticizing indigenous wisdom. Like all humans, their civilizations took the same reliable path to collapse." That is a wild statement.
On Wheatley's views of science and technology, she is quick to make sweeping judgements and prescriptive conclusions on subjects she transparently knows nothing about. I think there is a valid critique to be made about the influence of social media on our concept of community, but she tends to throw the baby out with the bathwater. She acts like manipulative marketing didn't exist until Instagram. She says that misinformation spreads nowadays because kids and Millennials don't read books (as we all know, books never contain misinformation and Google always has incorrect information /s). Apparently, politicians only started manipulating the public when Facebook was invented, which is a wild take for someone who lived through the 20th century to have. When chastising Kids These Days, she offers no suggestions for improving information literacy, she simply assumes the reader agrees with her, kids are stupid, and the world is doomed.
Also, according to Wheatley, applied physicists don't understand physics at all, they just apply it, and theoretical physicists are the only ones asking the real question. Wheatley thinks that electric car is synonymous with autonomous car. AI and machine learning started developing in 2015 and we're screwed because if you Google "neural network," there are more results for machine learning than neurology. Apparently, one in five men aged 22-30 in the United States have no jobs, are unmarried, and aren't independent and the reason is because of video games. She also claims that we have too much data for having-data's-sake, and now leaders have no idea what to do with all that data (she's apparently never heard of an analyst).
She has a ton of breathless wonder for the military. In Section 3 she says, "The Army is the first and only true learning organization I've ever seen." This is paired with an anecdote of a drill sergeant emphatically asking questions of recruits after a tank operating simulation. According to Wheatley, she hasn't seen a teacher this animated and dedicated to learning in twenty five years as of the time of writing the book. So, from 1992 to 2017, she's never met a nerdy middle school science teacher, a whimsical art professor, an engaged parent, a passionate activist? Not one?
I guess if that's the case, I can't blame her doom-and-gloom approach to humanity.
Another central point of Wheatley's thesis is that we need to stop trying to solve global problems. There's nothing we can do about them and it's better to focus on smaller communities, a concept she's coined "islands of sanity." Ableist language aside, in a vacuum, I could see a case being made for focusing on one's sphere of influence rather than getting overwhelmed. However, Wheatley contradicts her own thesis. In focusing on a purely isolationist approach to spheres of influence, she fails to connect her "island of sanity" concept to another point she discusses at length: closed systems are doomed to wither and die because in order to develop, you need an open system, i.e. one that influences and is influenced by its surroundings. How can we have secluded "islands of sanity" while throwing our hands up and saying the world at large is screwed and we need to not worry about it? Your guess is as good as mine because Wheatley never elaborates on this.
This whole book reads like a cynical, bitter rant. When I say it's one of the worst books I've ever read, I'm not being hyperbolic. That is a description I don't think I've ever used. I am astonished it was selected as a continuing education book at my workplace too, it offers little to no practical lessons to be applied, well, anywhere. At least, not if you want to be just a miserable, angry person.
It was riddled with contradictions, far-right dogwhistles, and a general misunderstanding of history and science. It lacked focus, its central thesis was consistently volleyed around screeds on how technology is evil and "kids these days" rhetoric.
The reliance on Glubb's The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival led to broad generalizations on the nature of humanity based on ahistoric conclusions. Wheatley argues that all human civilizations, regardless of time period or historical context, follow a cycle of conquering a previous civilization, accumulating resources, intellectual growth, an Age of Decadence (dogwhistle), and finally, a fall as the civilization is in turn conquered by someone else. This cycle reportedly spans 250 years or 10 generations.
She then argues that "we" are in an Age of Decadence "now." Wheatly does not explain who "we" are, though one can infer the "we" is Western civilization or citizens in the United States based on many us/them dichotomies established. She does not explain when "now" is, though we can infer that "now" is the 21st century/the 2010s based on her luddite views on the technology and social media of the digital age.
Being, as she argues, in the Age of Decadence, we now have an obsession with celebrity culture, which I find remarkably odd considering I can think of individual celebrities we've had in the US alone since the 18th century. The Age of Decadence is also marked by a reliance on consumer goods and marketing, which, again, I can think of being around for hundreds of years at this point. Must be a long Age of Decadence.
And again, apparently every civilization falls this way and then is obliterated in favor of the new conquering force. Every civilization is doomed to fail because of internal problems, Wheatley has apparently not heard of colonialism or imperialism. Or, perhaps based on this book, the argument would be that the colonized are at fault for being colonized? There is even a line in Section 7 of the book: "I am not interested in romanticizing indigenous wisdom. Like all humans, their civilizations took the same reliable path to collapse." That is a wild statement.
On Wheatley's views of science and technology, she is quick to make sweeping judgements and prescriptive conclusions on subjects she transparently knows nothing about. I think there is a valid critique to be made about the influence of social media on our concept of community, but she tends to throw the baby out with the bathwater. She acts like manipulative marketing didn't exist until Instagram. She says that misinformation spreads nowadays because kids and Millennials don't read books (as we all know, books never contain misinformation and Google always has incorrect information /s). Apparently, politicians only started manipulating the public when Facebook was invented, which is a wild take for someone who lived through the 20th century to have. When chastising Kids These Days, she offers no suggestions for improving information literacy, she simply assumes the reader agrees with her, kids are stupid, and the world is doomed.
