The Wayfinders

Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World

By: Wade Davis

Narrated by: Tom Perkins

Every culture is a unique answer to a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive? In The Wayfinders, renowned anthropologist, winner of the prestigious Samuel Johnson Prize, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis leads us on a thrilling journey to celebrate the wisdom of the world's indigenous cultures.

In Polynesia, we set sail with navigators whose ancestors settled the Pacific 10 centuries before Christ. In the Amazon, we meet the descendants of a true lost civilization, the Peoples of the Anaconda. In the Andes, we discover that the earth really is alive, while in Australia we experience Dreamtime, the all-embracing philosophy of the first humans to walk out of Africa. We then travel to Nepal, where we encounter a wisdom hero, a Bodhisattva, who emerges from 45 years of Buddhist retreat and solitude. And, finally, we settle in Borneo, where the last rain forest nomads struggle to survive.

Understanding the lessons of this journey will be our mission for the next century. For at risk is the human legacy - a vast archive of knowledge and expertise, a catalog of the imagination. Rediscovering a new appreciation for the diversity of the human spirit, as expressed by culture, is among the central challenges of our time.

©2009 Wade Davis (P)2017 Tantor

Great content.

The content is great however I found the narration to be a bit stilted and stiff.

A critical part of our existence

It’s a short and very enjoyable book that we ought to all read.

It is depressing that we erased so much of our history because of ignorance, arrogance, selfishness, and I don’t know, evil?

Fascinating survey of human cultural diversity and why it matters

Well distilled, fascinating and diverse perspective on human cultures and why they matter today. If you know nothing of cultural anthropology you will enjoy this book. If you have some experience of cultural anthropology you can still enjoy this book.

Other ways of knowing

An exceptional journey through interconnected landscapes and cultures that are in dire need of recognition and protection.

Powerful and mind changing

Great for challenging a lot of my own thinking or automated thinking. Would’ve been nice to have Wade himself reading the book.

This is probably an audiobook that I will go back and listen to you again in the future.

Inspiring context to focus our work ahead!

This series of lectures weaves together and drives home the essential wisdoms of the ancients, laying down the foundational context for the critical work we have before us in reorienting ourselves in service to those generations who will follow after us.

Powerful

I would recommend this book to anyone who feels trapped by modern culture. Wade Davis shares his survey of the ways of indigenous people all around the world and reveals the depth that the soul is capable of achieving when life is lived in harmony with the earth.

Perspective

Reading The Wayfinders provides a needed perspective of man’s place in the world and fragile claim on life and well-being. Many of our less civilized brethren on the planet, it would seem, have a more secure claim on peace and security than the “more prosperous” and “educated” inhabitants of modernity.
Read this book and open your eyes.

so much I didn't know!

I absolutely love it. it helps put life in perspective and encourages introspective thought. it's great for a short road trip.

A Shocking Tale Of The Demise Of Humanity

This is an incredible book and if the narration is a little dry, it is worth putting up with. It looks at the cost of human "progress" as more than half of the earth's languages will be shed in the next 2 decades. One is lost every fortnight! It's a well put together tale but lacks a narrative that returns to the "big picture" after it turns to specific case studies. I'd happily learn more if it was available. Highly recommended.