According to Philosopher, Lewis Mumford, fundamental change in cultures only occurs when its' members alter their vision of what it means to be a human being. Most Americans would agree that one of the primary aspects of being human is the possession of a spirit. In ancient languages the word for "spirit" is the same as that for 'breath' and 'wind.' Herbert W. Schroeder points out that just as in the case of breath and wind, you can't see spirit, you can't grab it and hold it in your hands, but you can feel it, and be moved by it. Consequently, concludes Schroeder, an encounter with spirit may be one in which we feel touched by something that can't be seen visually or manipulated kinetically, but can never-the-less be deeply experienced.

To fully embrace the spiritual aspects of our humanness, perhaps we need to make greater room for these experiences by ridding ourselves of as much of the material clutter in our lives as possible. Meister Eckhart advised, "God is not found in the soul by adding anything but by a process of subtraction."

Thomas Berry refers to our obsession with consumption as the greatest pathology of all time, an illness in which acquisition has tragically become the highest human purpose. Vice President Al Gore compared our current culture with the dynamics that exist in a dysfunctional family, in both cases, we can find symptoms of denial, refusal to fully accept responsibility, and an inability or unwillingness to make reparations and effect necessary changes.

Duane Elgin in "Awakening Earth: Exploring the Evolution of Human Culture and Consciousness," sounds the following alarm:

Elgin maintains that if there is hope that we might ultimately transcend rather than rapidly descend, we'll need to possess a spirit of reconciliation in a number of areas including:

• Ecological Reconciliation (it will become essential that we work to restore the profound ecological damage that we've perpetrated, as well as to learn to live in harmony with the earth's natural systems.)
• Economic reconciliation (we must no longer ignore the tremendous disparities that exist between the rich and the poor, and must establish a world minimum standard that supports all of our brothers and sisters in realizing their potential. The wealthy, including the average American, must voluntarily simplify their lives by turning away from consumerism and towards a lifestyle which offers fewer material possessions, and greater spiritual, cultural, and psychological growth.)
• Spiritual Reconciliation (some of the bloodiest wars in human history have been the direct result of religious intolerance. We must turn away from the religious dogma's that emphasize that which separates and alienates the spiritual traditions of the world, and embrace the perennial wisdom's contained within all major religions.)
• Political Reconciliation (we must learn to work with the diverse political views and values which exist among the people of the world. We need to strengthen the bridge that connects us, and allows us to have constructive conversations regarding our collective future. We can no longer depend upon world leaders to forge these connections, to a large extent it's up to us. We also cannot afford to be silent witnesses and passive participants. It's been said that, "If the people will lead, the leaders will follow."
• Generational Reconciliation (Americans comprise approximately 5% the world's population and yet consume 30% of it's resources, many of which are non-renewable. In doing so, we're not only grabbing more than our fair share of the goods, we're robbing future generations of absolute necessities. It's imperative that we adopt practices that lead to sustainability.)

• Racial, ethnic, and gender reconciliation (the people of the world have been profoundly divided by racial, ethnic and gender discrimination, resulting all too often in humanity turning against itself. We must work towards the creation of a global culture based on mutual respect, if there is any hope for the salvation of humanity)

"All things are possible if we do not crave the distinction of being the last generation of man on earth."
Norman Cousins

For approximately 99% of the time that human beings have existed on this planet, we've been hunters and gatherers - taking from our environment little more than that which was necessary for our survival. Amazingly, it's been during less than the last 1% of our tenure here on earth, that we've managed to perpetuate the most damage. When studied under the brutal light of a significant number of statistics regarding life here in the Unites States, the rewards of our plunder dramatically begin to dim. According to a report issued by The New Roadmap Foundation, in spite of tremendous growth in the United States economy between 1950 and 1980, and the rise in per capita consumption in the last twenty years of a staggering 45%, Americans feel less well-off now than we did thirty years ago. The Institute for social Health recently reported that our over-all quality of life has dropped by 51%.