On its 40th anniversary, Krishnamurti was invited to speak to the United Nations. He was then 90 years old, and they used the opportunity to give him a peace medal. The editors at the Krishnamurti Foundation of America were then requested to add more content from various recorded talks to create a book to be distributed by the World Future Society.

The book was given out for free at their convention in Washington DC in 1992 but other than that it has never been published. The location of the talks transcribed ranges from Brussels to Mumbai, and from San Diego to Colombo.We are accustomed to Krishnamurti giving guidance on meditation, on inner states and qualities of the mind, but not so much on the world, on how we might live and on how to act in a world torn by conflict and by perceived decline and degradation. What can we do? How should we act? These extracts from talks, speeches and other books will help us feel better when we feel overwhelmed and encourage us to do what is within our power to make things better.

Audiences are desperate for some constructive good news in these confusing and troubling times; there are no simple answers and Krishnamurti would never offer these anyway, but this is like sitting round the fire with a trusted elder.