PRE-PUBLICATION DRAFT

The Pacifist’s Guide to WW3

Simple, Powerful Strategies for a World in Transition

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” — Toni Morrison. Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash.

For some time now, I’ve wanted to write a very specific book. I’ve wanted a canvas on which I can write what I suppose would be called “conspiracy theories,” but in a way they might prove useful. I’ve always wondered what the point of conspiracy theories are if they merely fill up your left-brain with facts and figures.

The seeds of the book took root when I discovered the work of Iain McGilchrist, first with The Master and His Emissary and more recently, The Matter with Things. The idea that developed was a right hemisphere version of history that might help navigate the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that is now so prevalent.

So, starting today, I’ll be serializing the book as each chapter is completed. If you follow along, please do provide feedback. It helps not only me, but those who will read the book when it’s published.

The book covers very large and complex topics, but I’ve intentionally kept the language simple and easy-to-follow. I specifically would like the book to be read by Gen Z’s and even Gen A’s. My intent is to give them hope as they step into a world which has lost hope. Let’s see whether I accomplish this rather lofty ambition.

The Back Cover Blurb

In a world teetering on the brink of chaos, how do we find our way through the storm? In The Pacifist’s Guide to World War 3, we embark on a journey through the vast evolutionary process which is preparing itself for the next momentous leap. We explore the rise and fall of civilizations, the patterns of collapse and renewal, and the forces shaping our present and future. Our journey is guided by the wisdom of the 4.6 billion-year-old evolutionary drive and a fresh perspective on the calamitous events buffeting our world.

Drawing on insights from the groundbreaking work of evolution biologists, historians, neuroscientists, mystics, and philosophers, we explore how differences between the right and left hemispheres of the brain shape our understanding of the world. While the left hemisphere craves answers to What, When and Who, the right hemisphere seeks empathy, understanding, and a deeper connection to the wider human experience. The right hemisphere wants to know Why and How. This guide provides answers.

In these times of rapid change and upheaval, it’s more important than ever to tap into our right hemispheres — to seek context, meaning, and a broader perspective on current events. That’s where this guide can help, by tapping into the innate drive — an active organizing principle — present in all living systems to adapt and thrive. Whether you’re a seasoned activist striving for change, a Gen Z or A who has lost hope, or a concerned citizen just trying to make sense of it all, this book provides the guiding light you need to navigate the murky waters of increasing chaos and adversity.

So, if you’re tired of information overload, if you’re craving a deeper understanding of not what is collapsing but what is trying to emerge, then join us on this journey. Because in the end, it is not the darkness that defines us, but the light we bring to the world.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1 — The Past

Chapter 1: WW1 — The Seeds of Global Governance
Chapter 2: WW2 — The March Towards Fascism
Chapter 3: Patterns of Collapse and Renewal

Part 2 — The Present

Chapter 4: Sustainability as Propaganda
Chapter 5: The Rise of the Fourth R̶e̶i̶c̶h̶ Sector
Chapter 6: WW3 — The Clash of Worldviews

Part 3 — The Future

Chapter 7: From Fear to Hope
Chapter 8: Embracing the Evolutionary Impulse
Chapter 9: Weak Signals of the New Paradigm
Conclusion

Next Chapter: Stay Tuned!

This is a serialized version of The Pacifist’s Guide to WW3, due to be self-published in mid-2024.

Please do leave your feedback, commentary and ideas. I’d like to make this book as useful as possible and I cannot do so without your help. 🙏

Do you know a Gen Z or Gen A who have lost hope? Please share this with them. It’s my genuine desire to bring hope to what looks like a hopeless situation.

“I’m not an optimist. That makes me sound naive. I’m a very serious “possibilist” — someone who neither hopes without reason nor fears without reason, someone who constantly resists the overdramatic worldview. As a possibilist, I see all this progress, and it fills me with conviction and hope that further progress is possible. This is not optimistic. It is having a clear and reasonable idea about how things are. It is having a worldview that is constructive and useful.” — Hans Rosling (1948–2017), Swedish physician, academic, and co-founder and chairman of the Gapminder Foundation.