Also, according to Wheatley, applied physicists don't understand physics at all, they just apply it, and theoretical physicists are the only ones asking the real question. Wheatley thinks that electric car is synonymous with autonomous car. AI and machine learning started developing in 2015 and we're screwed because if you Google "neural network," there are more results for machine learning than neurology. Apparently, one in five men aged 22-30 in the United States have no jobs, are unmarried, and aren't independent and the reason is because of video games. She also claims that we have too much data for having-data's-sake, and now leaders have no idea what to do with all that data (she's apparently never heard of an analyst).
She has a ton of breathless wonder for the military. In Section 3 she says, "The Army is the first and only true learning organization I've ever seen." This is paired with an anecdote of a drill sergeant emphatically asking questions of recruits after a tank operating simulation. According to Wheatley, she hasn't seen a teacher this animated and dedicated to learning in twenty five years as of the time of writing the book. So, from 1992 to 2017, she's never met a nerdy middle school science teacher, a whimsical art professor, an engaged parent, a passionate activist? Not one?
I guess if that's the case, I can't blame her doom-and-gloom approach to humanity.
Another central point of Wheatley's thesis is that we need to stop trying to solve global problems. There's nothing we can do about them and it's better to focus on smaller communities, a concept she's coined "islands of sanity." Ableist language aside, in a vacuum, I could see a case being made for focusing on one's sphere of influence rather than getting overwhelmed. However, Wheatley contradicts her own thesis. In focusing on a purely isolationist approach to spheres of influence, she fails to connect her "island of sanity" concept to another point she discusses at length: closed systems are doomed to wither and die because in order to develop, you need an open system, i.e. one that influences and is influenced by its surroundings. How can we have secluded "islands of sanity" while throwing our hands up and saying the world at large is screwed and we need to not worry about it? Your guess is as good as mine because Wheatley never elaborates on this.
This whole book reads like a cynical, bitter rant. When I say it's one of the worst books I've ever read, I'm not being hyperbolic. That is a description I don't think I've ever used. I am astonished it was selected as a continuing education book at my workplace too, it offers little to no practical lessons to be applied, well, anywhere. At least, not if you want to be just a miserable, angry person.
June 21, 2023
Overall, I thought this book was just okay, but I definitely had several meaningful takeaways.
I appreciate how she calls leaders to be “more human” humans and re-ground in compassion during times of crisis. She also includes an essay at the end on the importance of practicing meditation to learn how to respond instead of react, which I agree is vital to improving as a compassionate leader and person.
I also liked her essays on the empowerment and importance of facing reality by looking at the current state of society through the lens of historical civilizational decline, and then choosing to continue your social change work with courage anyway (not Hope).
What I didn’t like:
She uses extremely generalized, declarative statements throughout the book without taking the reader on any sort of journey as to how she came to those bold claims. She lost me in those moments.
Some of the examples of leadership she uses also bothered me. For example, she explores leadership in the military in multiple essays without ever acknowledging its contribution to systemic injustice or the climate crisis. While there are incredible examples of leadership throughout the military, I felt these examples lacked nuance and context.
I appreciate how she calls leaders to be “more human” humans and re-ground in compassion during times of crisis. She also includes an essay at the end on the importance of practicing meditation to learn how to respond instead of react, which I agree is vital to improving as a compassionate leader and person.
I also liked her essays on the empowerment and importance of facing reality by looking at the current state of society through the lens of historical civilizational decline, and then choosing to continue your social change work with courage anyway (not Hope).
What I didn’t like:
She uses extremely generalized, declarative statements throughout the book without taking the reader on any sort of journey as to how she came to those bold claims. She lost me in those moments.
Some of the examples of leadership she uses also bothered me. For example, she explores leadership in the military in multiple essays without ever acknowledging its contribution to systemic injustice or the climate crisis. While there are incredible examples of leadership throughout the military, I felt these examples lacked nuance and context.
Read
February 17, 2018This is an extraordinary book. Meg thinks it is the best she has ever written and I agree with her. It is a perfect companion to my book - AfterNow: When We Cannot See the Future, Where Do We Begin?
Meg's book describes the deeper nature of the times in which we live and provides guidance to each of us in terms of the choices we face on our journey to being fully human.
Meg's book describes the deeper nature of the times in which we live and provides guidance to each of us in terms of the choices we face on our journey to being fully human.
August 7, 2018
I finished this book on the airplane to attend a course led by Meg Wheatley at the Cape Cod Institute. I'd been reading the book for months. First, on my Kindle, and then a real paper book, that I ordered when I was having trouble getting through the Kindle version. I recommend everyone who chooses to read this book to get the paper copy. It is beautifully designed, and the design promotes a "dwelling mind" in a way that the e-book does not. I wrote my reactions, thought, comments throughout the borders of the paper version.
Wheatley's book is challenging. It is different from her prior books. She weaves her lifelong work on living systems with academic scholarship of the rise and fall of civilizations. It is a compelling point of view, and difficult to digest. During the course there was a TON of pushback. Yet, I learned that many of the participants were learning idea this for the first time, whereas I had been mulling it over for months.
Meg is recruiting people up for the challenge to be Warriors of the Human Human Spirit (that is not a typo). She encourages us to face reality, claim personal leadership, and to create islands of sanity. Or, to paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt, "to do what we can, with what we have, where we are" by engaging with others with kindness and compassion...each and every day. It's hard work in today's trying times, but worthy work.
Wheatley's book is challenging. It is different from her prior books. She weaves her lifelong work on living systems with academic scholarship of the rise and fall of civilizations. It is a compelling point of view, and difficult to digest. During the course there was a TON of pushback. Yet, I learned that many of the participants were learning idea this for the first time, whereas I had been mulling it over for months.
