Throughout human history, civilizations have lost touch with knowledge, traditions, and practices that their ancestors developed over thousands of years. Author Daniel Quinn called this phenomenon “the Great Forgetting.”
But what if some of that lost wisdom is actually worth recovering? June Cohen believes we’re overdue for a “Great Remembering.”
She might seem to be an unlikely evangelist for that idea. Cohen, after all, is a pioneer of digital media who helped bring TED Talks to audiences around the world, and she has spent much of her career exploring the possibilities of the future. But now, she says, it’s time for us to look for great ideas in our past.
In her new book, “The Great Remembering: Powerful Ancient Practices—and the New Science Bringing Them Back,” Cohen has explored traditional wisdom systems that helped people navigate uncertainty, strengthen communities, care for one another, and live more fulfilling lives. And while she believes there is plenty from our past that we shouldn’t be repeating, science is giving us a way of knowing what actually works, and what is worth trying anew.
