The Return of the King

Foreword

In our lifetime the world has reached a critical phase: we are faced with challenges that are unprecedented in human history. Our survival as a species is at stake, as well as our connection with the planet and the way we use or abuse it. Without nature we are lost, and it's our hubris that makes us think we can outsmart her. We are in need of a drastic change, a transformation so profound that nothing we have seen before can guide us. It is the Unknown that defines our existence, and we need all our wisdom, all our instinct and intuition to create a momentum of change.

When you start to follow the path of the soul, either as an individual or as a nation, the world will change. You are no longer a victim of the situation, but a hero walking his own path. And the struggle of the hero will ultimately lead to the return of the king, as is described in so many mythological stories. The king is the archetypal symbol of the heart, the essence of our being. So often, we live our lives from the mind, from fear, or from desire or fantasy, or we are ruled by our changing emotions. It is the quiet yet steadfast voice of the heart that leads us back to our destiny, to the promised land of our soul.

The last couple of thousand years we have relied too much on a masculine way of thinking and on old patriarchal values and religions. The feminine, and women themselves, were deemed to be inferior. It is time for us to restore the balance, both in politics and in science, in business as well as in religious matters. This is no longer a 'men's world'. As men, we need to re-evaluate what healthy masculinity should be: a masculinity that is both active and compassionate, that is grounded in love and wisdom, but dares to be bold and decisive as well. This book explores the need for this new manhood, both for men and women as well as the world at large.

This is what the Return of the king stands for: the promise of a new leadership from the heart. Because one thing is for sure: we won't get there without the power of the heart and the wisdom of compassion. It is our heart that is the guiding force, our compass through the waves of things to come. It is not our minds that will be able to figure it out, nor our technical or scientific resources. They will help, but it is from the core of our being that we will be guided to a new phase of evolution. Will you join in to make this possible, and embark on an adventure never seen before in history?

You are cordially invited.

Ton van der Kroon