Što ako bismo bogatstvo mjerili životom i koliko dobro mu služimo?
David Korten započeo je svoju profesionalnu karijeru kao profesor na Harvard Business School s misijom izvlačenja ljudi u problemima u zemljama Trećeg svijeta iz siromaštva dijeljenjem tajni američkog poslovnog uspjeha. Ipak, nakon nekoliko desetljeća u kojima je primjenjivao svoje strategije organizacijskog razvoja na mjestima udaljenim poput Etiopije, Nikaragve i Filipina, Korten je promijenio mišljenje. Godine 1995. napisao je bestseler Kad korporacije vladaju svijetom , nakon čega je uslijedio niz knjiga koje su pomogle u nastanku pokreta poznatog kao Nova ekonomija, poziva na zamjenu transnacionalne korporativne dominacije lokalnim gospodarstvima, kontrolom, vlasništvom i oslanjanjem na vlastite snage.
Ovog mjeseca, Korten, koji je ujedno i suosnivač i predsjednik upravnog odbora YES!-a, objavljuje novu knjigu koja potiče čitatelje da preispitaju svoj odnos sa Zemljom - zapravo, sa svim stvorenjem, od najmanje kvantne čestice do cijelog svemira. Svijetu je potrebna „nova priča“, kaže. „Ako većina vrsta, uključujući Homo sapiensa, želi preživjeti, moramo prepoznati Zemlju kao živo biće.“ Korten je razgovarao o svojoj tekućoj metamorfozi s glavnim urednikom YES!-a, Deanom Patonom.
Dean Paton : Recite mi kako je netko tko je bio specijalist za organizacijski menadžment, a zatim i lider nove ekonomije, napravio ovaj skok u ono što je podjednako duhovna koliko i politička tvrdnja - da je Zemlja živi organizam, da smo svi u biti dio ovog jednog velikog oblika života.
„Vraća se na ovo: Jesmo li dio prirode? Ili smo odvojeni od prirode?“
David Korten : Zapravo nije tako teško - kad se jednom sagledamo kao živa Zemlja - vidjeti da je Zemlja u biti organizacija živih organizama koja stvara i održava uvjete bitne za život. Ako ste stručnjak za organizaciju ili teoretičar, to postavlja zaista fascinantno pitanje: Kako ti milijuni organizama rade zajedno kako bi održali život?
Paton : Kao da sve ima inteligenciju i sve ima svrhu? Kako je to relevantno za vašu novu knjigu, Promijeni priču, promijeni budućnost?
Korten : Nova knjiga uspostavlja suprotstavljanje stare priče „Sveti novac i tržišta“ i novonastale priče „Sveti život i živa Zemlja“. To su dva potpuno različita okvira koja vode do dva potpuno različita načina razmišljanja o organiziranju društva. Ili život vidite kao sredstvo za zarađivanje novca ili novac vidite jednostavno kao broj koristan za vođenje računa u službi života, ali sam po sebi bez vrijednosti. Prihvaćanje priče „Sveti novac i tržišta“ da je novac bogatstvo i ključ sreće zaključava nas u ugovorno ropstvo korporativnoj vladavini.
Paton : Kažete da je tradicionalni model razvoja, ili transnacionalni kapitalizam, taj koji šteti Zemlji kao živoj zajednici, uključujući ne samo ljude već sve oblike života. Pa ipak, svi ovisimo o novcu, o tržišnom gospodarstvu. Mislite li da stvarno možemo jednostavno zaustaviti tu ovisnost?
Korten : I dalje ćemo koristiti novac i tržišta, ali ćemo ukloniti kontrolu Wall Streeta nad stvaranjem i alokacijom novca. U Sjedinjenim Državama bilo je vrijeme kada je većina naših financijskih institucija bila lokalna. Što je u biti značilo da su lokalne zajednice mogle stvarati vlastite kredite ili vlastiti novac kao odgovor na vlastite potrebe. I dalje smo ovisili o bankama, ali to je bio puno demokratskiji proces.
Paton : Poput zgrade i kredita Georgea Baileyja u filmu Divan je život .
