Embracing Sufficiency

Embracing Sufficiency reminded me of the awareness and concern I had for our degradations of the environment, some 50-60 years ago, before our consumption-based economy cranked those degradations to a fever pitch. In depth review of issues, some familiar, many not, renewed that childhood intention to learn and practice rational behaviors to preserve our environment. In particular, based on information in this book, I now see the recycling of plastics, which I believed would solve a major problem, as minimally effective. As a Boomer who once knew better, I've got to do more. With less.

Embracing Sufficiency" is a must read and a wake-up call for the baby boomer generation responsible for shaping the futures of generations X,Y and Z.The author, uses a combination of historical perspective on the creation of modern consumerism, a series of mini-tutorials on the issues resulting from consumerism "off the rails", and excerpts from the extensive research and documentation done on his topic to present existential issues that the reader may have thought themselves well informed about, only to realize they have just scratched the surface. Following the pattern of his earlier book, "The Nature of Life and Humanity, Mr. Stadtmiller, does an excellent job of documenting the path we've taken to creating a consumer-based culture as well as the immensity of the impacts that culture has created for our social and environmentalwell-being.Contrary to the overused approach of "crying fire in the theatre" taken by many authors addressing weighty topics like climate change and pollution the author manages to present the gravity of the problem in an objective,non-exploitive way that encourages the reader to carefully evaluate and take responsibility for their personal relationship with these issues.The covid 19 crisis dramatizes the importance of the authors message, which has been almost clairvoyant in nature considering the timing of the release of the book, as an economy heavily based on consumerism and complex systems is brought to its knees, in a matter of days, by a micro-organism. A dramatic demonstration of the independence we sacrifice to become consumers on the scale we currently are, when a more "SUFFICIENT" level of interdependency and complexity would render us much less vulnerable."Embracing Sufficiency" offers just a taste of the banquet of solutions that will be required to resolve the issues presented in this book. Some of these solutions come from the authors personal life experiences. I hope there is a sequel in the offing that will focus on the solutions side of the equation as effectively as this book has done with defining and developing the issues, and I hope we will all address the authors challenge to join him in developing and implementing these solutions.I have known the author personally for over 50 years and his book benefits greatly from "walking the talk" during that time.Barbara White

I thought it was a pretty good book, extremely detailed with a lot of really good factual information. Almost to the extent of a textbook it was so detailed and researched. Very good information all backed by scientific data and information which was really great. However there were times where I lost the author from the core point of the story especially at the beginning where he goes into a history of mankind. Just really way too detailed that didn’t help the story along at all. Other than that it was an amazing book.