The Great Turning Read online

  Praise for The Great Turning

  “The Great Turning sets forth a compelling, devastating, and ultimately profoundly hopeful story that provides a framework for the new, unifying political conversation our nation so desperately needs. A must-read for every person of conscience.”

  —Van Jones, Executive Director, The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

  “What a gift David Korten has given us with this prophetic book! In this well-written and thorough story of the crises of late Modernity, Korten gives us a beautifully reasoned, carefully researched look at why we absolutely have to turn away from imperial power and wealth and, instead, create an Earth Community. This is a must-read for activists, for lovers of contemporary American studies, and for Cultural Creatives.”

  —Paul H. Ray, coauthor of The Cultural Creatives

  “Employing history, psychology, economics, spirituality, and common sense, Korten not only critiques the dilemma we are in as a species, he also shows us doable and workable ways out of our morass. He has created a tour de force—a call to compassion as much as a blueprint for survival. This book is a kind of Bible to the 21st century, a revelation of where we might travel if we have the moral imagination and the courage to choose and act wisely.”

  —Matthew Fox, educator and theologian, author of Original Blessing and A New Reformation

  “If you read only one book on how to address the looming ecological and social crises facing humanity, make it this one! Korten fearlessly grapples with ‘the big picture’ and goes beyond merely diagnosing the problem (which he does with great precision), as he outlines a positive and realistic plan for actually creating a just and sustainable global society.”

  —David Cobb, 2004 Green Party United States Presidential Candidate

  “Korten has done it again—created a masterpiece of big thinking to help us find our way in this death-or-life historical moment. With fascinating analogies, intriguing stories, and eloquent analysis, Korten engages and emboldens us to believe that we can trust and cultivate the best in ourselves and, despite the lateness of the hour, choose life.”

  —Frances Moore Lappé, author of Hope’s Edge and Democracy’s Edge

  “In a moment when the political discourse is obsessed with immediacy, Korten calls us to pause and reflect upon what it means to be fully human. As one reads this rigorous book, one is moved by its sacredness. The spiritual reflection with deep political and economic implications demands we move with grace and dignity into the new space of equity, dignity, and, above all, abiding love. In the end, may we all be turned.”

  —Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, author of Urbansouls

  “This is the book that needed to be written. Weaving together culture patterns, politics, economics, and history, Korten demonstrates how U.S. history is NOT the democratic model that all politicians and pundits ‘recall.’ It is, in actuality, a legacy of imperial power and control. The time has come for a change… we need to move on and empower a different kind of story!”

  —Georgia Kelly, Founder and Director, Praxis Peace Institute

  “A must-read for everyone who yearns to create a positive human future. In When Corporations Rule the World Korten called attention to the corruption of corporate-led economic globalization and helped to launch a powerful global resistance movement. In The Great Turning he tells us that the scourge of economic globalization is but a contemporary manifestation of 5,000 years of rule by imperial elites. It is a wise, profound, and practical book filled with fresh insights and is destined to be even more influential than Korten’s previous contributions.”

  —Anita Roddick, Founder, The Body Shop

  “The Great Turning is smooth, brilliantly researched, and gripping. Korten has constructed a story of hope and insight. Alert the Democrats! Here is a blueprint for a vision they are born to promote to the world. The ending inspires poetically. Things aren’t hopeless, the world is truly turning and all we need do is push ourselves along together.”

  —Dal LaMagna, Founder and former CEO, Tweezerman

  “The Great Turning is a profound and inspiring masterpiece that illuminates the cultural, social, and political significance of the contrasting worldviews of the classic materialistic-mechanistic Newtonian physics and modern holistic-quantum physics. Korten eloquently points to the necessity of abandoning the dominating power-oriented plutocracy of Empire in favor of a life-enhancing, continuously diversifying, cooperatively integrated Earth.”

