Inflation

On November 13, 2022 By cjohnson541In Global Health and WealthLeave a comment

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates (again) in order to slow or bring down inflation. The news story that shortly followed this action featured people who expressed frustration at not being able to afford a new home.

Okay. So, the whole point of raising interest rates is to stop people from buying things. The Federal Reserve wants to make homes, new cars, credit cards loans, etc. unaffordable in order to motivate corporate CEOs to lower their prices. Jerome Powell has no choice except to raise interest rates because consumers continue to drive up prices with their spending. Apparently, no one wants to tell the ordinary citizen that they as a group control how much business owners and corporate CEOs decide to charge. In a free market economy, ordinary citizens are buyers. When buyers refuse to pay high prices for goods and services, then sellers must lower their prices. If sellers don’t lower their prices when customers stop buying, sellers will get stuck with a warehouse full of inventory that doesn’t move.

I learned that simple, but powerful lesson as a high school student selling brownies for our school’s fundraiser in the early 1980s. Our teacher told my friend and I that we could sell the brownies for whatever price we wanted. So we first started at 10 cents for one brownie. Lots of people had no problem paying 10 cents. Then we decided to try and get more money for our school and raised the price to 25 cents for one brownie. There was some hesitation, but most people who stopped by our table bought a brownie. Then we decided to raise the price to 50 cents for one brownie. The first few people who stopped by exclaimed “50 cents! For one brownie?!” They did not buy. One girl hesitated after hearing our price. She got out her purse, hesitated some more, and then decided not to shell out that 50 cents. My friend and I set the price back down to 25 cents and people started buying our brownies again.

This is my scary thought: Sellers are learning that buyers are willing and able to buy extremely high-priced goods and services. People are actually willing to pay over $400,000 for a medium-sized single family house. They are willing to pay $80,000 in tuition and fees for two years of graduate school. They are willing to pay $13.00 for three small pieces of salmon. As long as buyers will pay those prices, there is no incentive for sellers to stop raising their prices. Because as we know, sellers are not trying to be kind and compassionate. They are trying to make as much money as possible.

I fear that buyers have taught sellers a new concept: “I can raise my prices to ridiculously high levels and people will still buy my product or service! Who knew! Let’s keep rolling with this. Let’s keep jacking up the price of milk, gas, houses, etc. as long as possible.” What does “as long as possible” mean? That means sellers will keep raising prices until most people break and really can’t afford the gasoline to get to work. What will happen then? Will people spend 2 hours walking (or 45 minutes biking) to get to work if they are that desperate? I don’t know.

But we don’t have to go there. Things don’t have to get so dire. What if the pundits on the airwaves just told people to boycott whatever you can. If you can afford to work from home a couple of days or if you can bike or walk to work sometimes, do that. If you can leave a few things on the grocery store shelf that you normally get, do that. Do it even if you can afford that $13.00 salmon. Do it even if you can afford $400 per month in gas. The people at the bottom of the economic ladder are already in desperate straits. If significant numbers of people at the middle and the top of the economic ladder could voluntarily cut back on their spending where possible, that would send a message to the sellers: “We are not buying your stuff until you price it at a more reasonable level.”

When people at the middle and top of the economic ladder start to voluntarily reduce their spending, they may in turn learn a new concept. They may discover that they really don’t need as much stuff to be happy as they thought. The pent-up, post-pandemic feelings of “I’ve got to get out and go places and buy things!” could get replaced with “I can be happy spending time at home with friends and family just hanging out and talking.” When significant numbers of people learn that concept, who knows how low prices may then go.

If I Could Talk to Big Pharma CEOs

On February 12, 2021January 22, 2023 By cjohnson541In Global Health and WealthLeave a comment

Hello Alex, Stéphane, Pascal and Albert,

I hope you are doing well and feeling generous because I am about to ask you to do something big. You and your companies have done an amazing job at quickly developing the Covid-19 vaccine formulas. But now there are variants and not enough vaccine to go around because it takes so long for just a few companies to mass-manufacture billions of doses. We must stop more variants from forming by getting everyone in even the poorest countries vaccinated. In order to rapidly accomplish such a huge feat I am asking you to please share your vaccine formulas with countries around the world for free.

