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,…
Category: Making Money
Interesting ways to make money
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 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,…
Using Free-Form Time Banking as a Strategy for Developing Volunteer Resources within a Community Service Organization
Time banking is a way for communities to capture value without monetary cost through the recognition of individuals’ skills and time by the use of an indirect time-tracking instrument. Active engagement in time banking partnerships can enable members of a community to grow their personal networks, make lasting friendships, gain…
Is Modern Society Just a Giant Ponzi Scheme?
The Ponzi scheme involves a cycle of paying returns to early investors with funds obtained from newer investors, perpetuating the illusion of profitability. These schemes inevitably collapse when the influx of new money slows, making it impossible to continue meeting promised returns. When one looks at the foundations of modern…
If It’s Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing Well: Is Less Actually More?
There’s an old saying that insists, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” This sentiment comes to us today from a time when quality was actually important, when craftsmanship was appreciated, and when people took pride in building and creating things that would last. But with the rise of…
You Can’t Help Those Who Won’t Help Themselves
In our communities we see that ever-increasing needs is becoming the norm – many of them urgent – and community service and outreach programs strive to selflessly meet those needs, offering resources to those struggling to make ends meet. The intention behind such programs is simple: to provide assistance, support,…
Why Interconnectedness Should be More than Just an Internet Thing
We are all very familiar with the fact that the world has become, in one very big way, smaller. With the bursting onto the scene of the internet in the late 90s, we have all become connected and interconnected in a way that could never have been imagined just a…