New Ways to Share - "It Only Lives If You Give It Away" - Bruce Cockbun
Dialog on the Gift Economy, Barter and Currencies
After receiving an exceptional set of contemplations and questions, I have decided to use this thread to post these so they are easy to find for all whom may be interested.
Questions on 2009.11.10:
It will be interesting to see the response to this site. I certainly have some talents that could "traded for", its just a matter of finding others that are willing to trade for it.
I read the article about "Money and the Crisis of Civilization" and find some valid points. Unfortunately, money does make the world go round and it will be extremely difficult to break that cycle. Time will tell.
One thing they don't talk about in the article is one of the things money does provide and that is the ability to exchange. If I need to get some carpentry done, and I only know plumbing. I have to find some one that knows carpentry that actually needs plumbing done in order for an exchange to take place.
Money allows me to sell my service to anyone and in turn buy the service I need from someone else.
What are your thoughts?
Response:
These are indeed the tricky questions and parameters with either barter or other forms of exchange and currency. I feel we have been conditioned to perceive that most folks are selfish and won't share their talents, and labor, either freely or equally. This perception seems to be part of the foundation for what we have as systems and relationships. Yet, is it truth, or the story a few promoted and the rest have absorbed and conceded to?
I suggest that we'll never genuinely know, until we experiment and test other theorems and philosophies out. In some history of tribal communities, it is presented that each member used their talents for the productivity of the group, and that each member output enough for the community to survive, and thrive. Many would label this approach with some for of 'ism', socialism, communism, label-it-until-we-puke-"ism".
What was, and could be, the basis for the "lazy" or "selfish" folk to step to the plate in such an environment? Coercion, social pressure, intent to thrive, intent to be a functioning part of a community, love or humanity? Perhaps all of these come into play, probably.
So, I am suggesting, similar to a growing collection of other folks, that by sharing, by giving of ourselves, we begin to walk in another story, another world, another dimension. As we give, we amplify our collective resources and discover abundance. We discover that we demonstrate by example and we impact our very consciousness, as we unwind some of the certainty that currency or barter or forced labor for limited wages are the only paradigm that may possibly succeed. We further shake the notion that what we have today is success, at all!
An important, and practical consideration, is to step from one story to another, gently and gradually. I am blessed to have some minor savings to leverage as I enter the new realm, as I experiment and fine tune my individual approach. Along the way, I continue to use these rather uncertain currencies and savings to feed myself, pay expenses and settle up those pesky obligations most all of us collected along the way.
As for the trade and barter exchange story, the easy solution in my perception is to connect with folks using silver and gold and to begin to discount all we learned about valuing things in dollars and beginning to appreciate physical substance (resources, commodities, services, silver and gold) as a means to exchange between each other. This is like learning a new language, yet, as it becomes clear, to me, that the US dollar has played out its role in the old story, it is being sacrificed at the alter. Would we be better served to learn the new language before it is all that is spoken, or once the previous is abandoned to history?
I will post some exceptional pieces I've encountered on all these questions on the site soon, for now, a good read is: The Twilight of Money
Questions on 2009.11.10:
It will be interesting to see the response to this site. I certainly have some talents that could "traded for", its just a matter of finding others that are willing to trade for it.
I read the article about "Money and the Crisis of Civilization" and find some valid points. Unfortunately, money does make the world go round and it will be extremely difficult to break that cycle. Time will tell.
One thing they don't talk about in the article is one of the things money does provide and that is the ability to exchange. If I need to get some carpentry done, and I only know plumbing. I have to find some one that knows carpentry that actually needs plumbing done in order for an exchange to take place.
Money allows me to sell my service to anyone and in turn buy the service I need from someone else.
What are your thoughts?
Response:
These are indeed the tricky questions and parameters with either barter or other forms of exchange and currency. I feel we have been conditioned to perceive that most folks are selfish and won't share their talents, and labor, either freely or equally. This perception seems to be part of the foundation for what we have as systems and relationships. Yet, is it truth, or the story a few promoted and the rest have absorbed and conceded to?
I suggest that we'll never genuinely know, until we experiment and test other theorems and philosophies out. In some history of tribal communities, it is presented that each member used their talents for the productivity of the group, and that each member output enough for the community to survive, and thrive. Many would label this approach with some for of 'ism', socialism, communism, label-it-until-we-puke-"ism".
What was, and could be, the basis for the "lazy" or "selfish" folk to step to the plate in such an environment? Coercion, social pressure, intent to thrive, intent to be a functioning part of a community, love or humanity? Perhaps all of these come into play, probably.
So, I am suggesting, similar to a growing collection of other folks, that by sharing, by giving of ourselves, we begin to walk in another story, another world, another dimension. As we give, we amplify our collective resources and discover abundance. We discover that we demonstrate by example and we impact our very consciousness, as we unwind some of the certainty that currency or barter or forced labor for limited wages are the only paradigm that may possibly succeed. We further shake the notion that what we have today is success, at all!
