'We live in a society with no elders and no children, no past and no future where . . . the talk show replaces family; instead of art we have the Internet; in the place of community we have the mail.
Bly turns to stories as unexpected as 'Jack And The Beanstalk' and the Hindu tale of 'Ganesha' to illustrate and illuminate the troubled soul of our nation itself. What he shows us is a culture where adults remain children, and where children have no desire to become adults - a nation of squabbling siblings.
Through the use of poetry and myth, Bly takes us beyond the sociological statistics and tired psychobabble to see our dilemma afresh. In this sibling culture he describes, we tolerate no one above us and have no concern for anyone below. Like sullen teenagers we live in our peer group, glancing side to side, rather than upwards, for direction. We shy away from great triumphs and deep sorrow. What we are left with is spiritual flatness.
A wake-up call, an inspiration, and brilliantly original, 'The Sibling Society' will capture the imagination and enliven our cultural debate.
