Ervin Laszlo Discusses His New Book "The Upshift: Wiser Living on Planet Earth"
The Upshift: Wiser Living on Planet Earth, the latest book by world-renowned Hungarian philosopher Ervin Laszlo, provides a detailed roadmap to "becoming the change" that planet Earth requires. The book explains how everyone of us can choose the best path to a happy existence.
To learn more about the story behind the story, read A Good Book To End The Day’s interview with the author below.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your path to becoming an author.
I was a celebrated child prodigy on the piano, with public appearances from the age of nine. I received a Grand Prize at the international music competition in Geneva, then I was allowed to leave Hungary (which was under a communist regime at the time) and begin an international concert career, first in Europe and then in the USA.
In my twenties, I started to think about the meaning of life and what it means to be human. I wrote my very first book around this time and started studying more and more about philosophy. I received the Sorbonne’s highest degree, the Doctorat ès Lettres et Sciences Humaines in 1970. Shifting to the life of a scientist and humanist, I lectured at various U.S. Universities including Yale and Princeton. I was asked to produce a report for the Club of Rome, Goals for Mankind. In the late 70's and early 80's, I ran global projects at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research at the request of the Secretary-General. In the 1990's my research led me to the re-discovery of the Akashic Field.
I am the author or co-author or editor of 106 different books that have appeared in a total of 25 languages. I have also written several hundred papers and articles in scientific journals and popular magazines. I am a member of numerous scientific bodies, including the International Academy of Science, the World Academy of Arts and Science, the International Academy of Philosophy of Science, and the International Medici Academy.
I received honorary PhD's from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Hungary. I was the recipient of the Peace Prize of Japan, the Goi Award, in 2001, the International Mandir of Peace Prize of Assisi in 2005, and the Luxembourg World Peace Prize in 2017. I was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 and 2005.
The Upshift has been described as a "guide to being the change we need in the world." What steps must we take to begin building a better tomorrow?
The book shows that we can meet the challenges that face us—the challenges of war and aggression, climate change and destitution, and the virus pandemic. There are two paths opening for us today: a path UP to healing and evolution, and a path DOWN to crises and chaos. This book tells you how you can enter on the upward path: how you can upshift to a better world. Those who have read its advance drafts consider it a must-read for every wakened and responsible person on the planet. Open its pages and see why. It could change you and change the world around you.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
Humanity, the whole living world on the planet, is in crisis. I have much experience with unusual crisis situations and conditions and feel morally obliged to provide advice on how to understand it and help people cope with it. Crisis is not just danger, it is also opportunity. The solution to crisis does not lie in the hands of authority but in the citizens, intuitions, and deep knowing of each and every human being. How and why this is so, is described in the book.
More and more people are “waking up” and looking for answers to their deep questions -- who are they, and why are they here. And what can they do to make this into a better world. That means books that address these issues with as much background and commitment that the writer is capable to muster. Both science and spirituality are part of the writer’s qualification.
Were there any challenges in bringing this book to life?
I kept rewriting and rewriting the book all the time. It was hard for me to let it go to be printed.
As an established author, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned throughout your career?
Be sincere and bold and write about what you know.
To write what you want to communicate – not just for your own benefit, but for the good of the reader – and perhaps, also of humanity…
What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? Write it out here, then answer it.
Did you plan to write this book, or did it come to you sort of on its own?
My answer: the gist of the message is something I realized as time went on, but the answer to the above question is very clear: the book “wrote itself.” It had to be written and to be published, I was just an instrument for that.
Do you have any other projects in the works at this time?
I am launching “THE UPSHIFT MOVEMENT”. A movement of people who are ready to change themselves so they can change the world – taking the key points of reference from books like THE UPSHIFT.
The Upshift Movement is a grass-roots-based international and intercultural initiative launched by me and the Laszlo Institute. The operative principle of the Movement is that a better world is built when people seek wiser ways to live and to act—and when the wiser ways they seek are not prescribed by an external authority but come from their own heart and inspiration. The Upshift Movement invites awakened and responsible people to discover and embrace the wiser ways you and I and all people in the human family can live on this planet.
The Upshift Movement aspires to bring together the group of dedicated people anthropologist Margaret Mead had in mind when she said ‘Never to doubt the power of a small group of people to change the world’. The Upshift Movement invites you, a conscious and responsible member of the human community, to be an active part of that group.
The Upshift Movement is a shared enterprise of the human community at this critical juncture of its history. It is a cooperation-based undertaking of conscious and ethical people and not the privileged domain or intellectual property of any individual or group of individuals.
By joining the Upshift Movement you can play your part in helping to create a more peaceful, humane, and sustainable world.
I hope every concerned and awakened person will join!
Follow The Author
The Upshift Conversations Podcast
Dawn of an Era of Well-Being Podcast
The Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research