How, according to Ishamel, can we save the world? And according to you?
According to Ishmael we can save the world by returning to the (in my opinion) simplier life style of the Leaver. The question this raises is, how do we stop being Takers? "You do it the way you stop destroying the ozone layer, the same way you stop cutting down the rain forests. If the will is there a method will be found." This quote was taken from page 140 of Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. Our gorilla friend, Ishmael, has a point. In fact I remember my dad tell me about how environmentalists were/are against off shore drilling, now granted we are still drilling off shore but the will was/is there, and eventually we will find away. This book is contacting people everyday spreading the word, starting the new tend in the way we think of life.
There are a number of ways to "save the world" but does the world even need saving to begin with? Yes and No. Starting with the somewhat different approach, no the world doesn't need saving because God created the world and has complete control over the world, so even if we try to save the world we would just be going against his devine intentions. At the same time we aren't helping ourselves by destoying our ozone layer, and trying to allow same sex marriage. If that was how God wanted us to live he would have created "Adam and Steve" in stead of the very real Adam and Eve. So no the world doesn't need saving in terms of "global warming" side of things.
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ClaireAnne, I think that Ishmael makes a pretty clear point that Adam and Eve are metaphors for a new culture that was seperate and distinct from the Leavers. I don't think the novel, or the question really related to the marriage issues currently on the California court's table... Your point about leaving things in the hands of the gods is a salient one, however. Ishmael notes that Takers (i.e. us)do the opposite because we don't want to ever have to go with out what our immediate desires are. Leaving our lives in the hands of the gods is scary, and uncertain, so instead we opt for security in stockpiling.
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