"Mi ljudi živimo od priča."
Korten : Upravo tako. Kad bi više našeg novca cirkuliralo u našim zajednicama, a ne u kasinu na Wall Streetu, to bi olakšalo ljudima da se lokalno organiziraju kako bi zadovoljili više svojih ekonomskih potreba lokalnim resursima. Kontrola novca je krajnji mehanizam društvene kontrole u društvu u kojem gotovo svaka osoba ovisi o novcu za osnovna sredstva za život - hranu, vodu, sklonište, toplinu, prijevoz, zabavu. To nas vodi u pokret dobrovoljne jednostavnosti: Što manje ovisim o novcu, to sam slobodniji. Shvatite da je jedina legitimna svrha gospodarstva služiti životu, služiti nama kao živim bićima koja zarađuju za život u koproduktivnom partnerstvu sa živom Zemljom.
Paton : Kako se to prevodi u djela? Ako natjeramo tisuću ljudi da kažu: „Ja sam živo biće rođeno i odgojeno od žive Zemlje“, kako to zaustavlja frakturiranje? Kako to sprječava Ruse da ispumpavaju svu naftu iz Kazahstana i prodaju je diljem svijeta?
Korten : To vrlo jasno pokazuje da je uništavanje prirodnih živih sustava o kojima ovisi naš opstanak, kako bismo brzo osigurali energiju ili ostvarili brzu zaradu, doslovno ludo.
Paton : Dakle, ako smo svi živa bića „rođena od žive Zemlje“, kako kažete, gdje se to počinje pojavljivati u našim životima?
Korten : Veliki dio toga ima veze s prepoznavanjem implikacija naše ovisnosti o novcu. To seže do razvoja kao procesa odvajanja ljudi od njihovih sredstava za život. Što se ljudi više otuđuju od vlastite proizvodnje, to više postaju ovisni o novcu - i to više postaju ovisni o ljudima koji kontroliraju stvaranje i raspodjelu novca.
Paton : Misliš, kad sam ovisan, prihvaćam frakturiranje.
Korten : Da, kažeš: „Treba mi taj novac. Platit će mi da mi frakturiram imanje.“
Paton : Mislite li da će se Amerikanci zaista moći riješiti uvjerenja da je novac kralj?
Korten : Rekao bih da ga mnogi ljudi odbacuju.
Paton : Većina nas reagira na novčanicu od 10 dolara. Ili bonus na poslu. Ili novi automobil.
Korten : Ali mi na to reagiramo jer prihvaćamo priču o „Svetom novcu i tržištima“ da je novac bogatstvo, izmišljotinu koja nas doslovno ubija.
Paton : Dakle, kažete da je naš izbor između suradnje sa Zemljom i suradnje protiv nje?
Korten : Vraća se na ovo: Jesmo li dio prirode? Ili odvojeni od prirode?
Paton : Zašto inzistirate da usvojimo ovu priču o „Živoj Zemlji“?
Korten : Jer mi ljudi živimo od priča.
Paton : A to znači…?
Korten : To znači da nam je za organiziranje kao uređena društva potreban zajednički okvir - osnovne vrijednosti i pretpostavke - tako da kada se odnosim prema vama, imam neku ideju o tome kako ćete reagirati, jer dijelimo našu osnovnu priču.
Paton : Imamo li izbora?
Korten : Da, promijeni se ili umri. Doslovno. Zaista ne možeš shvatiti novu priču - kao društvo - i nastaviti živjeti onako kako mi živimo. Prvo se počinješ kretati prema dobrovoljnijoj jednostavnosti, što doslovno znači smanjenje ovisnosti o novcu. Počinješ više stvari raditi sam. Mnogo više pažnje posvećuješ svojim odnosima, ekonomiji darivanja. Možda dobivaš dublji osjećaj da si dio i doprinosiš živom svemiru koji se razvija prema sve većoj složenosti, ljepoti, svijesti i mogućnostima. Što bi to značilo za društvo, a što onda znači za način na koji živim? Koji je moj doprinos promjeni koja je društvu potrebna? Imam odgovornost biti dio ove promjene - koja počinje promjenom priče.
