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…
Category: Social and Self-Help
Exploring things social, inspirational and motivational
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,…
I Have a (New) Dream
I dream that one day, in the ever-expanding cosmos of our interconnected world, we will no longer be judged by the “color” of our Internet footprints—those digital shadows that trail us through time and space—but by the content of our character. I have a dream today. I dream of a…
Judgment and Self-Reflection: A Comparative Exploration of Three Sayings
In everyday life, we often face the temptation to judge others for their faults, mistakes, or shortcomings. This tendency is addressed in a trio of well-known sayings that serve as warnings against hasty judgment: each offer a variation on the theme of cautioning against hypocrisy, encouraging introspection, and advocating for…
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…
Cooperation, Competition, and the Changing Social Landscape as Seen Through the Lens of Systems Theory
Systems theory, the transdisciplinary study of cohesive, interrelated, and interdependent components, offers a theoretically robust framework for examining the complex networks that make up social systems. These systems – whether natural, like ecosystems, or artificial, like economic structures – function as wholes, with each part influencing and being influenced by…
Man’s Desperate Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl’s book; Man’s Search for Meaning is a profound exploration of human suffering, resilience, and purpose. Drawing on his harrowing experiences as a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, Frankl proposes that the quest for meaning is the fundamental driver of human behavior. The book is divided into two parts: the…