In his video below, Douglas Rushkoff suggests that the answer might be no, and that the reasons have been systemically building for a long, long time. Moreover, he suggests that we’re at a point in time that is an opportunity to reframe our culture from serving “the man” to bettering ourselves.

Here’s a link to his book, Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back.

Coaching moment: These are times when events and situations are much bigger than us. Rushkoff is talking about everything that lead to the current economy, from the time of the Renaissance to now–including the nature of our capitalistic society and underpinnings of our democracy. That’s rather overwhelming, and impermanent–things will change.

Lucky for us, it’s not going to change overnight or by any one person. However, the change can begin with us. The changes will start in many forms: conversations with friends and family members, new approaches to work, new kinds of work, new kinds of money, tools, ways we work together, ways we prioritize the things in our lives, our dreams, and more.

If a new kind of society is based on what’s good for the society and its people, and not on what’s good for companies and the economy, what kind of changes would you expect to see? (For example, I think we’d have no plastics.) If you could do something good for the world today, what would it be?

Take a day and go for a walk, preferably somewhere in nature: along a beach, in the woods, through a nearby park. Not only will the walk be good for you, it will give you time away from things to think. If life could be changed, what would change in yours? Let’s say you quit your job (money matters aside). What would you do with your life?

As I mentioned above, fundamental, society-wide re-prioritization won’t happen over night. We will still need to work to support ourselves for a while. Even while we work, we dream, plan, initiate changes in our personal lives. It helps us to be resilient and to find ways to re-frame our situation. We are on the path of change.

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