The most important ingredient in life is honesty. None of us are perfect. And life is not about perfect. It is about falling down, getting up, and trying again. This book tries to take some of the wrappers off to see what's inside. Life is inviting us all to do the same. In 2001 I was fortunate enough to play King Lear in Shakespeare's play. It finishes with the line 'Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say'. This is not easy. It is very difficult to speak the truth when all around are telling lies. The most powerful action is to speak up. And this is what is happening in our world today. In a very mysterious way a storm is blowing across the surface of the earth, the earth itself is rupturing itself and saying - enough. Governments are toppling; our leaders are being asked bold questions; the Arab Spring; Occupy Wall Street in cities all over the world; the recent elections in Russia, with maybe 100,000 demonstrators pouring into the street accusing their leaders of election fixing and playing gangster; Europe's woes and the attempt by its leaders to make the problem all about finances and institutions; the United States with Congress and the President at a standoff over principles of government; the constant threat of war in the Middle-East; Africa's poverty; China's muscle flexing: all of these scenarios are the same. They are all about, equity, honesty, fraternity and the freedom to be us. 2012 if it means anything means - remove the pretence, stop playing the games. Everything that is happening in our world is the result of our own actions. There is nobody out there doing things to us. We do it to each other. The only crises are the games we have made up which allow winners and losers and give away our self responsibility. We could solve the problems of the world right now by untying the threads of all the lies we make up that turn us into strangers to one another.