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"Are we a part of nature? Or apart from nature?"
This good question mirrors larger ones, such as, Are we a part of the divine? Or apart from the divine? Is our planet earth a part of the divine? Or is planet earth apart from the divine? What actually happens to us, to our humanity, and to all of life on our planet home when we believe and act as if the divine presence of God is never really present in our midst, that we cannot ever see, hear, touch, and know God right here, in this moment on this earth? Are we reserving all our seeing, hearing, touching, and knowing God for some next life, for some heaven beyond this present life?
What if God is here? What if God is under our noses, present within our own being, distinctly and separately contained in the loving wisdoms of two unique genders, alive in all the various races, colors, and cultures of people, within sexual orientation and identity, walking by, and also flying past, swimming in rivers and oceans, present in plants and insects - all facets and different aspects of the Universal One?
We seem so convinced that the divine is "out there", distant and foreign, looking down upon us. What if heaven has been waiting for us to bring it to life, right here on earth?
What would heaven be like? Would heaven have a hierarchy of superior and inferior people, or people superior to creatures, birds, fish, insects, plants, forests, oceans, and waters; human beings dominating over life, enslaving, re-engineering, genetically-altering, chemically-poisoning, and monetarily profiting from commodifying, exploiting, abusing, destroying, and killing human life and all of creation, and our own human hearts and souls in the bargain?
When Albert Eisstein was asked, What is the most important question in life, his answer was, "Is the universe a friendly place or not?"
[Hide Full Comment]Chasing and competing (even unto death) for fleeting, dissolving, and false monetary wealth blinds and pits all human beings (wittingly or unwittingly) against one another, and against all of life, and also crushes respect, love, genuine and true affection along the way, in regard to others and all of creation but also for one's self. Are we "making a living", but just existing, and not truly living? Can we compete our way into heaven, disrespecting and commodifying human work populations and all of life? Can we save our planet earth home, and the best in our humanity by disregarding and disrespecting both, in favor of non-lasting monetary rewards that are disappearing as quickly as we claim them, while they take away and destroy our true and lasting common wealth in the natural world of earth, lead us to suppress ground-breaking knowledge in natural processes and life-sustaining innovation, and stand in the way and block our ability to form healthy, respectful, cooperative relationships with one another and with all of creation? Is our existence on this earth nothing more than just a place to compete and win while trampling over others, dominating everyone and all of life, destroying the best of our own humanity and all of creation?
Perhaps the first, and truly most important, question is,
"Is the earth a friendly place or not?"
And, what have we formed it to be?
It has been said by George Simmel, German Sociologist, that money is the purest form of a tool. Since the tool is man made I suggest accounting for inherent worth wherein all possess natural worth.
Another contribution to changing the story.
"We are surrounded by a sea of free energy. Nikola Tesla and Dr. Thomas Henry Moray tried to educate the public to this good and free electromagnetic energy (EM energy) over 80 years ago that can be harnessed with a simple, even homemade, omnidirectional antenna. EM energy is infinitely supplied by our good universe, and it creates zero emissions. All the Egyptian pyramids are antennas, and more modern pyramids within our midst. Solar panels can be redesigned to harness this electromagnetic energy and supply free, unlimited, and carbon-free electrical energy." Get on it. Investigate. The info is out there. We need to reclaim our planetary earth home, if humanity and all of creation deserve a chance at continuing into a future full of abundance, joy, peace, free and good, priceless love and life.
from frenergy
[Tapping into 200 volts positive of free, unlimited and unmetered pure electrical energy]
Thank you for this good and necessary interview with David Korten.
A contribution to changing the story -
The goal is self-sufficiency. We need life skills asap.
Our real needs are actually simple - food, clothing, shelter, and local community connections.
