David C. Korten holds MBA and PhD degrees from the Stanford Business School. He is a former member of the faculties of the Harvard Graduate School of Business and the Harvard Graduate School of Public Health. For 21 years, he lived and worked as an economic development professional in Ethiopia, Central America, the Philippines, and Indonesia. He is founder and president of the Living Economics Forum and co-founder and board chair emeritus of YES! Media. His books include Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth, and the international best sellers When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community.

Questions for Ongoing Reflection and Dialogue

1. Do you agree with David that humans face a collective choice between a Great Turning transformation and likely self-extinction? Specifically, are we headed for self extinction? And do we have an option, a choice of a Great Turning to a world of peace, of equality, of material sufficiency and spiritual abundance by which we might define an ecological civilisation?

   If you agree that humanity faces such a profound choice, how does that influence your discussions with your family and friends, your daily priorities, how you live your life? How does it influence your activism given how you are positioned, the people you know, the places where you have credibility, the skills that you have?

   What is the potential nature of your contribution to that deep transformation of the Great Turning?

2. Where in your life or community do you see examples of partnership principles in active operation rather than principles of domination?

3. Do you yet have a full understanding of how the material items you consume are sourced and made? If not, are you willing to do the research to find out?

   In what areas of your own life have you made a commitment to stop activities, practices and consumption of goods and services that you know to be harmful to our living Earth?

   Examples:

   – Using unclean transport such as flying
   – Using unclean energy in other areas, e.g., fossil fuels to heat your home and run your car
   – Consuming foods that are harmful to animals and unsustainable for the planet, e.g., high
   quantities of meat on a regular basis
   – Supporting banks, multinationals and corporates proven to be causing harm to people and planet
   – Purchasing ‘cheap’ clothing made in sweat shops and often with child labour
   – Purchasing products, goods and technological devices known to be sourced unsustainably.

   Is there a possibility of perhaps reducing those activities, practices and consumption habits that you have not yet been motivated to fully stop? Which ones, specifically?

4. What is your vision of the ‘Transformational Emergence of the New’? Paint a picture of this in as much detail as possible. Taking into account all that you have learned and experimented with on our Great Turning journey, consider the emergence of the new in terms of:

   – our true nature as interconnected spiritual beings
   – your values and priorities
   – our cultural choices
   – our human rights and our corresponding responsibilities
   – deep transformation of our systems on all levels
   – societal mirroring of Earth’s living systems
   – transition to an ecological civilisation
   – the living partnership model
   – collective leadership from the bottom up
   – equitable, living economies
   – a world that works for all, rich and poor alike
   – reverence for all life forms
   – your ideal of a more beautiful world.

5. How does our Session 7 content inform ‘Your More Beautiful Life’? Set aside ample reflective space to review ‘Your More Beautiful Life’ worksheet and incorporate the learning from Session 7.

   Remember, cultivating your more beautiful life is an iterative process, so be sure to engage deeply with this question and allow your soul force to breathe new life and conscious expansion into each category of your worksheet.

   Allow Spirit to guide you and flow freely through you for your very highest unfolding at this stage in the journey.