The Heart of the Matter

Greg Wendt

It's about living wealth, rather than having wealth, says David Korten in a recent article in Yes! Magazine.

"If we are to slow and ultimately reverse the social and environmental disintegration we see around us, we must change the rules to curb the pervasive abuse of corporate power that contributes so much to those harms.

Taming corporate power will slow the damage. It will not be sufficient, however, to heal our relationships with one another and the Earth and bring our troubled world into social and environmental balance. Corporations are but instruments of a deeper social pathology revealed in a familiar story our society tells about the nature of prosperity."

According to Korten, the core problem is that we have a business relationship with nature and the nurturing qualities within ourselves, rather than holding a relationship of reverence for them.

From business to reverence, that's how we can evolve. As Korten points out: "If there is to be a human future, we must bring ourselves into balance with one another and the Earth. This requires building economies with Heart."

Creative Commons Image: $ pillow by klynslis on Flckr