Corporate structures, products, and processes permeate our society -but what do they really mean to us in our daily lives? The bottom-line mentality that drives corporate America, say Ellen Augustine (formerly Schwartz) and Suzanne Stoddard, is creating a world unresponsive to human needs, corrosive to the democratic process, and destructive to the planet itself. Taking Back Our Lives in the Age of Corporate Dominance shows the links between our mundane everyday struggles and the global corporate economy, image-driven media, and the relentless pace which consumes us all. And it tells us how we can change things by transforming both our work and leisure.
The authors use hard-hitting examples and illuminating personal vignettes about confronting fear, anger, death, family problems, and the stultifying effects of staying in the "comfort zone." They detail over 75 steps for personal and societal actions-some quick and immediate, others in-depth and long term-for retaking control of our lives. The authors include provocative questions for reflection that shock, prod, and jump-start the reader into thinking about what matters most to them.
Deeply moving, outrageous, encouraging, compelling, and inspiring, Taking Back Our Lives in the Age of Corporate Dominance blends unrelenting candor with the comfort of real-life stories of hope-and ultimately shows us that choice is the most important tool we have for reviving our lives and our world.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Part I How Corporate Structures, Products, and Processes Impact Our Work and Personal Lives
Introduction
A Time of Turbulence--when too much information keeps us from knowing the truth
The Gift That Keeps On Taking--how the bottom-line mentality is bottoming out our lives and the planet
The Hidden Costs of Competition--the heavy price we pay to win
This Is Entertainment?--TV as purveyor of a culture of disrespect and promoter of a passive populace
Media, Girls, and Body Image--how impossible images of physical perfection are making our girls sick
The Best Government Big Money Can Buy--can a corporate-sponsored democracy serve the people?
What Do World Trade Agreements Have to Do with Me?--globalization means equalizing down to the lowest common denominator
Time: A Nonrenewable Resources--why we aren’t finding time to live
Part II Fresh Choices: Saying Yes! to a More Expansive Life
Change and the Comfort Zone--embracing risks that have been foisted upon us by life
What’s an Inner Life and Who Needs It?--trading fear for trust and planting seeds of loving-kindness
Flashpoints--how our stresses play out in the family crucible, damaging those we love most
Nurturing What Is Precious--finding new ways to communicate and connect with our loved ones
Meaningful Work--livelihoods both personally satisfying and earth-friendly
Giving Time, Getting Joy--life as a banquet for the servers
Together We Are Whole--new ways to create a support network while beating the high cost of living
Paring Down Our Lives--how less can be much more
What Is and What Can Be--starting from wherever you are with a passionate consciousness
Way More Fun than TV--surefire ways to release your playful spirit
Bibliography
Endnotes
Resources
Index
About the Authors
