When Wednesday Rolls Around

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.  To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” - Richard Buckminster Fuller.

It is yet another Wednesday and, again, I find myself with extra time.  When I did my first semester at Arizona State University, tuition and books for a 15 credit hour class load cost about $1,000.  Today, I just bought the one book I need for the one class I'm taking at my local community college.  Between those two expenditures, I've dropped $500.  This price difference has taken place over the span of 11 years. 

Part of my motivation for some of my side projects is based on the deteriorating nature of our dollar.  As the printing presses roll on endlessly, what they print becomes more and more useless.  If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about spend some time researching the fiat debt based monetary system we are almost completely bound to.  After that, look into Weimer Germany.  This is where we are headed.

The dollar will fall by the wayside, a new means of currency will arise, and I hope it is a non-tangible one.  Currency is typically coin and paper backed by precious metals.  Those currencies can also be subject to inflation.  Alternatives like BitCoin have shown up, as have some other e-currencies.  However, when electricity itself becomes too expensive, e-currencies will go by the wayside with them. 

My idea is being nice to one another.  Crazy, I know.  The internet allows each of us to find virtually any thing, any where, at any time.  But you can't find the guy two doors down from you who happens to have what you are looking for.  We have isolated ourselves from one another.  Our families, our neighbors, and our friends.  Some more than others.  When the dollar is burnt to start a fire to keep the house warm, we will have to look to our local communities to get by.  We will have to turn towards co-operative living. 

Co-operative living is nothing more than trading work, skills, time, ideas and the bartering of goods with others.  These will not be the currency themselves, rather, they will be the denominations of that currency.  The currency itself is Trust.  It is also one of the only currencies that can become infinitely stronger.  As Trust builds upon Trust, Trust becomes stronger.  The exchanges between individuals is done knowing any unevenness will eventually be taken care of, no matter how roundabout of a manner it may happen.

There will come a point when the currency of Trust becomes a whole new currency, Love.  People will have created a community in which people help one another, not because they will get something out of it, but because it is right.  It may be some hippy bullshit, but it is possible.  It is practical.  And it is inevitable. 

We will have to transition to this system while dollars are replaced by whatever government approved monetary trinket, which will also fall by the wayside.  Rather than allowing ourselves to be pushed and pulled by the whims of 'money', we can take the upcoming transition to create something much better for ourselves.