A New Earth: Create a Better Life

In October 2015, 10 years after the book’s publication, Tolle reflects on how matters have changed. He asks whether a “new earth” is arising, in which “humans no longer create unnecessary suffering for themselves, one another, as well as other life-forms on the planet” (xiii). Tolle argues that the media presents an overwhelmingly negative view of world events and keeps consumers hooked on fear-driven narratives. However, in some parts of the world there are also positive narratives, such as “an emerging sense of social justice that our ancestors couldn’t have even dreamed of” (xv). This level of “awareness” implies that in many people “there is […] a lessening of the ego,” a force that gives rise to selfishness and an individual’s sense of separation from other life-forms (xv). Until this diminishment of ego becomes the rule, and not the exception, temporary regressions to the “unconsciousness” of ego-driven behavior will occur on both an individual and collective level (xvi). Tolle advises his readers to remain calm in the face of challenges and to recognize that “awakening” to consciousness happens in the present moment, not in some perceived future (xvii).