Meg is recruiting people up for the challenge to be Warriors of the Human Human Spirit (that is not a typo). She encourages us to face reality, claim personal leadership, and to create islands of sanity. Or, to paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt, "to do what we can, with what we have, where we are" by engaging with others with kindness and compassion...each and every day. It's hard work in today's trying times, but worthy work.
August 22, 2017
Margaret Wheatley, the bestselling author of Leadership and the New Science, has written a book that is an expansive description of the current situation in our world. The usefulness of what she has written is not limited by one’s background, age or life situation.
She brings history, anthropology, science, religion, social movements, military history, politics, psychology, native tribal beliefs, the creative process, artificial intelligence, conspiracy theory and many other points of view to this comprehensive description of our world as it is today. Two of the major "lenses" she uses that are having a profound impact on the quality of our life are "the new science of living systems and the pattern of collapse in complex civilizations.
"As a consultant to organizations on six continents, she lays out a very clear challenge to leaders at this time by asking a number of questions including, “What invitations to contribute have you extended and why?” and “What are the quality of relationships in your organization from a few years ago to now?"
In the title of the book and in much of the book’s content she challenges us with the question, "Who do you choose to be for this time?" Her suggestions about how to act as an individual regarding that question are well thought out and actionable. As a student of leadership, if the discussion of these questions was the only section in this book it would have made the purchase worthwhile.
She also spends a significant amount of time discussing the impact of the internet on individuals, communities and the world. She provides ideas about how to respond most effectively to those realities and once again she asks a powerful question to help the reader decide - "Amid all the information available in our environment, which identity filter(s) do you use? Are you dedicated to popularity, to a role, to a cause, an ethic, a nation, an ethnicity? What identify gives meaning to your life?"
Bottom line, this book is for anybody who has an interest in understanding the major factors that are impacting our world while learning that there are actions individuals can take to impact our world in a positive way.
She brings history, anthropology, science, religion, social movements, military history, politics, psychology, native tribal beliefs, the creative process, artificial intelligence, conspiracy theory and many other points of view to this comprehensive description of our world as it is today. Two of the major "lenses" she uses that are having a profound impact on the quality of our life are "the new science of living systems and the pattern of collapse in complex civilizations.
"As a consultant to organizations on six continents, she lays out a very clear challenge to leaders at this time by asking a number of questions including, “What invitations to contribute have you extended and why?” and “What are the quality of relationships in your organization from a few years ago to now?"
In the title of the book and in much of the book’s content she challenges us with the question, "Who do you choose to be for this time?" Her suggestions about how to act as an individual regarding that question are well thought out and actionable. As a student of leadership, if the discussion of these questions was the only section in this book it would have made the purchase worthwhile.
She also spends a significant amount of time discussing the impact of the internet on individuals, communities and the world. She provides ideas about how to respond most effectively to those realities and once again she asks a powerful question to help the reader decide - "Amid all the information available in our environment, which identity filter(s) do you use? Are you dedicated to popularity, to a role, to a cause, an ethic, a nation, an ethnicity? What identify gives meaning to your life?"
Bottom line, this book is for anybody who has an interest in understanding the major factors that are impacting our world while learning that there are actions individuals can take to impact our world in a positive way.
March 21, 2023
No, it did not take me 5 years to finish this book, but I do read it again and again. It is dog-eared, highlighted, and tabbed!
When I teach future spiritual leaders, I have made this one of the required texts for the class.
Ms. Wheatley has written a book for the times in which we are living. It is not an easy book. It challenges the status quo and old ideas of leadership. She calls us to consider leadership as a "noble profession," and embody "compassion without ambition." It is a book that is not for the faint of heart, but if you are interested in living a life as a "warrior for the human spirit," then do read on.
And feel free to call me if you want to discuss the book over coffee!
When I teach future spiritual leaders, I have made this one of the required texts for the class.
Ms. Wheatley has written a book for the times in which we are living. It is not an easy book. It challenges the status quo and old ideas of leadership. She calls us to consider leadership as a "noble profession," and embody "compassion without ambition." It is a book that is not for the faint of heart, but if you are interested in living a life as a "warrior for the human spirit," then do read on.
And feel free to call me if you want to discuss the book over coffee!
June 21, 2023
دلم میخواست این کتاب زندگیم رو عوض کنه اما خود کتاب حرف زیادی برای گفتن نداشت. مراسم رونمایی از ت��جمه ی این کتاب بود که زندگیم رو عوض کرد.
April 26, 2020
I think it’s important to say here that I am quite disappointed with this book. It’s not because it’s any surprise to me or “too scary” that we could be going into collapse in our country or the planet, it’s that Meg is so rigid in tone, so pompous, so sure of her ideas and actually has some real blind spots. It feels like this is more revealing about her than any new factual social science. It’s the mark of good writing if someone has investigated what else has been written, tested, posited by others on the subject. She has little contact with regenerative efforts, or of ecovillage & intentional community movements. She has a flimsy thesis, claiming that some things have not been proven, when in fact there have been studies about things like tipping points for instance. I got the book for a study group and while many of us had a great discussion about leadership and resilience, many of us had critiques about the content. It was a chore and one I resented, reading this book.
November 25, 2020
Thought provoking book on where our civilization is heading and role of.leadership.
October 16, 2021
One of the best books I’ve read on leadership, and life in general, in a while (thank you for the recommendation Scott). It’s great because it zooms right out to look at what it is to be a leader (and a human being) in the context of events from our past and present that highlight patterns of disintegration, and how we can create islands of sanity for those around us.