  —Professor Hans-Peter Duerr, PhD, former Director, Max-Planck-Institute for Physics, Munich; Winner, Alternative Nobel Prize, 1987

  “With the majesty of a George Lucas movie, Korten’s epic tale, which pits Earth Community against Empire, weaves together the great social movements of our time. It inspires us at this crucial point in history to fulfill our destiny as thinking, acting, and loving human beings.”

  —Judy Wicks, Proprietress, White Dog Cafe and Co-Chair, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)

  “THIS is the book we have been waiting for! It provides the context and stories that have been missing, leaving us with piecemeal analyses and solutions. The framework of the 5,000-year history of the Empire is a powerful eye-opener about the deliberateness of enslavement and oppression.”

  —Jan Roberts, Director, Earth Charter USA Communities Initiatives

  “This is a hugely important book, and hugely impressive! I imagine it reaching far beyond Korten’s existing readership.”

  —Raffi Cavoukian, singer, author, ecology advocate, and Founder, Child Honoring

  “David Korten is a militant for Life, Earth, and Community. This groundbreaking book provides the holistic overview of a 21st century revolution and evolution that can inspire the ordinary citizen to act and transform the activist into a long-distance runner.”

  —Grace Lee Boggs, coauthor of Revolution and Evolution in the 20th Century

  “Throw away the technological fixes of Thomas Friedman and Jeffrey Sachs and enter Korten’s world where communities organize to secure their rights and build a better world. I know of no writer who better embraces the wisdom of such a broad spectrum of thinkers to create new understanding, new possibilities, new inspiration, new hope.”

  —John Cavanagh, Director, Institute for Policy Studies; Board Chair, International Forum on Globalization

  “This is indeed a spectacular book. The Great Turning supports our most open-hearted evolutionary process.”

  —Bill Kauth, Co-Founder, The ManKind Project, and author of A Circle of Men

  “Brilliant. Challenging. Inspiring. Practical. Spiritual. Intelligent. Once again David Korten challenges us with his keen analysis and elegant wisdom—a clear call for sustainable social transformation and a timely invitation to live a different story. Korten gives us exactly what we need in order to address our current paralysis and fear. Read this book and be inspired to make a difference.”

  —The Very Reverend Bill Phipps, former Moderator, United Church of Canada

  “Inspired by a compelling spiritual and ethical vision, The Great Turning argues persuasively that the 21st century presents humanity with a unique opportunity to break with its violent past and to create a just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful future. In this major work, David Korten skillfully combines ecological, economic, social, psychological, and cultural analysis in order to issue a powerful summons to local communities and the emerging global civil society to lead the way.”

  —Steven C. Rockefeller, Co-Chair, Earth Charter International Steering

  “David Korten has done it again!! Through careful and painstaking historical analysis, personal reflection, and myth-busting, The Great Turning challenges U.S. citizens to a new level of awareness of what has been and what ca
n be. A must read!”

  —Tanya Dawkins, Founder/Director, Global-Local Links Project

  “David Korten’s ideas are tools, like picks and shovels, that help us dig under the surface of our pessimism and fear of change. What we find is a deep core of hope for the Earth as Beloved Community and the ability to embrace the individual and collective kuleana (Hawaiian for ‘responsibility’) for our choices and their consequences.”

  —Puanani Burgess, Hawaiian storyteller and poet

  “David Korten has presented a clear blueprint for a powerful emerging majority. This book will help to change America for the better.”

  —Dennis J. Kucinich, U.S. House of Representatives

  “Once you dive into this book, you’ll want everyone you know to read it. It is a powerful source of inspiration and guidance for those already turning to Earth Community and it can help those embedded in Empire’s institutions see more clearly the choices before them.”

  —Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director, Co-op America

  THE GREAT TURNING

  The Great Turning

  From Empire to Earth Community

  DAVID C. KORTEN

  Copyright © 2006 by People-Centered Development Forum

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the Berrett-Koehler address below.

