Most of us have been brought up to believe in that United States was a democratic nation, with government of laws. "of the people, for the people, by the people." But if that is so, why, when most of the people believe that global warming poses a danger to planet, and that global warming is caused by human activity does our government and our economic institutions persist in activities that are leading us to catastrophe?
David Korten author of The Great Turning; From Empire to Earth Community asks and answers that question in the following remarks:
" [T]he governing institutions to which we give the power to set our priorities and our collective course. We might wonder how such reckless injustice could happen in a world governed by democratically elected governments.
The answer is both simple and alarming. Our world is not governed by democratically elected governments. It is ruled by global financial institutions in the service of financial speculators who exchange trillions of dollars each day in search of instant unearned profits to increase the fortunes -- and the power-- of the richest people on the planet. Global financial institutions bring down governments that displease them, and buy and sell the largest corporations like commodities. By design and law the defining priority and obligation of these governing institutions is to generate financial profits to make rich people richer, in short to increase inequality in a world in desperate need of greater equity. To this end, the corporations that rise or fall at the pleasure of the speculators, assault our eyes and ears with advertising messages intended to get those of us who already have more stuff than we need -- to buy more stuff.
That is the big picture. In summary, we must:
1. Bring human consumption into balance with Earth's natural systems by eliminating unproductive consumption and by restoring and even enhancing Earth's natural regenerative processes.
2. We must bring our human relationships into balance with one another by sharing resources and knowledge equitably and turning from a culture of competition and private accumulation to a culture of cooperation and sharing.
3. We must create a system of radically democratic life-serving governing institutions that support balanced relationships with one another and Earth, give voice to every person, and nurture the higher order potentials of the human consciousness."
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