Kaj če bi bogastvo merili z življenjem in s tem, kako dobro mu služimo?
David Korten je svojo poklicno pot začel kot profesor na poslovni šoli Harvard z namenom, da bi ljudem v državah tretjega sveta, ki se soočajo s težavami, pomagal iz revščine, tako da bi z njimi delil skrivnosti ameriškega poslovnega uspeha. Vendar pa je Korten po nekaj desetletjih, v katerih je svoje strategije organizacijskega razvoja uporabljal v tako oddaljenih krajih, kot so Etiopija, Nikaragva in Filipini, spremenil mnenje. Leta 1995 je napisal uspešnico Ko korporacije vladajo svetu , ki ji je sledila serija knjig, ki so pomagale pri rojstvu gibanja, znanega kot Novo gospodarstvo, poziva k zamenjavi nadnacionalne korporativne prevlade z lokalnim gospodarstvom, nadzorom, lastništvom in samozadostnostjo.
Korten, ki je tudi soustanovitelj in predsednik upravnega odbora YES!, je ta mesec objavil novo knjigo, ki bralce spodbuja, da ponovno premislijo o svojem odnosu do Zemlje – pravzaprav do vsega stvarstva, od najmanjšega kvantnega delca do celotnega vesolja. Svet potrebuje »novo zgodbo«, pravi. »Če želimo, da večina vrst, vključno s Homo sapiensom, preživi, moramo Zemljo prepoznati kot živo bitje.« Korten se je o svoji nenehni metamorfozi pogovarjal z izvršnim urednikom YES!, Deanom Patonom.
Dean Paton : Povejte mi, kako je nekdo, ki je bil specialist za organizacijski management in nato vodja mišljenja nove ekonomije, naredil ta preskok v nekaj, kar je prav tako duhovna kot politična trditev – da je Zemlja živ organizem, da smo vsi v bistvu del te ene velike življenjske oblike.
„Vse se vrti okoli tega: Ali smo del narave? Ali ločeni od narave?“
David Korten : Pravzaprav ni tako težko – ko enkrat vstopiš v okvir žive Zemlje – videti, da je Zemlja v bistvu ta organizacija živih organizmov, ki ustvarjajo in vzdržujejo pogoje, bistvene za življenje. Če ste organizacijski strokovnjak ali teoretik, se vam zastavlja resnično fascinantno vprašanje: Kako ti milijoni organizmov delujejo usklajeno, da ohranjajo življenje?
Paton : Kot da bi vse imelo inteligenco in vse bi imelo namen? Kakšno relevantnost ima to za vašo novo knjigo Spremeni zgodbo, spremeni prihodnost?
Korten : Nova knjiga postavlja sopostavitev med staro zgodbo »Sveti denar in trgi« in nastajajočo zgodbo »Sveto življenje in živa Zemlja«. Gre za dva popolnoma različna okvira, ki vodita do dveh popolnoma različnih načinov razmišljanja o organizaciji družbe. Ali življenje vidite kot sredstvo za ustvarjanje denarja ali pa denar vidite zgolj kot številko, uporabno za vodenje računov v službi življenja, ki pa sama po sebi nima nobene vrednosti. Če verjamemo zgodbi »Sveti denar in trgi«, da je denar bogastvo in ključ do sreče, nas to zaklene v suženjstvo korporativni vladavini.
Paton : Pravite, da tradicionalni razvojni model oziroma transnacionalni kapitalizem škoduje Zemlji kot živi skupnosti, vključno z ne le ljudmi, ampak vsemi oblikami življenja. Pa vendar smo vsi odvisni od denarja, od tržnega gospodarstva. Ali res mislite, da lahko to odvisnost kar tako ustavimo?
Korten : Še vedno bomo uporabljali denar in trge, vendar bomo odpravili nadzor Wall Streeta nad ustvarjanjem in dodeljevanjem denarja. V Združenih državah Amerike je bil nekoč čas, ko je bila večina naših finančnih institucij lokalnih. Kar je v bistvu pomenilo, da so lokalne skupnosti lahko ustvarile lastne kredite oziroma denar kot odgovor na svoje potrebe. Še vedno smo bili odvisni od bank, vendar je bil to veliko bolj demokratičen proces.
Paton : Kot stavba in posojilo Georgea Baileyja v filmu Čudovito življenje .