  COPUBLISHED BY

  Kumarian Press, Inc.

  1294 Blue Hills Avenue

  Bloomfield, CT 06002-1301

  Tel: (860) 243-2098

  Fax: (860) 243-2867

  www.kpbooks.com

  Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

  235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650

  San Francisco, CA 94104-2916

  Tel: (415) 288-0260

  Fax: (415) 362-2512

  www.bkconnection.com

  ORDERING INFORMATION

  QUANTITY SALES. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the Berrett-Koehler address above.

  INDIVIDUAL SALES. Copies of this book are available through most bookstores. They can also be ordered directly from Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626; www.bkconnection.com, or from Kumarian Press at the address above.

  ORDERS FOR COLLEGE TEXTBOOK/COURSE ADOPTION USE. Please contact Kumarian Press at Tel: (800) 289-2664; Fax: (860) 243-2867.

  ORDERS BY U.S. TRADE BOOKSTORES AND WHOLESALERS. Please contact Ingram Publisher Services, Tel: (800) 509-4887; Fax: (800) 838-1149; E-mail: [email protected]; or visit www.ingrampublisherservices.com/Ordering for details about electronic ordering.

  Berrett-Koehler and the BK logo are registered trademarks of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

  Printed in the United States of America

  This book is printed on long-lasting acid-free paper. Whenever possible, we choose paper that has been manufactured by environmentally responsible processes. These may include using trees grown in sustainable forests, incorporating recycled paper, minimizing chlorine in bleaching, or recycling the energy produced at the paper mill.

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

  Korten, David C.

  The great turning: from empire to Earth community / by David C. Korten.

  p. cm.

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN: 978-1-887208-07-9 (hardcover)

  ISBN: 978-1-887208-08-6 (pbk.)

  1. International cooperation. 2. Sustainable development. 3. Social ethics. 4. Humanistic ethics. 5. Social justice. 6. Cooperation. 7. Human ecology. 8. Economic history. I. Title.

  JZ1318.K67 2005

  302’.14—DC2220055055855

  FIRST EDITION

  12 11 10 09 08 07 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Copyediting: Karen Seriguchi. Cover and interior design and production:

  Valerie Brewster, Scribe Typography. Proofreading: Todd Manza, Manza Editorial and Don Roberts. Indexing: Rachel Rice, Directions Unlimited.

  Digital PDF ISBN: 978-1-57675-539-6

  IDPF ISBN 978-1-60994-425-4

  DEDICATED TO

  My paternal grandmother, Lydia Boehl Korten, who taught me that every person has a sacred purpose.

  My parents, Ted Korten and Margaret Korten, who made it possible to honor the call.

  My brother, Robert Korten, who assumed the family responsibilities I abandoned.

  Thomas Berry, Riane Eisler, and Joanna Macy, on whose inspiration, analysis, and language I have drawn freely in framing the human choice at hand.

  Timothy Iistowanohpataakiiwa, who initiated me into elderhood on my sixty-fifth birthday and helped me see with greater clarity the path of my elder years.

  And George W. Bush, whose administration exposed to full view the imperial shadow side of U.S. democracy, stripped away the last of the illusions of my childhood innocence, and compelled me to write this book.

  ix

  Acknowledgments

  The Great Turning pulls together the many strands of my journey of understanding that began more than forty-six years ago in my senior year of college. Most everyone who has since touched my life has contributed in some way to the reflections I share in the pages ahead. I mention here only those whom I have had the privilege of knowing and engaging personally during the more than three years I have devoted specifically to writing this book and who have made special contributions to my thinking.

  Fran Korten, my wife and life partner, has shared in every aspect of my journey and contributed at each step in the conceptualization and writing of this book, including detailed editorial input to each chapter. Crucial framing ideas come from Janine Benyus, Thomas Berry, Marcus Borg, Riane Eisler, Matthew Fox, Mae-Wan Ho, Marjorie Kelly, Frances Moore Lappé, Joanna Macy, Nicky Perlas, Paul Ray, Elisabet Sahtouris, Vandana Shiva, Meg Wheatley, and Walter Wink. Sarah van Gelder worked with me on the original conception and outline.