It’s a book for everyone, as opposed to ‘leaders’. It shines a spotlight on aspects of our humanity where unintended consequences take hold beneath our noses through systemic patterns that repeat themselves, and what we can do about it.
It explores the implications of technological, scientific, environmental and social evolutions that work against us when we are not aware - of ourselves and roles within the system - and the elements that enable our best human qualities.
A good combination of inspirational and deep insights, with some practical tips on leading, awareness, and leaving a legacy that broadens the shoulders of those around us - by doing what we can, with what we have, where we are.
It’s a book for everyone, as opposed to ‘leaders’. It shines a spotlight on aspects of our humanity where unintended consequences take hold beneath our noses through systemic patterns that repeat themselves, and what we can do about it.
It explores the implications of technological, scientific, environmental and social evolutions that work against us when we are not aware - of ourselves and roles within the system - and the elements that enable our best human qualities.
A good combination of inspirational and deep insights, with some practical tips on leading, awareness, and leaving a legacy that broadens the shoulders of those around us - by doing what we can, with what we have, where we are.
January 19, 2019
Margaret Wheatley's prior book, So Far from Home: Lost and Found in Our Brave New World, put forth that the way the world seems to be descending into chaos is simply what happens in systems. Depressing. This book, however, beautifully lays out how each of us can make a difference where we are. An amazing blend of the practical and inspirational, organized in a way to lead readers forward.
May 9, 2020
Wow. I read this in a single day, and I will likely read and reread it again and again, especially on those days I'm feeling particularly lost or unsure of my journey.
5/5 stars. I would recommend this to anyone interested in understanding humanity and its role in the decline of civilization, and what the heck we can do about it.
5/5 stars. I would recommend this to anyone interested in understanding humanity and its role in the decline of civilization, and what the heck we can do about it.
August 30, 2020
I don’t think I would have gotten much out of this book without a book group to help me unpack it.
December 30, 2023
I was looking forward to reading this book because I love Dr. Wheatley's work - especially her earlier stuff. Now, there is a lot I like about "Who Do We Choose to Be?", especially her writing about systems, Indigenous traditions, and about community. I am mostly disappointed about its lack of addressing the title of the book more specifically. As a career counselor, I always think about the question: “Who am I becoming?” I didn’t find any real practical interventions other than suggestions on Warriors for the Human Spirit’s state of being (e.g. that they “are awake human beings who have chosen not to flee. They abide” p. 159). I know she conducts retreats that address how to be a warrior, and I would have appreciated more detailed suggestions to address the shit show we face every day and probably offers more tangible activities to be a warrior.
Although disappointed, I do respect her writing style and multi-media (e.g. images, poems, quotes, etc.) approach to the book. I highly recommend her earlier work. I give the book a 3.5.
V
Quotes
“This is the Age of Threat, when everything we encounter intensifies fear and anger. In survival mode, we flee from one another, abandon values that held us together, withdraw from ideas and practices that encouraged inclusion and created trust in leaders. And, most harmfully, we stop believing in one another.”
“I can’t imagine a more important task than to consciously choose who I want to be as a leader for this time. We must understand the time we’re in, focus our energy on what’s possible, and willingly step forward to serve the human spirit.”
“Can human behavior and consciousness be changed, or have these also already tipped? Individuals and whole societies now exhibit behaviors of increased fear and vulnerability, behaviors from multiple causes and conditions that coalesced into a critical state. No matter where people live and work, threats to personal well-being, and threats to our global future, are increasingly evident. ”
“The Hopi prophecy for these times teaches: “At this time in history we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves, for the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.”18
____
“I should like to think that prehistoric man’s first invention, the first condition for his survival, was a sense of humor.” —Andre Leroi-Gourhan, paleoanthropologist”
“Without identity there is no life, no creation, no responsiveness, no continuation, no possibility for evolutionary change. Yet every change is motivated by an attempt to not change, to preserve a self.”
“Curiosity leads to adaptive responses. Certainty leads to death sentences—at least this is true for every other life form on this planet.”
“When fearful people bond together, all the ingredients for strong community are present: a shared world view, a desire to support one another, a clear lens for interpreting information, and a collective self-image that they’re engaged in important work.”
“The core teachings from many spiritual traditions teach skills to awaken our better brains and enable higher capacities. In different forms, but from the same wisdom, these spiritual teachings offer practices to pause, settle, open, identify emotional triggers, notice reactions, practice patience, refrain from judgments, overcome bias, make moral decisions. It takes work to be a human being rather than a human animal! Robert Sapolsky, a brilliant neurobiologist whose work has educated me, defines the frontal cortex’s role as “making you do the harder thing when it’s the right thing to do.”
“The antidote to misinformation and confusion is personal, face-to-face, slowed communication.”
“A recipe for creating mind change has three basic ingredients: a relationship of mutual respect; genuine curiosity about one another; and a process that requires good listening.”
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
—Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning”
“Belonging is the path to healing. The word “healing” comes from an older word for “wholeness,” which comes from an even older word, “holiness.”
“We need to be in the world but not of it. We need to create places at work and in our communities that protect people from the destructive dynamics of this culture and reawaken their human spirits.”
“There are two basic gestures in life: Either we open or we close, either we embrace or we withdraw, either we move forward or we retreat. The choice is to step forward into Warriorship or to withdraw in retreat. Either we understand what’s going on and choose to stay present for this time, or we hide in cocoons of denial and distraction. The choice is yours.”
