David Korten's latest book reviewed

author : Aleta DeBee | Dave Zink topic : book review | imperialism

by Aleta DeBee and Dave Zink

The time to change our society is now, says David C. Korten in his newest book, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community.

World domination and exploitation for narrow, short-sighted purposes is failing, because it has the seeds of its own destruction built into it. This "empire" system, developed by the economic elite and amoral corporations, needs to be replaced by another system, which Korten calls "Earth Community." We need to choose to do more supporting and helping other nations, as well as making the economy within our own country more equitable. Economic classes are becoming ever more sharply divided, with a few acquiring more and more wealth, and a huge, growing number of workers laboring for less and less, with poverty looming ever larger.

David Korten senses a general unsettled feeling among Americans who are upset with the unfair division between the upper 1% and all others, and with the disparity in income and opportunity between the classes. He feels that more and more people are feeling a need to develop a society where people actually work together, help each other, and share resources more equitably.

The Earth Community is an ideal where work is rewarded, where we spread resources more fairly, while using them more sustainably, so that there is enough to go around and enough to save for future generations. In the "Empire" society, which is the one we're now in, the idea has been to acquire land with oil or minerals, mine or pump out the resources for immediate profit, and then once the land is depleted, move on to other places to begin the depletion again. And, all at the lowest cost (property, labor, pollution prevention, etc).

Korten believes that Americans and others throughout the world are starting to feel that this "Empire" as controlled by corporations is not only immoral but also dangerous. Wars, pollution, poverty and over-use of resources are symptoms of this danger, and many of us are feeling the pressure that if we don't stop corporate greed now, we and our future will be lost.

He believes that we need to change the "stories" we tell our children, to reflect the direction that will bring our nation back to a fair, equal opportunity, positive America, where profit is not the only motive. Many of the "stories" that guide our children seem to emphasize domination, competition, and greed rather than sharing, respect, and "win-win" scenarios.

This book tells us a lot of what we already know . . . we feel it inside. But, Korten offers solutions, some ways we can start to shift from "empire" into an "Earth Community" by working with people and nature rather than by destroying and dominating them.

There is a lot to like in The Great Turning. Korten threads together politics from a feminist perspective with a long view of history in a convincing fashion, and connects a lot of dots. We found his discussion of Riane Eisler's discoveries regarding ancient matrilineal culture fascinating.

Korten's thinking is rich. The huge scope of the book alone inspires awe. He weaves history and thought together and makes a multitude of quality points without the lefty jargon so common today.

David Korten has laid out some crucial challenges, and our very survival might depend on how we meet them. The Great Turning is filled with so many nuggets of hope, wisdom and thought-provoking ideas that it becomes a call to action for all who want to help bring about a better world. Reading it is the first step toward the Earth Community.

David Korten will be starting a national book tour. You will have the opportunity to hear him at several events scheduled for our region. His ever-expanding Events Calendar, beginning in the Pacific Northwest, is located at http://www.davidkorten.org/cal.htm .