There is a distinction between having a job and working. The difference may seem subtle at first glance, but it is fundamental. A job is a position assigned within an economic system, a function performed in exchange for money. Work, however, is an act of creation, a process of bringing…
Category: Finance and Economy
Exploring everything financial and alternative finance
The Cost of Convenience: Reclaiming What We Lost
In the years following the great war, a change swept across our land. Men and women, once masters of their own fates, began to lean on others for the tasks they once held dear. The farmer’s plow rusted in the field; the craftsman’s tools gathered dust. With each passing day,…
Is Retirement Still a Reality or a Relic of the Past?
The idea of retirement, once a cornerstone of the American Dream, now seems like an elusive mirage for many. It was a promise fulfilled for the baby boomer generation—a period of leisure and rest after decades of toil. This ideal was born out of the post-World War II economic boom,…
Entropy: Why is Living Such a Struggle?
The second law of thermodynamics provides an interesting insight into the fabric of existence. Entropy, the measure of disorder or randomness, explains why all systems, including life itself, are engaged in a perpetual struggle against the natural trend toward chaos – or simplicity. This principle reveals why life, at its…
The Concept of Social Currency in the Digital Age
Social currency, at its core, refers to: the intangible value that individuals or groups derive from their relationships, reputation, and interactions within a community. It is the measure of trust, influence, goodwill, and reciprocity that fuels social networks and fosters collaboration. While traditionally unquantifiable, social currency has always been a…
The Three Stages of Developing a Cooperative System
In the intricate dance of human social structure, where self-interest clumsily tangos with altruism and shortsightedness trips over long-term vision, fostering cooperation can seem like an almost impossible task. If game theory teaches us anything, it’s that humans are often prisoners of their evolutionary programming: we are biased toward immediate…
The Net-Giving Fueled Favor Chain: A Supercharged Whirlwind of Giving
In our fast-paced, individualistic world, the idea of interconnected generosity often feels like a nostalgic ideal rather than an achievable reality. Yet, every so often, a new framing of an old idea sparks fresh inspiration. Recently, I was speaking with someone about time banking and time co-ops when they remarked,…
Cooperative Economics and Community Empowerment: Time Co-ops and Time Banks
In today’s world where traditional markets frequently fail to meet the essential needs of communities, cooperative economics provides a powerful alternative. Rooted in the idea that communities can take action to address their own needs, cooperative economic models can offer a pathway to economic security and self-sufficiency. Among these models,…
A Unified and Person-Centered Economic Model – “The Participatory Community”
In my journey exploring the idea of time banking, I have come across many similar expressions of the same core values—community, compassion, valuing others, investing in the well-being of others, cooperation rather than competition, sustainability, equity, altruism, and other such utopian concepts. These ideals resonate deeply with the vision of…
The Nature of Needs and Happiness: A Holistic Perspective to Community Service
In our pursuit of happiness, it’s tempting to believe that obtaining what we want will bring lasting fulfillment. Yet, time and again, we see that merely having more “stuff” often fails to satisfy us deeply. In the Western world – a consumer-driven society which relentlessly promotes the idea that external…