Although disappointed, I do respect her writing style and multi-media (e.g. images, poems, quotes, etc.) approach to the book. I highly recommend her earlier work. I give the book a 3.5.
V
Quotes
“This is the Age of Threat, when everything we encounter intensifies fear and anger. In survival mode, we flee from one another, abandon values that held us together, withdraw from ideas and practices that encouraged inclusion and created trust in leaders. And, most harmfully, we stop believing in one another.”
“I can’t imagine a more important task than to consciously choose who I want to be as a leader for this time. We must understand the time we’re in, focus our energy on what’s possible, and willingly step forward to serve the human spirit.”
“Can human behavior and consciousness be changed, or have these also already tipped? Individuals and whole societies now exhibit behaviors of increased fear and vulnerability, behaviors from multiple causes and conditions that coalesced into a critical state. No matter where people live and work, threats to personal well-being, and threats to our global future, are increasingly evident. ”
“The Hopi prophecy for these times teaches: “At this time in history we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves, for the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.”18
____
“I should like to think that prehistoric man’s first invention, the first condition for his survival, was a sense of humor.” —Andre Leroi-Gourhan, paleoanthropologist”
“Without identity there is no life, no creation, no responsiveness, no continuation, no possibility for evolutionary change. Yet every change is motivated by an attempt to not change, to preserve a self.”
“Curiosity leads to adaptive responses. Certainty leads to death sentences—at least this is true for every other life form on this planet.”
“When fearful people bond together, all the ingredients for strong community are present: a shared world view, a desire to support one another, a clear lens for interpreting information, and a collective self-image that they’re engaged in important work.”
“The core teachings from many spiritual traditions teach skills to awaken our better brains and enable higher capacities. In different forms, but from the same wisdom, these spiritual teachings offer practices to pause, settle, open, identify emotional triggers, notice reactions, practice patience, refrain from judgments, overcome bias, make moral decisions. It takes work to be a human being rather than a human animal! Robert Sapolsky, a brilliant neurobiologist whose work has educated me, defines the frontal cortex’s role as “making you do the harder thing when it’s the right thing to do.”
“The antidote to misinformation and confusion is personal, face-to-face, slowed communication.”
“A recipe for creating mind change has three basic ingredients: a relationship of mutual respect; genuine curiosity about one another; and a process that requires good listening.”
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
—Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning”
“Belonging is the path to healing. The word “healing” comes from an older word for “wholeness,” which comes from an even older word, “holiness.”
“We need to be in the world but not of it. We need to create places at work and in our communities that protect people from the destructive dynamics of this culture and reawaken their human spirits.”
“There are two basic gestures in life: Either we open or we close, either we embrace or we withdraw, either we move forward or we retreat. The choice is to step forward into Warriorship or to withdraw in retreat. Either we understand what’s going on and choose to stay present for this time, or we hide in cocoons of denial and distraction. The choice is yours.”
November 9, 2018
This book offers a perspective on how to engage sanely with the destructive dynamics of our time. We do that by facing reality, willingly seeing where we are, and how we got here.
Wheatley seeks to understand the forces that have created this present world that harms most and benefits few. Facing reality can help us discern how to use our influence in service of this time. Both rebirth and death are possible outcomes. We must, however, prepare for disintegration and collapse before we can leap to new ways of being.
Wheatley thinks that people will withdraw further into self-protection, and continue to strike out at those different from themselves. Corrupt leaders will intensify their false promises, and people will subjugate themselves to their control. Solutions are available, but they require conditions that are not available: political courage, global collaboration, and compassion instead of greed.
Wheatley uses two lenses in the book: 1) the pattern of collapse in civilizations, and 2) the science of living systems. Together they provide explanations for where we are, how we got here, and the choices we need to make. We are subject to the dynamics of living systems whether we acknowledge them or not. Living systems use self-organizing based on identity, relationships in networks, and shared meaning to create coherent non-policed actions.
Wheatley’s intention is to bring an understanding so that we can do our work—wherever we are, whatever it is—in partnership with life. The most valuable part of the book are the stories about how to use living systems dynamics in life-affirming ways. The organizations are extremely diverse (from nuns to military), but they are unified in how they work with people. Essential leadership qualities are presence, discernment, and compassion.
It's a book with a tough message! Instead of rushing to that comfortable place of action, we need to tune in to what’s going on and allow our grief and outrage to be present. It will support the emergence of clarity for where we can offer our best services, whenever opportunities present themselves.
Wheatley seeks to understand the forces that have created this present world that harms most and benefits few. Facing reality can help us discern how to use our influence in service of this time. Both rebirth and death are possible outcomes. We must, however, prepare for disintegration and collapse before we can leap to new ways of being.
Wheatley thinks that people will withdraw further into self-protection, and continue to strike out at those different from themselves. Corrupt leaders will intensify their false promises, and people will subjugate themselves to their control. Solutions are available, but they require conditions that are not available: political courage, global collaboration, and compassion instead of greed.
Wheatley uses two lenses in the book: 1) the pattern of collapse in civilizations, and 2) the science of living systems. Together they provide explanations for where we are, how we got here, and the choices we need to make. We are subject to the dynamics of living systems whether we acknowledge them or not. Living systems use self-organizing based on identity, relationships in networks, and shared meaning to create coherent non-policed actions.
