Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight by Thom Hartmann: A Review

Introduction

This paper reviews Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Waking Up to Personal and Global Transformation by Thom Hartmann. It consists of a brief summary of the reading, an examination of the main points, and concludes with thoughts, questions, and a critique of the book. Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight is an inspirational book about our planet and what we can do to save it from environmental and social decay.

The book uses poetic and eloquent language to describe how the balance of life on Earth works so perfectly, if only we will allow it. Hartmann looks back in time to illustrate why we are the way we are, then explains how we have ravaged the Earth and what hope exists for the future. The book is broken down roughly into thirds, with each third following the format of past, present, and future.

Overview of the Book's Structure and Thesis

Hartmann's thesis is simple: hope for the future. He believes that by understanding how we made the Earth such a mess, we can make the right choices going forward, because we already possess all the essential tools. The book is at once hopeful and frightening, soothing and motivating. The author makes it quite clear that we, as a people, have taken a great gift and squandered it, and that we will continue to do so unless we change our way of thinking — globally, not just nationally.

Hartmann covers environmental and social problems on a global scale, illustrating the difference between cultures that have learned to live off the land — such as the San Bushmen of the Kalahari — and the cultures that have learned to exploit the land without returning vital resources to it. The author then cites solutions for returning to a world dependent on "ancient sunlight" rather than fossil fuels and excessive consumption. He draws on the lives of monks, defines real "wealth" and "enough," and makes compelling arguments against the current first-world lifestyle that he views as both destructive and unsustainable.

Main Arguments and Key Points

The author's main ideas are laid out simply and with great care. Foremost is the idea that we all come from ancient sunlight. He writes, "In a very real sense, we're all made out of sunlight. Sunlight radiating heat, visible light, and ultraviolet light is the source of virtually all life on Earth" (Hartmann 9). This is the central thread woven throughout the book. Beyond this, he makes several other compelling arguments, including showing how deforestation and the drive toward economic expansion have degraded the planet, driven many life forms to extinction, and intensified the struggle for survival in developing nations.

The author follows these points with poignant observations on how we arrived at our current state, including what he describes as the "sickness" of a culture that relies on drugs, money, and power for happiness. He also examines the difference between "old" and "young" cultures and how each affects our planet. This distinction — between city-state cultures, which consume resources at an unsustainable rate, and tribal cultures, which do not — is another pivotal argument in the book.

Finally, the author insists that hope for the future remains. His closing arguments include re-empowering women, respecting other cultures, reducing our dependence on technology, and deepening our spiritual awareness as pathways toward a more sustainable world.