By John Perkins
The individuals who launched revolutions and created lasting change in their eras and environments were effective because they were active. They were sometimes leaders of groups and organizations, and sometimes lone wolves speaking out by themselves, but they were always moving. Real change is not made by criticizing or complaining and waiting passively, but by taking the first step, and then the next. . .
Corporations are run by people; each person in power is an individual with choices to make, just like you and me. The power of corporations is in their numbers and financial power and their alliances with each other and with governments. This is my plea for us all to come together in a movement to force corporations to serve the public interest instead of maximizing profits regardless of the social and environmental costs -- and not just the public interest of one nation over another, but of the whole world.
Our current political situation is unprecedented. The vast majority of Americans keep falling behind economically because of changes in society's ground rules, while the rich get even richer -- yet this situation doesn't translate into actions that win in politics.
As this article by Robert Kuttner, cited on Common Dreams, eloquently illustrates, we've waited for the parties in power, both of them, to do "something" to fix our problems. The years have shown us that waiting for others is not fixing anything.
But there is great hope in the worldwide awakening that I have witnessed on my travels in the last few years. People, and the organizations they represent, are realizing that we must bring the marketplace into alignment with the goals of creating a world where all human beings enjoy access to basic human rights, to peace, justice, and spiritual prosperity. Responsible and successful business models must be encouraged and politicians who write and vote for socially just policies need to be supported. Those of us who are waking up can be -- or influence -- those politicians and those business leaders; we can make a difference as consumers, activists, as individuals in seats of power, and by calling on our colleagues to do the same.
Simply waiting for someone else to make the first move isn't going to further the revolution. Each of us must follow our passions and strengths and do what we know is right. It starts with each of us looking past our differences and seeing how our goals are the same.
John Perkins is a former Chief Economist at a major international consulting firm where he advised the World Bank, United Nations, IMF, U.S. Treasury Department, Fortune 500 corporations, and countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. He is best known for his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which spent 70 weeks on the New York Times best seller list and has been published in over 30 languages. His New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (February 2016) delves deep into global systemic problems and describes what we can do - individually and collectively - to correct them. John is founder and chairman of Dream Change, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that founded The Love Summit business conference and is dedicated to creating a sustainable, just, peaceful world.