  I am especially grateful to Steve Piersanti, founder and publisher of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, for his exceptional support in every aspect of the creation of this book from initial conception to final production, and for his total availability. My thanks to the entire staff of Berrett-Koehler for the enthusiasm and support that have made this project possible. I am also grateful for the continuing relationship with Krishna Sondhi and the staff of Kumarian Press, with whom I have been publishing since 1983.

  Danny Glover, Robert Jeffries, and Belvie Rooks raised my awareness of the centrality of race in shaping the American experience. Raffi Cavoukian drew my attention to the universal concern for children as a potential bridge across the seemingly irreconcilable political divide between conservatives and liberals. Larry Daloz, Sharon Parks, Elizabeth Pinchot, David Womeldorff, and Donna Zajonc all contributed to my understanding of the developmental stages of the human consciousness and their broad implications for actualizing the potentials of our nature.

  Board and staff colleagues at YES! magazine have served as my primary intellectual community during the writing of this book. Those not already mentioned whose contributions merit particular note include Gar Alperovitz, Rod Arakaki, Dee Axelrod, Jill Bamburg, Richardx Conlin, Kim Corrigan, Tanya Dawkins, Carol Estes, Kevin Fong, Susan Gleason, Alisa Gravitz, Carolyn McConnell, Gifford Pinchot, Michael Ramos, Dan Spinner, and Audrey Watson.

  Colleagues from two other groups, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and the International Forum on Globalization, have also provided important intellectual support. Those associated with BALLE whose contributions merit special mention include Laury Hamm
el, Michelle and Derek Long, Richard Perle, Don Shaffer, Michael Shuman, and Judy Wicks. Those from the IFG who bear special mention include Debi Barker, John Cavanagh, Maude Barlow, Walden Bello, Robin Broad, Tony Clarke, Edward Goldsmith, Randy Hayes, Colin Hines, Martin Khor, Andrew Kimbrell, Jerry Mander, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Sara Larrain, Simon Retallack, Mark Ritchie, Vandana Shiva, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, and Lori Wallach.

  Michelle Burkhart provided thorough and tireless assistance in the early stages of the writing as a volunteer research intern. Mark Dowie, Tom Greco, Todd Manza, Gabriela Melano, Ted Nace, and Hilary Powers all provided valuable feedback as part of the Berrett-Koehler editorial process. Doug Pibel contributed his editorial genius in a review of the completed manuscript before final submission. A combination of professional competence and collaborative working style made it a special joy to work with Karen Seriguchi as the copy editor.

  Peter Bower, Susan Callan, Riane Eisler, Robert Erwin, Matthew Fox, Bill Kauth, Eric Kuhner, Don MacKenzie, Sue McGregor, Bill Phipps, Marcus Renner, Elisabet Sahtouris, Roger Simpson, Melissa Stuart, and Lama Tsomo all provided helpful feedback on early drafts. Medea Benjamin, David Cobb, John Cobb Jr., Kevin Danaher, Hans-Peter Duerr, Thom Hartmann, Bob Hasegawa, Jim Hightower, Georgia Kelly, Dal LaMagna, Dan Merkle, Anita Roddick, Juliet Schor, Tom Thresher, and Linda Wolf contributed ideas and inspiration.

  Carolyn North organized an invitational seminar under the auspices of the Whidbey Institute that provided invaluable feedback on an early draft from Skye Burn, Ellen Camin, Doug Carmichael, Elizabeth Davis, Halim Dunsky, Kurt Hoelting, Stephanie Ryan, Marilyn Saunders, and Bob Stilger. Sharon Parks served as discussion leader and Larry Daloz as rapporteur.