A new earth?

Before you elevate Eckhart Tolle’s latest book, A New Earth, to the level of the prophecy of a seer or the depths of the ravings of an over-zealous philosopher, I’d like to offer some perspective. I picked up the book recently for an airport read on the way across the country. An Oprah’s Book Club special, and Internet group event phenom, the book came up repeatedly in coaching sessions, referenced by a diverse cross section of my clients. I felt I had to read it too, just to keep up with - if not ahead of the curve.

I trust my having an advanced degree in the Theory and Practice of Meditation and Yogic Philosophy gives credence to my noting that much of this read could have come straight from the ancient scriptures of Advait Vedant (read non-dualism or Oneness). Tolle does an excellent job of making sometimes abstruse eastern philosophy accessible to the western mind.

There was also a lot of bleed-over to Walk on Water - especially the chapters on Growth vs. Development, Aware of vs. Awareness, and Will vs. Willing. Tolle does a first rate job of using distinctions in general, such as Cleverness vs. Wisdom, Perception vs. Interpretation and Being vs. Doing.

And have you seen WALL-E (the Disney movie) yet? This not just for kids flick gives hope that Oprah and Tolle’s prompt for change is on the move by showcasing ecological awareness and sustainability to audiences from babies on up!