Wheatley’s intention is to bring an understanding so that we can do our work—wherever we are, whatever it is—in partnership with life. The most valuable part of the book are the stories about how to use living systems dynamics in life-affirming ways. The organizations are extremely diverse (from nuns to military), but they are unified in how they work with people. Essential leadership qualities are presence, discernment, and compassion.
It's a book with a tough message! Instead of rushing to that comfortable place of action, we need to tune in to what’s going on and allow our grief and outrage to be present. It will support the emergence of clarity for where we can offer our best services, whenever opportunities present themselves.
June 5, 2018
I wish the publisher had not opted for printing Wheatley's book with glossy paper because I could not underline it or make notations in it; it has the heft and appearance of a coffee-table book and we know how often those get read.
With that aside, the content, the spirit of this book is amazing. She has a direct charm and sincere appeal that makes her a credible source; I sensed she is genuine--the real thing. Look at her chapter headings:
1. The Arrow of Time: Everything Has a Beginning, Middle, and End
2. Identity: Living Systems Change in Order to Preserve Themselves
3. Information: It's Better to Be Learning Than Be Dead
4. Self-Organization: Order for Free
5. Perception: What You See Is All You Get
6. Interconnectedness: Nothing Living Lives Alone
7. Who Do We Choose to Be?
8. No Matter What
Coda: When There Is No Reality
Looking at the list above, I found multiple entry points. It's a book of wisdom for anyone willing to be open to suggestion. I learned from the reading and will be using its insights.
With that aside, the content, the spirit of this book is amazing. She has a direct charm and sincere appeal that makes her a credible source; I sensed she is genuine--the real thing. Look at her chapter headings:
1. The Arrow of Time: Everything Has a Beginning, Middle, and End
2. Identity: Living Systems Change in Order to Preserve Themselves
3. Information: It's Better to Be Learning Than Be Dead
4. Self-Organization: Order for Free
5. Perception: What You See Is All You Get
6. Interconnectedness: Nothing Living Lives Alone
7. Who Do We Choose to Be?
8. No Matter What
Coda: When There Is No Reality
Looking at the list above, I found multiple entry points. It's a book of wisdom for anyone willing to be open to suggestion. I learned from the reading and will be using its insights.
April 5, 2024
Read this while prepping to interview Margaret Wheatley on my podcast (Wider Roots, episode 10). Her work brings up a lot of feelings for me!! I love her commitment to looking at reality with clear eyes! I feel complicated about how she claims to see collapse with such absolute certainty.
February 10, 2019
I found this book to be thought-provoking, but overall there's something about Wheatley's tone and presentation that I did not enjoy. I don't care for some of what I felt were contradictions in her ideas--the assertions about leading with compassion, yet sarcastic and judgmental commentary that she imparts from time to time. I also can't understand her exaltation of the military, yet her understanding that the seeking of war for war's sake is part of the downfall of civilization--the military is the very backbone of that institution.
This book holds many interesting ideas about leadership in these times, yet I feel Wheatley is a bit arrogant herself in how she treats others who do not hold her views, or live in the world of technology.
This book holds many interesting ideas about leadership in these times, yet I feel Wheatley is a bit arrogant herself in how she treats others who do not hold her views, or live in the world of technology.
February 9, 2021
It’s always dangerous to try and construct a “grand theory of everything” and Wheatley’s efforts, while admirable, left me wanting. I have much pushback about her diagnosis of where we are as a society and the inevitable and imminent collapse she predicts. Yet despite that, I completely agree with her conclusions about what proper leadership is in this age and where we, as leaders, should focus our attention and energy.
This is a very different kind of leadership book. Worth reading perhaps if you can be patient through a lot of side alleys, grandiose proclamations, and artsy enhancements.
This is a very different kind of leadership book. Worth reading perhaps if you can be patient through a lot of side alleys, grandiose proclamations, and artsy enhancements.
April 11, 2020
This book was really hit or miss for me. I loved some parts of it, and some made me plain old mad.
For the good. There were some ideas/concepts I was introduced to that I really appreciate. The one that stands out the most is the concept of cultural emergence. In a nutshell, culture emerges from the groundwork that is laid down by every little thing that happens. And, once emerged, you cannot tweak or “fix” the culture that has arisen. For example, a culture where violence and disrespect is a problem cannot be fixed by affixing vulgarity and violence warnings on the media we consume. Rather, a group must be led back to the roots of their shared identity, and invited to re-align with that. That makes a lot of sense, and I’ve seen it in my own life and family. Doesn’t mean it’s easy or even possible on a societal level, but good to know.
For the bad. I found the examples of leadership from the military and Catholic Church very off-putting. I am a former navy wife (still wife to same guy, were just not a navy family anymore), so of course I understand better than many that the military gets a lot right, and that there are countless examples of amazing leaders there. Still, the fundamental premise of the US Military is so far off the rails, and by this time the harm that organization has done in the world far outweighs the good (not through the fault of the service people, but rather the unethical hands who control the military) that I simply reject that example. She gives an example of a general who is remarkable as a leader for always looking at least 50% to the future- but what future is a US General looking to? And similarly with the nuns who used such exemplary leadership when confronted with the violence, sexism, and oppression of the greater church: yes, it was impressive, but what could those women create if they didn’t spend their lives spinning their wheels in the muck of the Catholic Church? The work they did served only to bolster this community that chooses to live in support of an organization that has caused more harm throughout the course of human history than maybe any other. Yes, I am aware that the church has also done much good. So has the military. But I object, nonetheless.
So yeah. A mixed bag.
