Creating a new economy, not just a fix job of the same machine.

Changing the framework of our economic society, not just fixing it.

We can change the human course by changing the framing stories of our dominant culture. The prevailing Empire stories celebrate the individualism, violence and greed that express the pathologies of our collective human immaturity, while denying the potentials for community, love, and nurturing service that define our more mature human nature. The turning from Empire to Earth Community depends on changing these stories through conversations that make public the transformative inner wisdom we posses as individuals. Institutional change will follow naturally.

David Korten is not just some left wing activist or anti establisment anarchist.
Rather Korten advocates that we move our political and social ideologies from serving individal values, to communal values. From this our prosperity will follow. He asks the right questions:
What are the inherant consequences of our current rule or be ruled existence, our enslavement to debt? Why are are focused on the wrong priorities to increase debt? Do we want to put people before profits? And international relations ahead of international domination?

Kortem weaves his way through the confusing labyrinth that is our current global economic system and disfuntoinal money values where profit outweighs life.

He encapsulates the injustice of the current 'empire' system we still function in.

For much of my adult life I have been embarked on a quest to understand the institutional sources of human dysfunction and map a pathway to positive change.

Understadning our economic paradigm and working to change it rather than fix it, is nothing new to most on ATS, however Kortens eloquance gives not only understanding but lays the foundations for a new economic "utopia" where our collective need is what determines the wealth, not the individuals.
This is by no means communist thought, there is no restriction or loss of property. Certainly it sounds like a socialist agenda, but not for a socialist party, rather an agenda for all citizens.

Our economic system has failed on every dimension: environmental, social, and financial. The fact that the Wall Street financial collapse has preceded the terminal collapse of our social and environmental systems is a blessing, because it demonstrates that the economic system has failed even on its own terms. Financial collapse is only about money and can be fixed over a few years with relative ease. Social collapse is about the loss of relationships of trust and caring that are the essential fabric of functioning community.
Spending trillions of dollars in an effort to restore Wall Street to its original condition is a reckless waste of time and resources. The more intelligent course is to declare our independence from the predatory institutions of Wall Street and put in place a new policy framework favoring Main Street businesses and workers engaged in the socially and environmentally responsible production of goods and services that improve the lives of all.

Listen and I hope you enjoy it as much as did







David Kortem is co chair executive director of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., a New Economy Working Group formed at the end of 2008 to further develop and advance New Economy policies. IPS, which works in partnership with progressive members of Congress and many national groups involved in economic education and policy advocacy, serves as the secretariat of the Working the Alliance for a new economyDavid Korten was an insider in the development establishment for several decades. Has taught at Harvard University's Graduate School of Business. Having severed his ties to the past, today he is a leading voice for economic and social justice. He is co-founder and board chair of YES! magazine. He is the author of "When Corporations Rule the World" and "The Great Turning." His latest book is "Agenda for a New Economy."

www.davidkorten.org...


[edit on 13-6-2009 by zazzafrazz]

reply to post by zazzafrazz
Cheers Zazz,
I avoid politics and economics because they never fail to leave me annoyed or angry. There's so much wrong with the systems we live by and so little we can do about it that I chose to opt out a few years ago. Korten's ideas are appealing and I'll read up on him a bit more before forming an opinion. I'd never heard of him until now. Chomsky (love him!) shows what's wrong with politics and foreign policies but he doesn't offer alternatives.

Take it easy



[edit on 13-6-2009 by Kandinsky]

reply to post by Kandinsky


Well im kinda shocked someones actually read the thread Kdinks

Agreed , I'd like to avoid the hysteria that surrounds the subject, but I do tend to read alot on economics as my friend writes for the FIN times in the UK.
Hence discovered Korten He's a social progressive coupled with clinical understading on how the system works.