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A case for changing priorities
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As author David C. Korten observes in his book “Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth,” people have always told stories to frame daily life, and such stories determine what is meaningful to them.
Prevailing modern stories promote what Korten calls a “sacred money and markets” narrative that invariably puts money ahead of everything else. As the author claims, “The shared culture of a people serves as a lens that shapes the perceptions and behavior of its members in ways both beneficial and destructive.”
The sacred money and markets story is the story of big businesses. Their story claims that happiness for the planet’s nearly nine billion people will come mainly from increased economic development.
“We believe we are getting richer as a society when every living system essential to our well-being is in distress from our abuse and neglect,” the author declares.
The truth is that as GDP steadily climbs, the natural environment becomes more polluted; and violence, greed and consumer excess become the accepted norms in many parts of the world.
The true story of wealth is little more than the story of the concentration of wealth into the hands of the few. But ordinary citizens lack a narrative of equal strength to push back against the prevalent story that promotes wealth and power.
For a long time, this twisted yet dominant narrative perpetuated the entrenchment of the powerful to the detriment of many others, for their wealth cannot but be created at the expense of our environment.
The living Earth story
According to the author, a paradigm shift is taking place, as stories that run counter to the sacred money and market story gain traction. Among them is the “sacred life and living Earth” story that promotes environmental sustainability, economic justice and a living democracy.
This story warns against global corporate rule, and is informed by the belief of “living beings born of a Living Earth born of a living Universe.” This vision represents an important counterargument to the materialistic and mechanical outlooks which now hold so much currency.
According to the author, “The more we learn about what we don’t know, the greater our recognition of the extraordinary complexity and intelligence of the process that birthed us.” Only by introspection like this can we come to the understanding that we are at one with those things around us.
This sacred life and living Earth story, inspired by a “profound cosmic purpose,” can point the way to truly positive action that can lead to a sustainable future.
“Our human hope for the future requires that we recognize and honor Earth as a living being,” Korten observes.
For instance, one might achieve wisdom by observing the life-cycle of even the smallest organisms. We might find that no matter how diminutive it may be, it earns its living while contributing to the health, resiliency and creative potential of the larger environment.
According to the book, “If we get our story right, we can get our institutions right. If we get our institutions right, we get our future right.”
Many socially conscious organizations are now looking beyond profits to develop new solutions to longtime societal problems. They want to confront the roots of issues that vex society.
Their initiatives may still be marginal, though they point the way to a workable approach that will make a substantial difference in how society functions in the future. Our planet depends on these currently marginalized initiatives, not big-time money makers who sell our future.
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