We are tempted these days to ask for formulaic solutions. It is what the corporatocracy has taught us to do. Follow the dotted line. If you have a headache, take the white pill; for heartburn, the pink one. Never question authority. The teacher has all the answers. Or the priest. The politician. Boss. CEO. President.
Formulaic solutions, our rigid adherence to prescribed approaches, anxiety over deviating from the norm—these preconditioned responses have swept us into deep trouble. We may flatter ourselves that we are a rational, science-based society; the sad truth is that we embrace the emperor's contention that he alone is privy to the answers. It is a lie.
A friend of mine recently suffered a serious heart attack. After a triple bypass he reported that the doctor "informed me that medical science couldn't prove my diet was the cause, but it was a real possibility. I changed my diet." We are in a similar situation on a global scale. It is symbolic of these times that our government insists that we need absolute proof that climate change is caused by man-made carbon dioxide before rewriting our environmental laws. Absolute proof. From whom?
Throughout history, men and women we now revere have questioned the status quo. We applaud people like Galileo, Joan of Arc, Molly Stark, Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, Helen Keller, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama. It is important to remember that all of these people were just that: people. They were individuals, like you and me. They knew fear and courage, sorrow and joy. They may have accomplished extraordinary things, but every one of them also faced obstacles that must have appeared insurmountable at times; they experimented, persevered, and (now we can say) succeeded.
There are no formulaic solutions, but there are lots of women and men to inspire us. They fill the pages of this book: from a Sudanese brother and sister to an indigenous man who became president of his country; from Peace Corps volunteers to founders of NGOs; from high school students to college professors, writers to filmmakers; they include people talking to their neighbors and ones supporting local NPR stations. Glance around. They are everywhere.
Look into the mirror. You are one of them.
You make a difference. Every day. In one way or another, you impact the folks near you. The important thing is to be aware of this and then to set about doing it consciously, in positive ways that will make the world a better place. Each day commit to creating a stable, sustainable, and peaceful world for all people everywhere.
I tell my audiences: "If you want me to map out a course of action for you, then you're asking me to do as the corporatocracy does. You don't want that. You have your own passions and talents, different from mine. There are, of course, certain steps we can take. These are simple things that we all know about. Doing as many of them as possible will help you feel good and will also head us toward a survivable future." A few examples:
To Do
• When tempted to engage in "retail therapy" instead jog, meditate, read, or find some other solution.
• Shop consciously if there is something you must have; purchase items whose packaging, ingredients, and methods of production are sustainable and support life.
• Make everything you own last as long as possible.
• Purchase at consignment and thrift stores where everything is recycled. • Protest against "free" trade agreements and sweatshops.
• Write letters telling Monsanto, De Beers, ExxonMobil, Adidas, Ford, GE, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, and other labor exploiters and environment destroyers why you refuse to purchase from them.
• Write letters praising Home Depot, Kinko's, Citicorp, Starbucks, Whole Foods, and other companies that cooperate with RAN, Amnesty International, and other NGOs.
• Cut back on oil and gas consumption.
• Downsize your car, home, wardrobe, everything in your life.
• Send money to nonprofits, radio stations, and other organizations that promote just causes.
• Volunteer your time and energy to such organizations. • Support local merchants.
• Encourage stores to buy from local growers, producers, and suppliers. • Shop at your local farmers' market.
• Drink tap water (get the water company to do a better job if necessary, but avoid buying bottled water).
• Vote for enlightened school boards, commissions, ordinances, and politicians. • Run for office.
• Insist that those who use your money—banks, pensions, mutual funds, companies— make socially and environmentally responsible investments.
• Speak out whenever forums present themselves.
• Volunteer to talk at your local school about your favorite subject (beekeeping, weaving, tennis, anything) and use it to challenge students, to wake them up.
• Discuss externalities, the costs of pollution, poor working conditions, public subsidies, corporate exemptions, and other environmental, social, and political factors that should be included in the prices we pay for goods and services but are not (discussed in Chapter 54); let people know that when we do not pay for these very real expenses we rob future generations.
