Society of Esteem

9October2009

Alternative money system: Time Banking and Time Exchange

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy.

A society of esteem gives the same esteem toward each profession.  Esteem isn’t something which can be given in different measures.  In order to function the society needs all kind of professions and therefore acknowledges all of them equally.

In our society we have two financial movements which come quite close to this idea of the society of esteem.

One of them is the Time Banking.  The idea is that for each hour you spend doing something in your community you earn one Time Dollar which goes into the Time Bank.  Your Time Dollars you can be spent on having someone do something for you.

According to the people who live Time Banking it’s a life changing experience.  People feel connected to each other and honestly acknowledged. 

The other movement is similar but excludes the concept of money totally.  Its name is “Zeittausch” (Time exchange) and exists in some communities in Europe (website only in German).

The idea is similar to that of Time Banking except that the value of work is exchanged without counting the hours.  People just do their normal work, whether a baker or a physician, and exchange the fruits of their work mutually without paying for it.

Both systems try to organize a life without money and find that their concept creates a better quality of life . 

The basic thought behind both of these ideas and most of all behind the idea of a society of esteem is that all professions are valued with the same esteem.  A society of esteem even goes one step further.  In the society of esteem, all people participate, not just a select few.  Nobody feels cheated by others because everybody fulfills his talents through his work and gets the same esteem as all the others.  A society like that can easily support people who can’t work or can’t work fully. 

When this state of mind is achieved there is really no longer a need for money.

21September2009

Alternative money system: Living without money

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy.

Living without money in our society seems to be an impossibility.  But there are in fact some people who live without money. 

As you might imagine, anyone who lives without money in modern society lives a very special life.

Daniel Suelo lives in a cave in the desert near Moab, Utah.  His life is defined by what nature gives to him freely - and what people give to him voluntarily.

His philosophy speaks for others trying to live without money in our society:  “freely give, freely receive.”  He calls it the Gift Economy.  

As long as a society is based on the hierarchy of values people need a standard to measure the value that is money in our society.  Living without money seems to be impossible in a world dominated by technology.

A society of esteem also works without money, but the citizens don’t have to live in caves.  In a society of esteem all citizens are wealthy. 

Living without money and being wealthy at the same time only works when a society is based on mutual esteem instead of a hierarchy of values.  Living without money works when there is no need for measuring values because every single person and every single job gets the same esteem, the same value. 

When the exchange of goods, products and work is based on mutual esteem for all of them there is no longer a need for money.

28August2009

Alternative money system: Transfinancial Economics

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy.

British philosopher Robert Searle has developed something he calls “Transfinancial Economics” TFE.  Although it’s still in formative stages, the basic idea is an alternative money system based on the principles of a non-debt economy.  Under TFE, the economy would be free of taxation and interest on credit.

The system dispenses with cash, opting instead for electronic transmissions of money throughout the economy.  To realize his idea, taxing authorities would need to be replaced with an “inflation authority” which controls the economy by deciding who can receive system credits, and in what amount.

A society of esteem works without money at all.  When there is no money involved in the economy there is no need for money servicing institutions or authorities.  The economy in a society of esteem is based on esteem which is given to every single citizen.  Money, on the other hand, represents value and supports the hierarchy of values what leads every alternative money system into old patterns of social injustice.

14August2009

Alternative money system: WIR as complementary currency

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy.

WIR is an independent complementary currency system in Switzerland founded in 1934 by Swiss businessmen as a result of currency shortages after the stock market crash of 1929.  It works as a Swiss local currency for business to business transactions based on mutual credit.  WIR money only exists as a bookkeeping system, there are no interest charges on it.

The name WIR is an abbreviation of Wirtschaftsring (Economic Circle) and at the same time the word for “we” in German.  Both meanings remind us that the WIR circle is a community because the WIR money serves only small and medium sized businesses. 

About 600,000 Swiss businesses still accept WIR as money.  It was retained to keep the buying power of the members inside the community.  This also points out the problem with this alternative money system:  Getting payed in WIR money means that people can only spend this money in the strict circle of the member businesses.

A society of esteem wouldn’t create its own system inside the social system.  For a society of esteem it’s important that all working power and all kinds of talents are focused for the good of all.

27July2009

Alternative money system: No Negative Money

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy.

“Negative Money” is not an ethical judgement, but rather the money system of interest and debt.  The movement “No Negative Money” strives to has as its intention to eliminate poverty by making it impossible to hoard money and therefore to become rich. 

The basic idea behind “No Negative Money” is that money can’t be stored away in banks in order to be used in later years.  The whole stream of money would only run on cash.  Each year new currency notes would be produced with the printed year for which they are valuable.  People would be forced to spend their money before the end of each year because the old money wouldn’t be valuable in the new year. 

The disadvantages are obvious. 

People would be forced to buy useless items just for the sake of spending their old money.  Debts still can be created by just transferring overspending from one year to the other.  Poverty wouldn’t be defeated - but at the worst enhanced.

A society of esteem works without money at all.  All citizens work for the good of all -  seemingly for free because they don’t get paid.  But at the same time they can enjoy the efforts of others through the valuation of mutual esteem. 

Having products such as food or cars in a society without money could lead to hoarding.  In a society of esteem this doesn’t happen because the motivation for hoarding - searching for esteem - is not present.  People living in a society of esteem get esteem just for their being here and for their very own talent they give as a contribution for the good of all. 

Wealth is a theme in a society of esteem for other reasons.  Wealth is attainable for all citizens of a society of esteem - just for living and not for attracting esteem.

21June2009

Alternative money system: universal basic income UBI

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy.

