Monday, October 8, 2012

Chapter 3.13 – The empty and the full bowls

Excerpt from the book »Gradido – Natural Economy of Life«

Once upon a time there was a small global village. All kinds of skilled people lived there – farmers, millers, bakers, butchers, bricklayers, carpenters, healers, politicians and many other professions. For every requirement there was a profession to cover it. Nature gave the inhabitants good weather. Rain and sunshine alternated so that everything grew well and flourished.

Actually it would have been paradise on earth if there hadn’t been a strange custom mainly practised by politicians: they used to go around with bowls and obliged the other inhabitants to put money in them. There were big and small bowls, major and minor bowls, bowls with and without lids… every bowl had a special purpose.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: there was also another professional group called »banksters«. Nobody knew exactly what they actually did. But beforehand they had lent the politicians and other inhabitants money so that they could trade with each other and, above all, fill the politicians’ bowls. What a blessed profession! Without the banksters the inhabitants would in fact have been able to produce everything needed in the small global village. Yes, they would even have been able to produce luxury goods, which were not actually needed  but make life nicer and fun. But how could they have sold their products without money? The banksters solved this truly existential problem by lending them money.

It was brilliant and all of a sudden trade flourished. Everyone was able to sell their products and they were all so happy that it did not occur to anybody to ask where the banksters had actually got the money from. This question was not really important as everything could not have worked better and, after all, the other professions all had their professional secrets, too…

Once a year the banksters demanded interest from all the inhabitants who had borrowed money from them, particularly from the politicians, who willingly paid it from their bowls. At first nobody noticed that the debts were getting higher and higher and the bowls emptier and emptier. We do not know exactly what the banksters did with the large amount of interest. Presumably they invested it in lucrative growth markets. Now and again it happened that some of the banksters miscalculated and risked going bankrupt. The politicians did everything they could to save them – until one day all the bowls were empty. The head politician stored the small bowls away, took the »government bowl«, which was also empty, under his arm and called all the representatives of the inhabitants to a round table.

“The bowl is empty,“ said the head politician, “we’ll have to tighten our belts. We have lived above our means for far too long. Instead of dutifully paying all our interest to the banksters, we have built roads, made provision for sick and old people, sent our children to school and financed a lot of other unproductive things. Now we must stop this because the bowl is empty.”

The inhabitants agreed in resignation although they had all the skills and resources to guarantee a pleasant life for everyone. But without money the hands of every one of them seemed to be tied. Nobody could pay their bills anymore, let alone the staff wages. The consequences were unemployment, poverty and hunger.

“I have an idea how we can fill the bowls so that there is enough for everyone!“ a small girl said. Actually she should not have attended the meeting but her parents had taken her with them because they could not afford a babysitter anymore.

“What do we need the banksters’ money for?
Imagine they have all the money and nobody needs it!
From now on, let’s donate our talents and skills to each other! Then everyone will have enough to eat and be happy and there will be lots left over. From now one, we won’t ask what we can take out of the empty bowl but what each of us can put into the common bowl.”

The leader laughed contemptuously and murmured something about childish »social romanticism«, after all they were all poor and nobody had anything to give away.

“Really not?“ the girl asked. “We have got all professions – farmers, bakers, craftsmen, artists, scientists and many others. Do we want to starve just because we have no money? We couldn’t eat it anyway. If everybody does what they are able to do best and donates their services, together we’ll be rich and we’ll have an overflowing bowl, from which everyone will have enough to eat!”

This convinced people. The head politician was overruled and they set about things. After a short time prosperity returned to the small global village. The common bowl was overflowing. Abundance prevailed.

When the banksters heard that they were not at all pleased. Although they had all the money, they still wanted to collect interest which had never existed at all. When they demanded the land and real estate which secured the debts their scam was exposed. In this they had great luck for the village inhabitants were inherently good-natured and decided to refrain from punishing them. After all, they had all played the game. The former banksters then obtained the right to unconditional participation like all the others and were able to contribute their full potential to the community and. in return. be provided for by the community.

Some people contributed considerably more than others. That did not matter as the services were voluntary and there was enough for everyone. It was decided to reward or »thank« people for their services. However, money should never be created through debt anymore. The brave girl who had initiated the change and therefore enjoyed a great reputation suggested developing a new monetary system after the pattern of nature. And there the story ends.

Can you imagine that a child can change the world? Let’s break off the subject of the gift economy for a moment to turn to the speech that twelve-year-old Severn Suzuki held before the United Nations…

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