Reviewing chapters 17 through 21 at https://ppbook.shbn.net, provide an intro to the Conclusions section, and pithy summaries of each chapter by way of introducing this section, https://ppbook.shbn.net/part-4-conclusions/.
As we move into the final section of Possible Planet, the task shifts from diagnosis and pathway-building to real-world commitment: making choices, living the vision, and sustaining the struggle. The “Conclusions” are not an epilogue in the sense of tidy closure — they are a call to action. Having laid out where we are, why regeneration matters, and what pathways exist, the concluding chapters attempt to anchor those ideas in lived realities: personal livelihoods, cultural reorientation, systemic equity, and a straddling of worlds — the world as it is and the world we must create. In this way, the book ends not with a farewell but with an invitation: to walk forward into uncertainty with purpose, integrity, and hope.
In what follows, the final chapters sketch different dimensions of that invitation — from how we earn our living to how we hold a place in two worlds, from the radical possibility of walking away to reinvent entirely, to the hard-won vision of a world that works for everyone.
Chapter Summaries (17-21)
Chapter 17 — Right Livelihoods: Making It Through the Next Ten Years
This chapter centers on survival and dignity in a time of systemic ecological and social upheaval. It asks: how can individuals and communities reshape economic and professional life to align with ecological realities — not only to minimize harm, but to regenerate? In the short term (the next decade), “right livelihoods” become about honest work that sustains people without degrading the Earth: regenerative design, restoration, localized economies, socially just jobs. The chapter argues that if enough people pivot now — adopting livelihoods rooted in stewardship, rather than extraction — those small shifts can accumulate into a foundation for broader systemic transformation.
Chapter 18 — Could We Just Walk Away?
Here the book confronts a hard question: is it possible — or even desirable — to opt out of dominant systems altogether? “Walking away” refers to disentangling ourselves from extractive economies, consumerism, and destructive institutions — to intentionally withdraw and re-create life along different values. The chapter explores what that break would look like: simplified consumption, localized self-reliance, community-based economy, and regenerative relationships with land. Yet it doesn’t romanticize rupture; it acknowledges the difficulty, uncertainty, and sacrifice involved. The argument is that for some, especially those most committed to ecological ethics and social justice, stepping off the destructive path may be the most spiritually, morally, and ecologically coherent choice.
Chapter 19 — Living Into the Balance (The Possibility of a World that Works for Everyone)
This chapter enlarges the vision: from individual lives and small communities to a global — yet human-scaled — society where equity, ecological balance, and dignity are woven into the fabric of daily life. It envisions a world not built on domination, extraction, and hierarchy, but on reciprocity, fairness, and inclusion. The “world that works for everyone” is one where basic needs are met; where individuals and communities participate meaningfully in decision-making; where economies are regenerative rather than exploitative; and where ecological boundaries guide growth. It argues that such a world is not utopian fantasy — but an emergent possibility, if enough of us adopt the inner commitments and outer practices required.
Chapter 20 — The New Transcendentalism
In this chapter, the book calls for a deeper shift — not just in our institutions or economies, but in our values, narratives, and sense of meaning. Drawing on spiritual, philosophical, and cultural dimensions, “The New Transcendentalism” invites us to re-enchant the Earth: to recognize that the living world is not a backdrop for human ambition, but a community of beings with whom we share existence. This is a call to reclaim wonder, reverence, humility, and solidarity — to break with the disenchanted, extractive worldview that has dominated since industrialization. The chapter suggests that such a shift in worldview is the wellspring from which all regenerative action flows, because without inner transformation, outer change remains fragile and incomplete.
Chapter 21 — A Foot in Two Worlds
Finally, this chapter holds the tension of transformation: recognizing that while many of us must continue to operate within the structures of the “old world” — to pay bills, feed families, manage responsibilities — we can also begin living into the new world now. It is possible to hold a foot in each world: navigating the constraints of current systems, while gradually building relationships, practices, communities, and institutions aligned with regenerative values. In doing so, we don’t need to wait for a grand revolution to begin — we begin today, in the small everyday choices, the experiments, the places where new logics meet old. This dual stance acknowledges realism and hope, hardship and possibility, challenge and agency.
Why the Conclusions Matter
The concluding chapters have a different tone from the diagnostic and path-finding earlier parts. They are not technical or policy-heavy. Instead, they are oriented to character, culture, and commitment. They invite readers — individuals, communities, organizations — to embody the change. By straddling pragmatic livelihood concerns and spiritual-cultural renewal, these chapters aim to make transformation accessible, urgent, and deeply human.