An unconditional income means a universal basic income UBI for all.  This alternative money system has been discussed for years.  The basic idea behind it is that every single person receives from the government a basic monthly income.  The award is independent of age or working situation.  The motivation behind UBI is to fight poverty and to create social justice.

Of course a system like this comes with consequences:  When everybody receives a basic monthly income everybody should be able to have access to education and work.  With “income for babies” families won’t suffer poverty because of the financial burden of raising children.  And last but not least:  social services such as retirement, social welfare and unemployment benefits aren’t needed anymore.

At first glance this system may provide some appealing details.  but on second look we realize that the circumstances of society are still the same.  We still live with the hierarchy of values.  The hierarchy of values tempts us to take a monthly guaranteed income in order to purchase prestige objects - all in order to get esteem.  We eventually realize that the problem of society is not lack of money.  Even when money is given freely to everybody we still have social injustice.

As long as only the strongest, richest and most successful person gets esteem, even a system like UBI can’t solve poverty and social injustice.

A society of esteem doesn’t know greed or the eternal chase for money for receiving esteem.  For a society of esteem  UBI wouldn’t work.  Citizens of a society of esteem understand that money doesn’t remove their endless search for esteem. 

When esteem is given to everybody for their personality and talent, the appetite for more disappears and social justice appears.

13June2009

Money’s impact on our social life

Posted by Cecilia under: Attitude; Economy.

Esteem is one of our most vital motivations for happiness and fulfillment in our life.  That’s why we’re capable of doing almost anything to get esteem.  The most obvious way to get esteem in western society is to accumulate a lot of money.

Having more money means having more prestige and therefore more attention and esteem.  But wealthy people often experience that this kind of esteem isn’t long lasting.  It has to be earned each day anew - a never-ending fight for esteem.

Chasing money for chasing esteem can make people forget that there are other important things in life such as taking care of the people around us.  Taking care of relationships requires self-consciousness and a healthy self-esteem.

Putting our whole energy into making money and advancing a career while neglecting the social relationships may cause an unfillable hole when we lose money and/or a career.  We hear stories frequently of people who don’t have a social network of caring people around them when they encounter a life crisis.  Often these people don’t see a reason to continue to live.  The results are tragic.

Money can have a negative impact on our social life when it’s the only means to getting esteem. 

In a society of esteem people get esteem for their talents and just for being here.  When all people get the same esteem there’s no reason to put energy into making money just to receive virtual esteem.  People are already acknowledged and therefore happy and balanced.  These are the people who have the time and interest to take care of their fellow men.

6June2009

Money and value judgements

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy; Society.

Our society has used money for thousands of years.  In ancient times money was created as a medium between two parties who wanted to trade goods.  Instead of trading oranges for potatoes people used the newly invented money as kind of intermediary.

But the rise of money also raised the question of value.  Which was more valuable, three oranges or three potatoes?  Economic assessment of shortages and other factors established a hierarchy of values for all kind of goods.

Let’s fast-forward to today.  Money evolved from a simple method by which people could trade dissimilar good to a means of valuing.  With our money we express values.  Society took this concept one step further: with money we also express the value of people.  Earnings and wages express the value of professions and the value of workers.

In a society of esteem there is no money.  The hierarchy of values no longer exists.    A society of esteem gives every person and every profession the same esteem.  When everybody gets equitable esteem they work for the well-being of the whole society and each single citizen.  Money isn’t needed for placing value on things, professions and people because they all receive the same esteem.

28May2009

Society of Esteem: Etruscan neighbors

Posted by Cecilia under: Attitude; Economy.

The Etruscan culture was so unique in its time that their neighbors, the Romans and Greeks, had difficulties understanding them.

As it often happens when one culture doesn’t understand another culture, they make fun of them or they attack them.  And as also often happens, the attacks usually expose their own problems.  The neighbors of the Etruscans followed this pattern, as much as we can conclude, through their writings.

The Romans couldn’t understand why the Etruscan women were allowed to eat together with the men.  In the Roman culture women who ate at the same table as men were prostitutes.  For Roman wives, daughters and friends it was forbidden to eat together with the men.  Seeing the Etruscan women behave this way the Romans concluded that all Etruscan women must be prostitutes and therefore the whole Etruscan society was decadent.

The Greeks regarded with jealousy the huge trading activities of the Etruscans, which extended to the African continent.  They accused the Etruscan ships of being pirates and therefore to be a danger to the whole Mediterranean sea.  In reality it was a small number of Greek pirates who were a danger to the coasts of ancient Italy, Greece and Cyprus.

 A society of esteem such as the Etruscan society doesn’t have a reason to attack or violate others’ properties.  What the Romans failed to understand was a society based on esteem has no need to conquer others, may it be just a ship or a whole country.  It’s only interested in creating a balanced society in wealth and harmony by giving esteem to each single citizen.

As history shows, a society of esteem has no chance to survive as long as it’s surrounded by cultures which are based on hierarchy of values with the need to expand and conquer in order to create esteem for a certain element of society.

21May2009

Society of Esteem: Etruscan economy

Posted by Cecilia under: Economy.

The Etruscans lived in autonomous city states all over ancient Italy but were intensely connected with each other. This is one secret as to why the Etruscans could live peacefully.

Their other secret for peace was a highly developed and equitable economy which served the whole community and society and not just certain groups of people.

The Etruscan economy is a great example for being equitable and efficient. They realized that each city state had its own resources such as gold or olive oil. By trading their goods very efficiently between the city states each of them could take advantage of the specialized knowledge of the others and of their products.

A society of esteem is based on the same esteem for all persons and for all activities. Giving the same esteem also toward all products and all knowledge creates equality in trading.

No resource is held back, all knowledge is shared and all products are fairly traded.