Whether such transformation is likely is another matter. But we will not be able to succeed unless we see the alternatives clearly and realize that the choice is still ours. Dissatisfaction with our way of life is the first step toward changing it. As to these changes, one thingis certain: They must take place in all spheres simultaneously — in the economic, the social,the political and the spiritual. Change in only one sphere will lead into blind alleys, as did the purely political French Revolution and the purely economic Russian Revolution. Man is a product of circumstances — but the circumstances are also his product. He has a unique capacity that differentiates him from all other living beings: the capacity to be aware of himself and of his circumstances, and hence to plan and to act according to his awareness.
这种转化能否成功则是另一回事。但是，如果我们不清楚地看到可供选择的途径，意识不到我们仍有选择余地，我们就不能指望成功。对我们的生活方式不满是迈向改变这种方式的第一步。关于这种改变，有一点是肯定的：改变必须在所有领域同时进行——包括经济、社会、 政治以及精神等领域。仅仅改造一个领域，就会像纯粹政治性质的法国革命和纯粹经济性质的俄国革命那样走进死胡同。人类是环境的产物——但环境也是人类的产物。人类具有区别于其他任何生物的独特能力：认识自己和认识环境的能力，因此也就有了按照自己的认识制订计划并付诸行动的能力。