An important, and practical consideration, is to step from one story to another, gently and gradually. I am blessed to have some minor savings to leverage as I enter the new realm, as I experiment and fine tune my individual approach. Along the way, I continue to use these rather uncertain currencies and savings to feed myself, pay expenses and settle up those pesky obligations most all of us collected along the way.
As for the trade and barter exchange story, the easy solution in my perception is to connect with folks using silver and gold and to begin to discount all we learned about valuing things in dollars and beginning to appreciate physical substance (resources, commodities, services, silver and gold) as a means to exchange between each other. This is like learning a new language, yet, as it becomes clear, to me, that the US dollar has played out its role in the old story, it is being sacrificed at the alter. Would we be better served to learn the new language before it is all that is spoken, or once the previous is abandoned to history?
I will post some exceptional pieces I've encountered on all these questions on the site soon, for now, a good read is: The Twilight of Money
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Starcloud on
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You pose an interesting question regarding the topic of exchange. I have been experimenting with an exit from traditional monetary exchange for quite some time and have found that operating from a fully functioning gift economy takes a degree of faith, a process that transcends all prior conditioning.
My experience has been that in order to engage in a gift economy, one must first begin to give away talents or resources not expecting to receive direct compensation from the person who has been the recipient of the gift. This sets in motion the energy of exchange which is able to return to the giver in an unexpected way or at unexpected times. Basically, it takes the giver out of the driver's seat and puts the giver into a position of trust in the process.
Currently, for me, this process has components of traditional monetary exchange, barter and gifting incorporated into a transitional framework. Due to the fact that I have housing obligations that need to be paid in a monetary fashion, it is necessary for me to have access to this mode of exchange. I am currently looking to reduce this obligation in order to lesson my dependency on monetary exchange. When contracting for work to fulfill this need I do not set a standard rate. I allow the person paying me for services to decide what can be afforded in the same manner that one would receive a donation. Sometimes the exchange rate is minimal and sometimes it is generous. Oftentimes, there is a gifting occurring concurrently for another need and a mix of exchange (payment) is transacted.
Most of my food source is received through a process of barter in a gifting fashion. Sometimes, the bartered food is received and then passed onto others in a gifting fashion, which allows the gifting process to continue and opens the channels for another need to be met that is not conditional on the original barter process.
In the course of contact with my community, I am often asked "what I do?" As an artist, I have been telling people I am a "bohemian" or that I am "retired and choose to work," meaning, I choose to engage in active sharing of my talents and skills without the restrictions of organized workplace structures. This allows me to give away services and make offers for barter.
Lately, I have found an obstacle to the process when those who do not understand the method offer to lend me money and insist they are helping. Borrowing money stops the flow in the process and closes off the doors that could otherwise be opened. A true gift economy does not condition the gift on repayment.
Gold and silver can be tools of exchange, but realistically, most do not have access to this type of tangible asset. The rate of exchange for gold and silver is set according to underlining monetary values with rates differing from day to day. This can be a set up for perpetuating a standard of value, rather than a standard of giving based on other factors of compensation.
To expound on this point, the traditional rates for exchange based on dollar denominated currencies places a higher value on certain services such as professionals with degrees and a lower value on service that are labor intensive such as cleaning or digging fence posts. Does the "degreed" service receive a higher compensation than the non-degreed service or do all services allow for an exchange based on time exchanged? In my opinion, a barter of exchange needs to be a pool of resources that does not discriminate based on the current model of payment.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Fry on
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For as long as I can recall, I have carried the impression that all service and labor are worth the same, regardless of what the unit of exchange is, be it silver, dollars or a basket of veggies. I celebrate that someone cleans a bathroom, sweeps a floor, carves a clock, paints a classic, sings and creates music, prepares food and everything else that promotes life on the planet.
As my engagement with the gift economy matures, I have the opportunity to convert my internal dialog from "Everyone willing to produce and output to the best of their ability is worth $30 per hour" to ""Everyone willing to produce and output to the best of their ability is worth appreciating gifts".
As a reminder, just because we have an entrenched custom of transacting in money, and accounting (keeping score), does not mean it is the only system, the best system or even an intelligent or logical system, only that some folks created it and others followed along, some through coercion , others, perhaps most, via voluntary compliance, social "norms" or even because they never really stopped to reflect on their own behaviors. For these considerations, I feel that transaction and exchange systems are evolving, with some visionary, some complementary and some in direct opposition to the entrenched standard.
For me, all the discussions and debates regarding capitalism, failures of capitalism, whether we are heading toward socialism and all other sorts of 'ism' dialog are mere mental masturbation and distraction. Instead, how about a focus upon vision and what we want, instead of assigning responsibility for failure and endlessly pretending to reform to ensure the few live off the labor of the many (while we then endlessly debate in wonder why the reforms don't fix anything!)?
Namaste!
Jim
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