Often when people argue for the abolition of money, they suggest replacing it with barter. The trouble is, barter is based on the same mindset as money: Make Sure You Get Your Fair Share. That is Separation (non-Community) Thinking. What's really being said is "I'm afraid I won't get my fair share, and I'll starve/freeze/insert-fear-here, and I'll DIE!"
Much better is Pay It Forward.
1. Do something for the community or just a member of it.
2. Don't worry about getting paid back.
3. If you need help, ask for it.
That's a summary of the entire Everything Free philosophy, if you will. If you do it enough, as and when you're able, the movement will spread. If we all take care of each other, our real needs will be met.
Other disadvantages of barter include the fact that it's taxable. Any quid pro quo can be assigned a monetary value by the government, and, presto changeo, the receiver got some Income based on what he gave as barter for it!
Barter systems require a lot of tracking--Fair Share Thinking. If you can stop worrying about the Value of what you give because you're certain that you will be taken care of and that you'll get what you need, then fear disappears and community-based giving replaces it.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Nourishment and Protection
I've had some questions from readers about how to make this work. I don't have all the answers, so I'd love to hear from other folks that might have ideas, but there is one thing I know will be an absolute requirement: we have to understand that the entire process runs on Caring.
We have to understand that we really are all in this together. If currency collapses to the point where nobody can afford to buy anything, we'll be forced to start taking care of each other anyway. Why not start now?
A long time ago someone noticed that there are three basic needs: Food, Clothing, and Shelter. I would add medical care to this, but if you think about it, it really falls under the heading of Shelter. In fact, those categories would be better understood if generalized a bit. Let's call them Nourishment and Protection.
If we don't have to earn money, then we don't need "jobs". So if your job involves something that doesn't directly produce something in the above two categories, it probably involves filling up the economy with more non-essential products in order to keep people working, earning, and consuming. You might want to align yourself with one of the two essential needs.
Think about what's included in the two general categories. For instance, Recreation is a form of Nourishment. So are Art, Exercise, Counseling, Education, Entertainment, and many others. Please feel free to suggest some of them.
We have to understand that we really are all in this together. If currency collapses to the point where nobody can afford to buy anything, we'll be forced to start taking care of each other anyway. Why not start now?
A long time ago someone noticed that there are three basic needs: Food, Clothing, and Shelter. I would add medical care to this, but if you think about it, it really falls under the heading of Shelter. In fact, those categories would be better understood if generalized a bit. Let's call them Nourishment and Protection.
If we don't have to earn money, then we don't need "jobs". So if your job involves something that doesn't directly produce something in the above two categories, it probably involves filling up the economy with more non-essential products in order to keep people working, earning, and consuming. You might want to align yourself with one of the two essential needs.
Think about what's included in the two general categories. For instance, Recreation is a form of Nourishment. So are Art, Exercise, Counseling, Education, Entertainment, and many others. Please feel free to suggest some of them.
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