OUR WORLD
REVIEW
The 8 Laws of Change:
How to Be an Agent of Personal
and Social Transformation
By Stephan A. Schwartz
H
8
How to Succeed in Positively
Transforming the World...
and Yourself
LAWS OF CHANGE packs centuries of
time-tested wisdom about how to successfully effect long-lasting positive
change in the world. Schwartz shares
insights from five decades of his personal experiences, starting with the
American civil rights movement of
the 1960s, and continuing forward to today. Until
8 LAWS OF CHANGE, those of us striving to achieve
social goals with small community groups have
relied upon good intentions and good luck when
bringing together people of different experiences
and viewpoints. To say results are
not guaranteed is an understatement! I’m grateful to have been involved in a few successful projects
involving small groups of dedicated
individuals working in the face of opposition and with limited resources.
People working together to improve
the world need help holding a consistent vision of long-term goals
without individuals pushing their
specific beliefs or agendas— and 8
LAWS OF CHANGE serves as the best
book I’ve yet seen that provides a
guide for accomplishing that.
Schwartz’s 8 LAWS OF CHANGE are
key success factors responsible for
23 | NEW CONSCIOUSNESS REVIEW
having brought about change in American society in such areas as: civil rights, women’s suffrage,
public education, and environmental protection.
Schwartz introduces the 8 LAWS OF CHANGE by
expressing astonishment that every successful
movement for social change he lists began with
“a few Quakers joining together in common intention.” Individuals and the group: share a common
intention; have goals but not cherished outcomes;
accept they may not see change in their lifetime;
accept lack of credit or acknowledgement; enjoy
fundamental equality; foreswear all violence; make
private selves consistent with public postures; and
act from the beingness of life-affirming integrity.
Choosing my favorite part of this book is challenging, since it’s so well written, and filled with fascinating accounts and people. Some chapters share
a successful case history, and
others delve into important
topics such as: taking the long
view, the power of nonviolence,
the issue of authority, the power of intentioned awareness,
and nonlocal consciousness.
I’m especially fond of investigating matters of nonlocal
consciousness and intentioned
awareness, and was pleased
to see that these chapters provided current research findings
and useful practical tips. Highly
recommended!
Reviewed by
Cynthia Sue Larson