May 2022 – active hope

Lenka Papadakisová, a member of the Red Button network, talks about the book.

How to cope with climate change, disappearing natural resources, economic collapses, and environmental grief?

The book Active Hope reflects on current global challenges within an eco-philosophical framework, naming the individual steps on the path to self-empowerment and offering practical exercises to discover your own creative contribution to the world we want to live in. It summarizes experiences from a program the authors have been leading for decades called Work That Reconnects. It guides readers through four stages of a transformational process based on the mythic hero’s journey, modern psychology, spirituality, deep ecology, and integral science. Active Hope assumes a connection between today’s social, economic, and ecological crises and the rise of feelings of hopelessness, depression, and loneliness. What happens to the world is closely linked to the quality of our lives and our sense of inner fulfillment. Gratitude and compassion can be a remedy for Western society, which largely embraces consumption and competition regardless of the consequences.

Active Hope teaches readers to accept life with its variability, unexpected changes, imperfections, and uncertainties. It helps us clearly define goals and the next steps for which we currently have the resources and reach. We become aware of obstacles we may face and where and with whom we have support. What personal practices can strengthen us and help maintain our health and energy, and when it’s time for self-reflection to avoid burnout. It invites us to redefine for ourselves what success and a fulfilling life mean personally.

Who is Lenka Papadakisová?

Lenka Papadakisová works in adult education. She is a consultant, mentor, coach, and facilitator focusing especially on the personal development of leaders and the growth of wise women entrepreneurs, whom she guides on their entrepreneurial journey.