We can all contribute to a new earth by literally beginning to be more and more self-sufficient, learning how to grow, harvest, and preserve our own food at the individual and local community level, planting organic gmo-free gardens, encouraging and supporting the creation of small local organic farms, and farmdens ["a farmden is more than a garden and less than a farm", horticulturist, Lee Reich], local fruit and nut trees and orchards etc, and learning best practices for organic growing and preserving of non-gmo vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Schools and universities could be growing and teaching their students necessary life skills, how to grow and harvest organic, vegetables, herbs, and orchards on their own campuses. We are wasting, actually also polluting chemically, enormous swatches of dead zone land in maintaining pristine-looking lawns, but often poisoned with "cides" that are dangerous to esp. children but also adults, animals, bird, bat, insect life, fish, and local water sources (from the runoff into groundwater or local streams and creeks etc), rather than front, back, and side yards, and common community lands that are contributing to organic food self-sufficiency and engaged with the growing-of-life-itself process. We could also be composting all vegetal and organic plant waste and restoring depleted soils, rather than putting it into garbage disposals and sewers. We could be planting native plants and trees to encourage and contribute to the health and well being of all plant, animal, insect, bird, and fish populations at the individual and local level. And rooftop farms and gardens are one dynamic solution [eg. Brooklyn Grange] enabling city dwellers to also begin the process of becoming food self-sufficient local towns and cities.
We could also be de-constructing archaic and wasteful, unsustainable housing construction, reclaiming the materials, but also restoring the soils and lands, and building our own houses esp. with natural earth and cob-building processes [eg. First Earth movie], passive solar, thermal mass, sustainable energies, revolutionary biotecture techniques [Earthship Biotecture] for heating and cooling, trapping and using rainwater, and treating sewage on site w natural earth knowledge and processes, etc. Very little or no furniture and unspoiled home goods should be going into land fills. All of it, the vast majority could be recycled, redesigned, repainted, reupholstered and re-imagined into new life by local peoples with the know-how and vision to reclaim it. Raw materials could also find new and glorious uses [eg. Wallace Detroit Guitars - Upcycled Guitars Made From Abandoned Homes]. Old doors and windows could be made into garden greenhouses and conservatories "to extend the growing season, and as a shelter for chickens and/ or quail" [from Off Grid World].
I am one generation away from grandparents who did know how to grow and preserve their own food, who had cold cellars on their properties, who knew how to design and sew their own clothes, and build their own houses, and they did it all at the local level. By building and supporting local community and local businesses, local banking or public local banks, we are creating real wealth in self-sufficient and self-sustainable lives, enjoying life and real living, sharing in the joy and abundance of growing and harvesting, and engaged with our neighbors, neighborhoods, and local community. We could become local towns and communities of handbikers, bike trails and bike lanes like Amsterdam in the Netherlands. We could ensure our community has, at least, one dynamic and exciting, welcoming and beautiful public square with native plants and trees etc. where people can gather to talk, engage, sit, stroll, enjoy an ice cream cone, watch and support local street performers entertain, maybe have local-truck businesses that visit, come and go, etc. on Friday night and Saturday like they do in Tuscan Italian towns.
A few decades ago while working together at a community bank, I worked with a co-worker and friend whose mother lived in Greece, and her Greek mother would come every summer to visit her daughter. The two of them would roam the stores looking at clothes they admired. Then, the Greek mother (actually a grandmother) would make the dress, skirt etc patterns herself, and sew the clothes that her daughter, my friend, had admired. Watching the two of them every summer, was ... almost miraculous. That elderly and sophisticated Greek grandmother had true life skills; she was self-sufficient, and it was marvelous. The clothes she sewed for herself and her daughter were absolutely fabulous; they both had THE most gorgeous and unique wardrobes, and it was all created with loving hands and overflowing generosity of heart.
Imagine if we were all so engaged in living, having a wealth of life skills at our fingertips,
[Hide Full Comment]what kind of loving and life-enhancing new earth we could be living, and bring forth?
This "Living Earth' story need to be heard by more people around the world. We are living in a world controlled by greedy big banks and big businesses whose only aim is the big profit! And the rest of the world is mindlessly succumbing to their mantra of materialism - consume, consume AND consume! Lets rethink at individual levels about our way of life and make a concerted effort to resist materialism and go back to a simplistic way of living, caring for the living earth, caring for your families and future generations, caring for the communities we live in.