David Korten: How I came to challenge the legitimacy of the institutions I once served

[marmar]

from YES! Magazine:




David Korten: My Defection Story
How I came to challenge the legitimacy of the institutions I once served.

by David Korten
posted Jan 11, 2011


This is the second of a series of blogs based on excerpts adapted from the 2nd edition of Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth. I wrote Agenda to spur a national conversation on economic policy issues and options that are otherwise largely ignored. This blog series is intended to contribute to that conversation. —DK

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Many people are intrigued by the story of my defection from my establishment roots to becoming a rebel voice challenging the legitimacy of the institutions I once served. It is the story of a lifelong journey filled with an uncommonly rich and varied collection of experiences. Here are some highlights:

I grew up in a conservative small town where I learned to value family, community, and nature. I was raised to believe in the special character of America as a middle-class democracy, free from the extremes of wealth and poverty that supposedly characterized the world’s less advanced nations. In my childhood, my dad, a local retail merchant, taught me that if your primary business purpose is not to serve your customers and community, then you have no business being in business.

My Stanford Business School education taught me to look for the big picture. My doctoral dissertation research on cultural change in Ethiopia and its impact on modern organizations taught me the power of culture in shaping collective behavior.

From my experience as an Air Force captain on the faculty of the Special Air Warfare School and as a military aide in the Office of the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, I learned how the world’s most powerful military was thwarted by the self-organizing networks of an ill-equipped peasant army motivated by a vision of independence and self-rule. That experience helped me later recognize the potential of a committed citizenry to likewise thwart the seemingly invincible power of Wall Street and gave me insights into how that resistance might self-organize. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/david-korten/defection

[OneGrassRoot]

1. This is why I appreciate Mr. Korten and Yes! Magazine so much:

"I have come to realize that every act of resistance against what we don’t want must be paired with a positive vision of what we do want."

:thumbsup:

K&R

:hi:

[xchrom]

2. thank you mr korten. nt