David Korten, When Corporations Rule the World.
A powerful critique of modern-day capitalism, When Corporations Rule the World is riveting in its attack on the concentration of corporate power and wealth that is undermining the foundations of Western democratic societies and the health of the planet. More than two decades after first being published, it has become a classic international bestseller articulate in its deep conviction that economic growth must be people centered.
Korten writes, “I find that it is often the people who live ordinary lives far removed from the corridors of power who have the clearest perception of what is really happening. Yet, they are often reluctant to speak openly what they believe in their hearts to be true, because it is too frightening and differs too dramatically from what those with more impressive credentials and access to the media are saying. They feel isolated and helpless.”
The loss of orientation and instability that the vast majority of us feel in our lives by a world that is seemingly out of control is the result of a loss of honest leadership. Again, Korten holds nothing back when, in telling of his own personal journey towards the truth, he says, “I’ve since come to realize that what most economists peddle as settled science in grounded in moral bankruptcy and intellectual fraud.”
Considering the fundamental interconnectivity between economics, politics, human communities, and the sustainable use of environmental resources, Korten provides a blue-print for a living economy to replace the “suicidal” and “phantom-wealth” system that we are currently forced to endure.
Although all of this may sound like rather gloomy reading, a timeless story emerges from When Corporations Rule the World. That story, Korten tells us, is one of “authentic truth” that has “ancient roots.” It is a story that time and time again presses upon us the fact that we are in a universe in which life only exists in community. We belong to one another and to the Earth. “Our human nature calls us to care and share for the benefit of all.” The purpose of any human organization is to support and sustain life. “Individualistic greed, ruthless competition, and violence against life are indicators of serious psychological and societal dysfunction.”
If the majority of us living in democratic societies are to reclaim our power, each of us must begin by globalizing our consciousness. This doesn’t mean rejecting the idea that competition is an important part of being human. But rather understanding that competition, no matter where it takes place, whether globally or locally, is a single subtheme to be kept in check by the dominant human drives of cooperation, caring, and bonding that are essential for everyone’s survival, sense of security, and happiness. This is authentic, human-centered globalization.
