Book Review: The Power of Well-Being: A blueprint for rebuilding the social fabric and reimagining an inclusive society Jacqui Thompson* Author: Clive Elliott Cogent Publishing, NY, 2021 available on Kindle One of the trickiest questions you can be asked by a writer is what you think about their work. I was asked this question by Clive Elliott QC about his recently published book “the Power of Wellbeing”. The timing couldn’t have been worse really. It was just before we were about to launch a webinar where Clive was being interviewed by barrister, Sarah Wroe. I was distracted and a little bit anxious and without hesitation blurted out the truth: “Well, it wasn’t a laugh a minute, but it certainly made me think”. I was horrified the moment I said it. Clive was not horrified but pleased. This was the reaction he wanted when he sat down to write this book. He wanted people to think about the social framework and the structural problems that we all face, not just in Aotearoa New Zealand, but globally. Importantly, recent upheavals had led him to question how we can regulate the relationship between the individual and society and what obligations we have towards each other. Clive tackled the subjects not as an academic, but as someone looking for answers. That is part of the charm of the book. It is a discussion about how we as individuals could remodel our social construct to embrace a concept of wellbeing that can create empathy, trust and social cohesion, and in turn a free, fair and equitable society. It is accessible and relatable. The book has a very Aotearoa New Zealand focus with examples from recent history. Clive also draws on his experience as a “middle-aged white South African who grew up in a deeply divided country, and a racist apartheid regime”1 who emigrated to New Zealand. Speaking of his home of 40 years, he says that “Aotearoa has taught me the inestimable value of honest reflection, tolerance, and understanding.”2 However, the 15 March 2019 Mosque shootings in Christchurch crystallised his thinking on a number of
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[T]he 15 March 2019 Mosque shootings in Christchurch crystallised his thinking on a number of what he calls inconvenient truths, such as tribalism and the us versus them mentality that is rearing its ugly head in the form of racial and religious intolerance. what he calls inconvenient truths, such as tribalism and the us versus them mentality that is rearing its ugly head in the form of racial and religious intolerance. Added to this was the growing gap in terms of economic equality, the environmental catastrophe that we all face and the increasing focus on the rights of the individual without balancing these against their responsibility to society. In writing this book, Clive has not shied away from confronting the central issue that has dominated New Zealand politics since at least the 1970s, namely economic growth versus fair living standards. He quotes Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who said that while the growth of the economy is important, it does not guarantee improvements to living standards or reflect who benefits, who is left out and who is left behind.3 And of course, when people are left behind, we cannot be surprised by growing anger and increasing violence. Clive concludes that the major environmental and social upheavals we are experiencing need a new way of thinking. He proposes that we focus on General Wellbeing (GWB). He notes that wellbeing is not an economic plan or policy and is not a thing that causes something. By GWB, Clive is talking about an ultimate goal and process – and a philosophy and way of life. It is about achieving a better life for more people, even if it means a little less for those with a lot more.4 As Clive notes, the genesis of wellbeing stretches back as far as Greek and Roman antiquity. It is underpinned by the ethical principle of reciprocity or treating others
APRIL / MAY 2022
