(Small) size matters. Big companies, big cities, big farms all fail to deliver the goods -- health, peace and happiness.

  Large companies try hard to bond their workforces with a "vision," or a "philosophy" but, in the end, they base their decisions on the growth of quarterly earnings and market share. Corporate mission statements are studded with glamorous terms stressing dedication to quality, commitment to serving people, but management drives relentless goals of growth and uses wholesale lay-offs as the tool of choice to cut costs. We need to wake up and denounce the lies.

  One possible way to explain the disconnection between our leadership and the people whose life they impact is that they stand separated physically, financially and emotionally from the rest of us.

  How can a senator or a president represent 20 or 300 million of us? How can a corporate CEO "care for" his 300,000 employees? When Enron leadership sacrificed the retirement funds of its workforce, it is unlikely it felt the implied emotional cost.

  When disconnected from others, we live a self-dedicated life. When markets become global, they move far away from the corporations that design and manufacture, resulting in mass-merchandizing and lack of responsibility.

The endless list

  Take, for instance, cigarette or pesticide companies which are thriving in poorly educated and regulated developing countries. American soda companies (can you guess one?) are building massive facilities in India and elsewhere which cripple water tables and reduce vast farming areas to dust. Oil, uranium and metal-mining firms are raping entire ecosystems in Africa using corrupt governments as allies. Cosmetic, drug and food companies are paying billions of dollars in legal fees and lawsuit settlements as a necessary cost of doing business, killing and hurting thousands in the process. The list is endless.

  Would any of this happen if markets and producers were connected through a vibrant and responsible community life? Indeed, snake-oil salesmen had to keep a fast pace to stay ahead of their damaged patrons, and still many ended up in feathers and tar, or swinging (nowadays, they get year-end bonuses for reaching their quotas).

  As a local farmer, the food I offer you is what I feed my family, and many of my kids' parents have businesses which I depend on. When you go to a local, family-owned business, you are getting more than a product or service, you are building a trusting and lasting relationship.

Dazzled by bigness

  But what are some of the apparent benefits of bigness? Research and development corporate units depend on large budgets to develop new products which seem to be useful for our ever-changing and ever-expanding life needs. It is safe to say that some of the modern medical and other technological breakthroughs are born of large concentrations of money flowing through our system in the form of research grants and venture capital.

  New products shooting out of the corporate pipelines dazzle us, courtesy of the media, and appear to satisfy us but the more profound effects of this consumption on our society (and planet at large) are less than obvious. Some even contradict the long-held economist belief that more consumption leads to more personal satisfaction and happiness (see Bill McKibben, Deep Economy).

  It looks like there are good reasons for advancement (safer cars, better TVs, etc. ...) but that we must harness progress with a big dose of responsibility on both sides of trading -- as producers and as buyers.

Let the people decide

  Strong environmental and social laws could help but the grip of large corporations on the legislative and political process might already be too strong. So we, the people, must be the agents of change as we decide how, how much and what we consume.

  When China-based pet food killed hundreds of our pets, many did what we need do always. They became aware and responsible, stopped buying the cheap stuff from the big guys, and shifted to more quality-driven, often smaller, suppliers.

  Let's do our homework and find smaller and closer businesses whenever available and understand that cheaper is often not better. We can start at home and expand as we need to our region, our state, or even our country.

  We can also take a good look at those companies which show a strong sense of corporate responsibility ("Fair Trade," "Organic" and other green labels are a starting point). Use the Web as a source of consumer information. In doing so, we can invent a new market place where reckless innovation and low prices do not rule, and steer corporations away from growth and global domination.