I know what you’re thinking: “This is our vaccine. We developed it, we made it and we absolutely have the right to make a profit off of our hard work. There’s no reason to give it away for free.” Sharing sounds absolutely crazy to you, I know, but please hear me out.

You are thinking of profits because that is how you are used to thinking. But, in the midst of a pandemic with 3 new variants on the scene, now is not the time to be gambling with Mother Nature. She really could wipe us, meaning the human species, off the face of the earth with this virus. Seriously. If we can’t get out enough supply to quickly immunize huge numbers of people, we all may find ourselves longing for the days when there were only three variants and not 5 or 10 or 20+. I’ve read that the flu alone has 144 variations, so it’s not impossible for the coronavirus, which is much deadlier than the flu, to mutate to the point where it’s out of our control.

I know billions of dollars are at stake, but do you really want to gamble with Mother Nature when the survival of the human race is on the line? You can’t spend money if you’re dead. And even if you holed up in one of your well-stocked luxury bunkers while the virus took out the rest of us, where’s the fun in that compared to all the pleasures at your disposal right now, above ground?

If it’s still hard to imagine giving away your formula secrets in order to potentially save billions of people, try thinking of it this way: What will you lose that you currently have if you give away your formula for free?

If you share the formula for free, you will not lose the things that already bring you comfort and pleasure like your house, food, clothing, and means of transportation. You will not lose the love and affection of people who genuinely care about you more than they care about the money you make. You will not lose your freedom or your life. You hold the power to save billions of lives and it will cost you nothing that you already have.

Yes, I am asking you to sacrifice future billions, but your current income is enough to sustain the lifestyle you presently enjoy. I know, I know, you always want more! Money is a drug. The more you make, the more you want, but, man that’s not healthy when future dollar signs blind you to the very real possibility of your extinction! If you share the vaccine formula, you will definitely not lose your life. If you hoard the formulas, there’s a chance that you and everyone else will!

So many people around the world have sacrificed so much more to make the world a better place. They’ve given up their lives, their freedom, and their comfortable way of living for worthy causes that they truly believed in. The four of you can agree to massively contribute to a worthy cause, the saving of the human race, and it will cost you nothing that you already have!

Gentlemen, please share the precious knowledge that you hold with the world. Sharing, generosity, cooperation and collaboration: these are the human qualities that will ensure our continued survival. Competition, hoarding, secrecy, and greed will not.

Survival of the Fittest?

On January 14, 2021February 2, 2021 By cjohnson541In Global Health and WealthLeave a comment

Over the last three decades, the ever-growing interest in brain science has intersected with a similar growing interest in the motivations that allow a species to survive. What has become evident, and what Kant, Darwin, and Kropotin allude to, is that compassion, characterized by nurturing and caring behavior, is critical to the long-term survival of many species, and most importantly perhaps, to the human species. James R. Doty. In his preface to The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science (2019).

The last part of that quote really stood out for me: “…nurturing and caring behavior is critical to the long term survival… [of] the human species.” Such behavior has typically been ascribed to female people. They do the majority of nurturing and care-giving so that future generations will survive and thrive, and yet they receive very little or no pay for this essential work.

In most cultures, the assumption is that female people naturally feel high levels of altruism towards members of their community and therefore need very little or no extrinsic motivation (money) to help. This is seen as especially true with regard to members of the woman’s own family. Imagine what modern capitalistic societies would look like if this were not true. How many husbands would be thousands of dollars in debt if their wives demanded a fee for agreeing to impregnation, a fixed payment for 9 months of carrying the child, and an hourly payment for time spent doing the extraordinarily hard work of labor and delivery? How many children would be tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt by the age of 18 if their mothers demanded payment for all the hours spent feeding, bathing, tutoring, transporting, counseling, washing and cooking for them? How many governments would be trillions of dollars in debt if their female citizens demanded substantial payment for providing the country with a workforce? What would today’s societies look like if marrying and mothering were primarily based on monetary transactions rather than acts done out of love, kindness, compassion and generosity?

For the most part, women do not make such demands. They do all of this work for free because strong intrinsic emotional forces as well as deeply ingrained cultural expectations compel most female people to work for their spouses and offspring in the absence of pay.