• Encourage "taxes" on externalities—higher prices for gas, clothes, electricity, etc., as long as the difference pays to right social and environmental wrongs.
• Offer study groups at local libraries, bookstores, churches, and clubs. • Expand this list and share it with everyone you know.
All the items listed above impact corporate and political leaders. To break the stranglehold this empire has on our planet we must remove power from the seventh characteristic of empires, the emperor, the corporatocracy. Only through transforming their vehicles of control, the corporations, will we succeed in manifesting the world we wish to leave to our children. It is our right and our duty to demand that corporations become good citizens, that they desist from operating imperialistically, and that instead they embrace the laws of democracy.
Let your actions—the ways you spend your money and cast your votes—send strong messages that those charged with running our organizations need to dedicate themselves to creating a stable, sustainable, and peaceful world.
"Are you asking me to pay more for my T-shirts? Not shop at Wal-Mart? To buy from places where unions drive the prices higher?" These are questions I often hear, usually followed by, "I work hard, I've got kids. I can't afford to make such sacrifices."
"I'm asking you," I respond, "not to sacrifice your children's futures. Make sure the brands you buy are made by environmentally and socially responsible companies. Wal-Mart does not meet those criteria—at least not yet. Wear fewer T-shirts if necessary. Keep them longer. Remember too that sometimes you actually pay more for the sweatshop brands. Nike products aren't cheap. Be sure to let the 'good' companies and stores know why you patronize them and let the 'bad' ones know why you don't."
This last is critical. We must work together to send a new message across our planet; those impacted by our actions need to hear our reasons and feel our passions. The corporatocracy prospers from deception and secrecy. We must expose their lies.
Think of the stories of assassination and corruption you read earlier in this book, the ones that made your skin crawl. When you do not shop and live consciously, you ensure that these stories will continue to unfold; you support the EHMs and jackals.
As a boy growing up in New Hampshire, I wished that I had been born in the 1700s so I could have participated in the Revolution. Now I give thanks that I am alive today. I know that you and I have launched ourselves on perhaps the greatest adventure our country has ever known, and one of the most exciting in world history.
I like to make a special appeal to people over fifty years old. "Many of you no longer need to worry about being fired," I say. "Your children have left the nest. So, this is your time to make a real difference. Stick your neck out. Mentor the young. Shake up the boardrooms. Take action—and enjoy it."
And to the young I say, "Some of you can work for corporations and inspire change from within. Others will only be corrupted by the process, and should instead work from the outside, for NGOs or other such organizations. You alone know what is best for you. Above all, understand that success is not defined by the size of your house, or by cars and yachts—it comes when you feel good about yourself."
I encourage everyone to join activist organizations. Throughout our history civil movements, like the Sons of Liberty during the American Revolution, have been essential to our democracy. Never have they been more needed than today. Lists are provided in Appendices A and B. You can find others on the Internet by searching for words that describe your deepest passions and deciding which most appeal to you. Participate in their e-mail campaigns, rallies, and demonstrations, donate ten dollars or ten thousand dollars, volunteer to answer telephones—or simply get yourself added to their lists, be counted, and committo learning more.
We possess all the resources we need for a world that is stable, sustainable, and peaceful. The corporatocracy has provided them for us. The education, communications, financial, and transportation networks, the minerals and other resources, the scientific information and technological advances are here to serve us. We can save future children from dying of hunger and disease, provide basic amenities, close the gap between poor and wealthy, and we can see to it that the corporations pay their fare share to the communities where they operate. But the key is that you and I have to stand up and be counted!
In addition to deception and secrecy, the corporatocracy thrives on lethargy. It counts on us to remain passive, to accept its advertisements as gospel, to buy unconsciously and allow it to continue destroying our planet. This must stop. Every one of us must shake ourselves awake. Taking action is the only way to ensure that our children and grandchildren, our nieces and nephews and their children, will inherit a world that is not torn apart in hatred and suffering, not ravaged by war and terrorism.