CHARLES EISENSTEIN KNOWS A MORE BEAUTIFUL WORLD
If I were a painter with an easel and a brush, my hand-heart-eye co-ordination would know exactly what to do. I would draw soft, sensitive, boyish lines that thicken periodically, sweeping across the canvas into densely populated mathematical equations. Complex, interconnected, intellectual, with childlike riddles—Basquiat meets Dr. Seuss. Question marks rising here and there, searching for answers. Thought bubbles with answers chasing questions. A sense of integrity with every stroke.
Surrounded by a word cloud: LOVE, sacred economics, interdependence, Ecology, ECONOMY, Gift, A NEW & ANCIENT STORY, spirituality and finance, the Space between Stories, HUMANKIND, Love & Money, old paradigms, The Story of Separation, EVERYTHING, a WEB of relationships, The Story of INTERBEING, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible.
Welcome to the world of Charles Eisenstein.
I remember my first time contacting Charles through his assistant Marie Goodwin, who he fondly calls his “Chief Plate Spinner & External Hard-drive.” I was inquiring about booking Charles to speak at my business in Oakland. When I asked about his fee, the answer was, “There is no fee. There is only gift.”
A real life Bodhisattva, Charles is a man who lives and breathes his conviction with every step. His quiet, penetrating demeanor underpins a fierce intellect that has contemplated just about EVERYTHING. His habit of pausing and looking out into deep time and space when asked a question that requires of him a new approach allows the questioner time to brace oneself, take a breath and open up to receiving a rewiring of one’s internal operating system, as Charles channels his gift of connection to source. Consumed with questions like, “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” Charles spent his early years studying mathematics and philosophy at Yale University. But his studies didn’t satisfy his emotional yearning that sensed a wrongness in the world. Rather, new questions arose in him as his growing awareness of ecological devastation and social injustice penetrated his heart and psyche. The years following his Yale degree saw him searching for more. He devoured books on health, nutrition, globalisation, spirituality, physics and biology. He found himself living in Taiwan, learning Chinese and becoming a translator. Eastern spiritual traditions enveloped him. And finally the cathartic moment came when he was compelled to author his acclaimed book, The Ascent of Humanity. Since then, Charles has authored many more, including Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible.
“I quickly understood that money is simply a story. It’s an agreement among human beings that imparts value to symbols.”
Thought leader, public speaker, author, dreamer and family man, Charles has unequivocally impacted, as much as anyone, the lexicon of our times. For anyone compelled to challenge their mind and open their heart on the most pressing issues the world faces today, I invite you to take a stroll into the world of my friend and comrade, Charles Eisenstein. KONDA MASON: You know, we have talked many times, but I realise I’ve never asked you this question. So I’m going to ask it. You were a young boy at some point growing up somewhere… where did you grow up again?
CHARLES EISENSTEIN: Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania, right. So you were this young boy growing up in Pennsylvania and then time passed and you became, quote unquote, Charles Eisenstein, bringing your profound wisdom to the economy and all that you give us. But I’m wondering what brought you to this particular point? Was there a moment that grounded you and your concern around money and the economy and life in this way?
Well I wasn’t originally interested in money and the economy so much. The reason