For the good. There were some ideas/concepts I was introduced to that I really appreciate. The one that stands out the most is the concept of cultural emergence. In a nutshell, culture emerges from the groundwork that is laid down by every little thing that happens. And, once emerged, you cannot tweak or “fix” the culture that has arisen. For example, a culture where violence and disrespect is a problem cannot be fixed by affixing vulgarity and violence warnings on the media we consume. Rather, a group must be led back to the roots of their shared identity, and invited to re-align with that. That makes a lot of sense, and I’ve seen it in my own life and family. Doesn’t mean it’s easy or even possible on a societal level, but good to know.
For the bad. I found the examples of leadership from the military and Catholic Church very off-putting. I am a former navy wife (still wife to same guy, were just not a navy family anymore), so of course I understand better than many that the military gets a lot right, and that there are countless examples of amazing leaders there. Still, the fundamental premise of the US Military is so far off the rails, and by this time the harm that organization has done in the world far outweighs the good (not through the fault of the service people, but rather the unethical hands who control the military) that I simply reject that example. She gives an example of a general who is remarkable as a leader for always looking at least 50% to the future- but what future is a US General looking to? And similarly with the nuns who used such exemplary leadership when confronted with the violence, sexism, and oppression of the greater church: yes, it was impressive, but what could those women create if they didn’t spend their lives spinning their wheels in the muck of the Catholic Church? The work they did served only to bolster this community that chooses to live in support of an organization that has caused more harm throughout the course of human history than maybe any other. Yes, I am aware that the church has also done much good. So has the military. But I object, nonetheless.
So yeah. A mixed bag.
January 28, 2022
Powerful Lessons for Today and Islands of Sanity for Tomorrow
This is one of those few books that will go into a special place on my bookshelf that I will come back to over and again when I need to ground myself. This is a book that will affirm your experience, challenge conventional thinking, and impart deep wisdom by connecting you to the world in ways that will surprise, delight, and trouble you. Meg Wheatley, as she so often does with clear language and poignant observations on the human condition, challenges us all to be our best and most human in a time that is increasingly less suited to that.
Wheatley is not some starry-eyed optimist with messages that are going to ‘make it alright again’. She’s also not a pessimistic, cynic. She’s a realist. This book is about facing the world as it is, not as we want it or ourselves to be. In making this clear about what we have to face - climate, attentional drift, political strife and so much more — we can better address things and find those ‘islands of sanity’ in a world that feels anything but sane.
My rationale for 4 stars instead of 5 is that, while the messages in this book are strong and the writing clear, there is a bit of drift toward the end. Margaret, try as she might not to be, does get a little judgemental in her tone of people and has a few off-hand remarks that takes away from her real, genuine and deserved criticism of people and institutions. These are small, but as they creep in over the course of the book we start seeing more rhetoric that is a little out of alignment with the messages at the start — to my eyes at least. This is not a reason to ignore the stark messaging she delivers even if it uncomfortable to hear.
This is one of those few books that will go into a special place on my bookshelf that I will come back to over and again when I need to ground myself. This is a book that will affirm your experience, challenge conventional thinking, and impart deep wisdom by connecting you to the world in ways that will surprise, delight, and trouble you. Meg Wheatley, as she so often does with clear language and poignant observations on the human condition, challenges us all to be our best and most human in a time that is increasingly less suited to that.
Wheatley is not some starry-eyed optimist with messages that are going to ‘make it alright again’. She’s also not a pessimistic, cynic. She’s a realist. This book is about facing the world as it is, not as we want it or ourselves to be. In making this clear about what we have to face - climate, attentional drift, political strife and so much more — we can better address things and find those ‘islands of sanity’ in a world that feels anything but sane.
My rationale for 4 stars instead of 5 is that, while the messages in this book are strong and the writing clear, there is a bit of drift toward the end. Margaret, try as she might not to be, does get a little judgemental in her tone of people and has a few off-hand remarks that takes away from her real, genuine and deserved criticism of people and institutions. These are small, but as they creep in over the course of the book we start seeing more rhetoric that is a little out of alignment with the messages at the start — to my eyes at least. This is not a reason to ignore the stark messaging she delivers even if it uncomfortable to hear.
October 19, 2024
I found Wheatley's 2006 book "Leadership and the New Science" incredibly useful to where I am professionally--thinking about how we need to evolve past a management philosophy in business rooted in a Newtonian paradigm where the dominant mental model is of a business as a machine (you just need to figure out which levers to pull to get the desired result) to a more Quantum science paradigm where we understand that everything is organically connected, and we need to tap into the full creativity of individuals rather than try to control their behavior. So I decided I wanted to learn more about her writing and grabbed a more recent publication--this one from 2023. And hoo boy. It's a good read and an important perspective on the world -- one that I often found myself resonating with-- but ouch is it bleak. In a nutshell, she makes a case for predictable historical cycles of civilization. There is a pattern and humans have been repeating it over and over again. And right now, civilization is in collapse. And there's not a darn thing we can do about it. So let's figure out how to be true to our values and make meaningful contributions as the world disintegrates around us. My husband suggested the analogy: how to play exceptionally beautiful violin music on the deck of the Titanic.
May 4, 2025
Meg Wheatley is one of these authors who is an intellectual and spiritual leader as much as an organizational development leader and creative author.
The layout of the book with its many quotes and highlights is fun to read, and the integrative nature of so many ideas (eras of a civilization, Australian indigenous..) is vintage Meg. We used this book in a congregational study as one of four we read over a 9 month study on zoom. It was a great "ending" book as it synthesized a lot of our earlier reads.
