“We humans appear on the cosmic calendar so recently that our recorded history occupies only the last few seconds of the last minutes of December 31st. We are the legacy of 15 billion years of cosmic evolution. We have a choice: we can enhance life and come to know the universe that made us, or we can squander our 15-billion-year heritage in meaningless self-destruction.” —Carl Sagan, Cosmos

We live in extraordinary times. We all know this on some level, but typically take it for granted as we go about our daily lives. As a result, far too many of us continue to merely cycle through our status quo routines as our world careens ever closer to disaster. However, if we can embrace our global predicament as the opportunity for unprecedented transformation it is, it can act as a catalyst for us to unlock our full potential and leave behind a legacy we can be proud of.

According to the current scientific consensus, our universe emerged out of unfathomable mystery in the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. Dispersed particles gradually self-organized into atoms, which joined to make more complex molecules, which eventually coalesced into stars, planets, and galaxies. Earth itself formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago, and fossilized microbes have been found in hydrothermal ocean vents dating back 3.5 billion years, providing the earliest evidence of life.

In comparison, the emergence of Homo sapiens 300,000 years ago could be considered an extremely recent phenomenon. For 97% of our history, humans have overwhelmingly lived in small, tight-knit communities, nomadically hunting and gathering in relative symbiosis with the Earth. It’s only been within the last 10,000 years since the Agricultural Revolution that we’ve increasingly settled in towns and cities apart from nature, enclosed and divided up the commons, and developed complex hierarchies to control surplus resources and labor.

Evolutionary timeline of the universe, Earth, and humanity.

While this process of expansion based on the subjugation of nature and Indigenous peoples has continued ever since, what we think of as modern civilization really only dates back about 260 years to the beginning of the fossil-fueled Industrial Revolution. At that time, global population stood at 600 million. There were no cars, planes, trucks, buses, or trains; no telephones, radios, TVs, or computers; no supermarkets or big-box stores filled with cheap goods and produce from all over the world; no electricity, air conditioning, or curbside trash collection; no plastic bags or pharmaceuticals; no rock concerts, blockbuster movies, or professional sports; no health insurance, paid vacations, or retirement plans.

Despite our current way of life having only existed for less than 0.1% of human history, we tend to think it’s normal and assume it will continue indefinitely because it’s all we’ve ever known. However, exponential growth in human population, consumption of natural resources, and greenhouse gas emissions over the past two and a half centuries has already pushed our planet to its breaking point, ushering in what geologists have termed the “Anthropocene” epoch, biologists have identified as a sixth mass extinction, and climatologists are warning is the greatest threat humanity has ever faced.

For the first time ever, our entire planet is endangered because of forces human beings have unleashed, and many of us have already begun to experience the consequences of this in our own lives. More frequent and devastating natural disasters, the Great Recession and the coronavirus pandemic, widening inequality and rising authoritarianism, and increasing levels of mental illness are just a few of the many manifestations of this rapidly unfolding environmental, social, and economic polycrisis. As bad as the past couple of decades have been, they have likely only served a dress rehearsal for what is yet to come

Unless we start making big changes now, things will get worse, but our politicians are tragically failing us and corporations have been allowed to continue their relentless pursuit of profit mostly unabated. Even the heroic efforts of professional activists and grassroots movements haven’t been nearly enough. In this context, it’s entirely understandable that many people who care about the state of our world and genuinely want to help bring forth a more just and regenerative future feel hopeless, overwhelmed, and confused about how and where to start. We all find ourselves caught between a way of life we know is rapidly coming to an end and a future that hasn’t fully taken shape yet.

However, it’s precisely this moment, when old systems and certainties are starting to break apart at record rates, that unprecedented opportunities for cultural and systemic transformation present themselves. When everything’s going reasonably well, it’s easier to simply float along with the mainstream, but we can no longer afford that luxury. Now is the time for all people of good conscience to lean into this challenge, step in off the sidelines, and begin to steer our own course.

The good news is we can start wherever we are and pick up whatever we need along the way. Because so many different things need to be done, everyone has an important role to play. We might choose to plant forests or grow food, serve as teachers or healers, run for office or block the path of a pipeline. What the specific thing is doesn’t matter much. What matters most is that we all do something.

If enough of us lean in and take action, I believe we still have a chance to bend the long arc of history towards justice. We don’t lack any knowledge or resources necessary. The only thing that’s been missing is our collective will.

Of course, actually bringing about a Great Transition won’t be easy, and there’s no guarantee we’ll succeed. However, the journey itself is its own reward. It offers us a chance to discover our deepest purpose, claim our power as agents of regeneration, and build community with others who are trying to do the same.

After all, isn’t this what we’ve always wanted? To be thrust into being a hero in an epic saga? To tap into an inexhaustible source of inspiration and dedicate ourselves to a noble pursuit? Are we really satisfied with lives of quiet desperation, busying ourselves with hollow entertainment, unfulfilling jobs, and superficial relationships? Don’t we feel called to greater adventure?

The Regeneration Handbook: Transform Yourself to Transform the World by Don Hall was published on June 11, 2024. Shareable will be publishing five more excerpts from the book.