To further reinforce our theme of “Reconnecting with Nature,” the Simply Living Book Club has selected the book that inspired the film, Journey of the Universe: The Epic Story of Cosmic, Earth, and Human Transformation. Authors Brian Swimme, the acclaimed evolutionary philosopher, and Yale University historian of religions Mary Evelyn Tucker, tell a big story in a small book – one that inspires hope for a way in which Earth and its human civilizations could flourish together.
You can borrow the book from the library or purchase a copy from Abe Books or a used bookstore very inexpensively (under $5). You can delve more deeply by watching the film in advance of our screening and you can even take a free course HERE.
An in-person discussion of the book will take place on Sunday, March 31, from 3:30 – 5 pm at Portia’s Cafe, 4428 Indianola Ave. 43214. You can stay for an optional vegan buffet from 5-6 pm.
But why wait? A discussion here on the Simply Living blog will be open to all even if you can’t attend the film screening on March 24 at the Northwood High Bldg (click on the Events tab for details) or the in-person discussion on March 31 at Portia’s. Feel free to share your comments here and share related books and films.
I have seen the film and read the book. While the film was wonderful, the book offers more depth and time for reflection. Brian Swimme is an astrophysicist specializing in cosmology, and I am neither. What strikes me most about the writing is the way he uses metaphors and analogies and imaginative examples to explain the science in language that is not just understandable, but inspiring. His “time capsule” of evolutionary events puts the cosmological time in a perspective that helps me appreciate the scale of the universe as well as how our presence is still an integral part of the whole. Swimme is able to “humanize” the science in a way that suggests our role in the future of humanity. I look forward to reactions and observations of others.