David Korten of YES magazine has offered us a different view of what prosperity can look like. His "Earth Community Prosperity" measures types of wealth that go much farther than money.

1. Healthy children, families, communities, and ecological systems are the true measure of real wealth.
2. Mutual caring and support are the primary currency of healthy families and communities, and community is the key to economic security.
3. Real wealth is created by investing in the human capital of productive people, the social capital of caring relationships, and the natural capital of healthy ecosystems.
4. The end of poverty and the healing of the environment will come from reallocating material resources from rich to poor and from life-destructive to life-nurturing uses.
5. Markets have a vital role, but democratically accountable governments must secure community interests by assuring that everyone plays by basic rules that internalize costs, maintain equity, and favor human-scale local businesses that honor community values and serve community needs.
6. Economies must serve and be accountable to people, not the reverse.

"I call this the Earth Community prosperity story because it evokes a vision of the possibility of creating life-serving economies grounded in communities that respect the irreducible interdependence of people and nature. Although rarely heard, this story is based on familiar notions of generosity and fairness, and negates each of the claims of the imperial prosperity story that currently shapes economic policy and practice."

David Korten is co-founder and board chair of YES! His latest book is, "Agenda For A New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth"
Reprinted from ~"Stand Up to Corporate Power"," the Fall 2007 issue of YES! Magazine. YES! is a non-profit, ad-free national publication that offers positive solutions for creating a just and sustainable world. To subscribe, visit www.YesMagazine.org/subscribe or call (800) 937-4451.