A friend and I had also used an earlier edition of the book in a class we taught for Osher about two years earlier, but this edition had a lot of updates and enjoyed it just as much the 2nd time, with much fresh info.
"Facing Reality" in today's time of meta-crises is a tough ask, but Meg eases the reader quite logically into what we're in for with no false shibboleths or promises, and "forming isles of sanity" is a much better idea, as is becoming "spiritual warriors". It's a book that hasn't a plot in a traditional sense , and will be like no other book you've read, both in its layout and its evolving message of human development, your own!
The layout of the book with its many quotes and highlights is fun to read, and the integrative nature of so many ideas (eras of a civilization, Australian indigenous..) is vintage Meg. We used this book in a congregational study as one of four we read over a 9 month study on zoom. It was a great "ending" book as it synthesized a lot of our earlier reads.
A friend and I had also used an earlier edition of the book in a class we taught for Osher about two years earlier, but this edition had a lot of updates and enjoyed it just as much the 2nd time, with much fresh info.
"Facing Reality" in today's time of meta-crises is a tough ask, but Meg eases the reader quite logically into what we're in for with no false shibboleths or promises, and "forming isles of sanity" is a much better idea, as is becoming "spiritual warriors". It's a book that hasn't a plot in a traditional sense , and will be like no other book you've read, both in its layout and its evolving message of human development, your own!
September 19, 2024
An examination into our current state of reality through the lense of many different references, from living systems science to the environment. It gives stark essays about the reality we face and what is required of us as leaders.
What’s my top 3 take-away?
Warrior for the Human Spirit - standing for the good and remaining in your values when everything else around you is dwindling.
Creating Islands of Sanity - create your community who can sustain you when the journey gets hard.
"If the world is going to hell, only do good."
Find what the world needs, and come from that purpose. Not your personal purpose.
What am I going to integrate / change / action?
Find what the world needs and serve it.
Accept how things are, but know I still have a choice in how I show up and lead.
Who would you recommend this to?
Anyone who feels lost in this world. Anyone who feels like they're doing meaningless world.
Anyone who wonders how to live in these uncertain times.
What’s my top 3 take-away?
Warrior for the Human Spirit - standing for the good and remaining in your values when everything else around you is dwindling.
Creating Islands of Sanity - create your community who can sustain you when the journey gets hard.
"If the world is going to hell, only do good."
Find what the world needs, and come from that purpose. Not your personal purpose.
What am I going to integrate / change / action?
Find what the world needs and serve it.
Accept how things are, but know I still have a choice in how I show up and lead.
Who would you recommend this to?
Anyone who feels lost in this world. Anyone who feels like they're doing meaningless world.
Anyone who wonders how to live in these uncertain times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2018
Some people will find the harsh reality of Meg's latest book's view of today difficult to swallow but I found it consoling and affirming. The research the author points to on patterns and cycles that civilisations pass through (all civilisations) is a wonderful tool with which to view our present time and a context against which to process our grief for all that is failing or just plain gone. Both this long-term view and her invitation to decide who we choose to be in these challenging times and whether we can step up to give careful thought of how to be an island of sanity creates a beacon of light for me in this present landscape of fake news, collapsing institutions and alternative truths. I urge all who treasure compassion, gentleness and clear sight no matter the times to read this book.
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December 20, 2025This is a hard book to comment on...Wheatley offers both a stark assessment of our current society and a clear eye path forward.
Her study of civilizations and collapse can be anxiety-inducing. But Wheatley embraces this as a paradox: things are always changing, so it does little to try and hold onto what is impermanent. Going beyond hope, we can focus on what's in front of us and do our best to make the best of it.
(Note: I was gifted a copy of this book from a colleague. In the margins on one page, he wrote: "More data does not help us make better decisions." As leaders, we have a tendency to accumulate lots of information as an act of admiring problems. What if we gave as much credibility to our intuition as the numbers? A mindset I am trying to embrace in my own work supporting leaders.)
Her study of civilizations and collapse can be anxiety-inducing. But Wheatley embraces this as a paradox: things are always changing, so it does little to try and hold onto what is impermanent. Going beyond hope, we can focus on what's in front of us and do our best to make the best of it.
(Note: I was gifted a copy of this book from a colleague. In the margins on one page, he wrote: "More data does not help us make better decisions." As leaders, we have a tendency to accumulate lots of information as an act of admiring problems. What if we gave as much credibility to our intuition as the numbers? A mindset I am trying to embrace in my own work supporting leaders.)
November 16, 2020
While I agree with much of what this author has said, I found her willingness to give up on our current society a little off-putting. Points I agree with her on include: all civilizations eventually fail, the vast majority of people are powerless at a national level, we can make a difference in our local community, we must CHOOSE how we will face our reality (denial or acceptance and adaptation). The major point I disagree with her is the imminence of the collapse of American society. While many of the signs are there and while it is fairly clear that we are on a bad trajectory, we have been there before and come back. She may be right or she may be wrong. It is her certainty that I have problem with. But at the same time, I find myself agreeing with the majority of her book.
January 27, 2018
This book is going to be too bleak and too dry for many people. As a coach, I'm glad to have it in my toolkit, because Wheatley does a great job making sense of the current state of the world through a variety of scientific lenses. She makes the case that we're experiencing the decline of our civilization, and that while the chaos we're experiencing is new to us, it's part of a much longer and larger pattern. She doesn't try to paint with a hopeful brush - instead she argues that we should each do as much as we can, with what we have, with the people around us to impact our communities and networks for the better. Lots to chew on in here.
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