"Ljudje živimo od zgodb."
Korten : Točno tako. Če bi več našega denarja krožilo v naših skupnostih in ne v igralnicah na Wall Streetu, bi to ljudem olajšalo lokalno organiziranje, da bi z lokalnimi viri zadovoljili več svojih ekonomskih potreb. Nadzor nad denarjem je končni mehanizem družbenega nadzora v družbi, v kateri je skoraj vsak človek odvisen od denarja za osnovna sredstva za preživetje – hrano, vodo, zavetje, ogrevanje, prevoz, zabavo. To nas vodi v gibanje prostovoljne preprostosti: Manj ko sem odvisen od denarja, bolj sem svoboden. Zavedajte se, da je edini legitimni namen gospodarstva služiti življenju, služiti nam kot živim bitjem, ki si ustvarjajo preživetje v soproduktivnem partnerstvu z živo Zemljo.
Paton : Kako se to prevede v dejanja? Če dosežemo, da tisoč ljudi reče: "Sem živo bitje, rojeno in vzgojeno na živi Zemlji," kako to ustavi hidravlično lomljenje? Kako to prepreči Rusom, da bi izčrpali vso nafto iz Kazahstana in jo prodajali po vsem svetu?
Korten : Zelo jasno kaže, da je uničevanje naravnih živih sistemov, od katerih je odvisen naš obstoj, da bi dobili hitro energetsko rešitev ali hiter dobiček, dobesedno noro.
Paton : Če smo torej vsi živa bitja, »rojena iz žive Zemlje«, kot pravite, kje se to začne kazati v našem življenju?
Korten : Velik del tega je povezan s prepoznavanjem posledic naše odvisnosti od denarja. To sega nazaj do razvoja kot procesa ločevanja ljudi od njihovih sredstev za preživetje. Bolj ko se ljudje odtujijo od lastne proizvodnje, bolj postajajo odvisni od denarja – in bolj postajajo odvisni od ljudi, ki nadzorujejo ustvarjanje in razporejanje denarja.
Paton : Misliš, da ko sem odvisen, sprejmem hidravlično lomljenje.
Korten : Ja, rečeš: "Potrebujem ta denar. Plačali mi bodo, da mi bodo z hidravličnim lomljenjem razkopali posest."
Paton : Ali res mislite, da se bodo Američani lahko znebili prepričanja, da je denar kralj?
Korten : Rekel bi, da ga veliko ljudi zavrača.
Paton : Večina nas se odzove na bankovec za 10 dolarjev. Ali na bonus v službi. Ali na nov avto.
Korten : Vendar se na to odzivamo, ker sprejemamo zgodbo o »svetem denarju in trgih«, da je denar bogastvo, kar je izmišljotina, ki nas dobesedno ubija.
Paton : Torej pravite, da je naša izbira med sodelovanjem z Zemljo in delovanjem proti njej?
Korten : Spet se spet vrti okoli tega: Ali smo del narave? Ali ločeni od narave?
Paton : Zakaj vztrajate, da posvojimo to zgodbo o »Živi Zemlji«?
Korten : Ker ljudje živimo od zgodb.
Paton : In to pomeni ...?
Korten : To pomeni, da za organizacijo kot urejene družbe potrebujemo skupen okvir – osnovne vrednote in predpostavke – tako da imam, ko se povežem z vami, neko predstavo o tem, kako se boste odzvali, ker si delimo osnovno zgodbo.
Paton : Ali imamo izbiro?
Korten : Ja, spremeni se ali umri. Dobesedno. Resnično ne moreš dojeti nove zgodbe – kot družba – in nadaljevati z življenjem, kot živimo mi. Najprej se začneš premikati k bolj prostovoljni preprostosti, kar dobesedno pomeni zmanjšanje odvisnosti od denarja. Začneš početi več stvari sam. Veliko več pozornosti posvečaš svojim odnosom, ekonomiji daril. Morda dobiš globlji občutek, da si del in prispevaš k živemu vesolju, ki se razvija v smeri vedno večje kompleksnosti, lepote, zavedanja in možnosti. Kaj bi to pomenilo za družbo in kaj potem pomeni za to, kako živim? Kakšen je moj prispevek k spremembi, ki jo družba potrebuje? Imam odgovornost, da sem del te spremembe – ki se začne s spreminjanjem zgodbe.
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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.