But what about the male people? How would modern societies look if men also felt high levels of altruism and protectiveness towards members of their community and therefore needed very little or no extrinsic motivation (money) to help? Imagine if strong intrinsic emotional forces as well as deeply ingrained cultural expectations compelled most men to do the critical work of building roads, bridges, and houses, growing food, transporting people and products, repairing cars, and defending their communities from harm without monetary payment.

While gender roles and cultural expectations are learned, altruism and cooperation are hard-wired into both the male and female brain. Just because societies have often suppressed the male person’s tendencies towards kindness, caring and nurturing behaviors, this does not mean such natural behaviors can’t be re-introduced, developed and fostered. Just as women have now learned to do many of the same jobs as men, men can also learn to be as caring and nurturing as women.

In a society where all people, no matter what their gender, have learned to be motivated by altruism rather than monetary exchange, everyone thrives. In a global interdependent network of people who ask “what’s in it for us” instead of “what’s in it for me,” it becomes eminently possible to find lasting and practical solutions to existential problems such as climate change, the pandemic, poverty, violence, and any other problem that currently plagues our world. We must all learn to develop, foster and grow our innate tendencies to be nurturing, caring, kind and altruistic. As a species our existence depends on it.

In Us We Trust: Goodwill and Money

On January 6, 2021 By cjohnson541In Global Health and WealthLeave a comment

An article in Psychology Today¹ by the neuroscientist Rick Hanson states that when we cultivate good will towards others and towards ourselves, we experience less stress and greater feelings of happiness, contentment, and peacefulness. Similarly, in the Christian tradition, the evangelist Luke wrote that the angel who announced the birth of Jesus heralded a time of great joy for all people, peace on earth, and good will towards men. I believe it’s a wonderful thing when science and religion overlap and support one another.

When both science and faith tell us that good will brings goodness, joy and peace to all involved, how might people be affected if we changed the images and words on our money to reflect this fact? This is all just speculation, however, every vision starts with speculation and curiosity, so let’s temporarily leave the real world behind and speculate!

What words would drive home the fact that true security comes from the knowledge that we can trust other people to help keep us safe, healthy, happy AND that other people can expect the same from us? What images on our money would show that we can trust most people’s innate goodness, kindness, compassion and generosity, just as they can trust ours?

Maybe these? “In Us We Trust.” “In God and Goodwill We Trust.” “For the Goodness of God and Humanity.” Other suggestions? Would such words and images help foster innate goodwill if they appeared on something that regularly exchanges hands? Looking forward to reading your responses!

¹https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-wise-brain/201812/acquire-goodwill

Building a Foundation for a Better World: What can I do?

On December 27, 2020May 24, 2021 By cjohnson541In Global Health and WealthLeave a comment

Purpose is one of the most important predictors of well-being. It makes us healthier, more resilient, and more engaged. —Dr. Richard Davidson. Center for Healthy Minds. University of Wisconsin-Madison

One of the age-old questions humans have posed since the beginning of time is: What is the meaning of life? How one answers that question depends upon their culture, upbringing, life experiences and point of view. Some people may say that the meaning or purpose of life is to serve God. Others may say that making as much money as possible or having as much fun as possible describes their life purpose. Still others may say that it’s more realistic to have several life purposes instead of one.

Whatever the answer, a single factor seems to drive nearly every human being’s motivation to act, whether that action satisfies a big purpose goal or some very small and mundane wish. People act because they want to feel some level of happiness by relieving some level of discomfort. Nearly everything we do, we do in an attempt to attain happiness and avoid suffering.

This is what the research studies tells us. However, since you probably were not part of a study, you may be skeptical which I absolutely encourage! So, ask yourself: Is there anything that I do that does not make me happy or does not relieve suffering in either the long or short term? For example, you may hate your job. But doing it allows you to earn a paycheck and avoid the suffering that comes along with unemployment. Or maybe you know that researching car insurance options will get you a better deal, but skipping all that work and doing some other more fun activity feels much more appealing. Eating six donuts may not bring you true happiness in the moment because you know you’ll regret it later. However, you are probably attempting to avoid suffering by relieving an intense craving.

You may have noticed that all the above examples are rather negative. What people believe will make them happy often does not result in actual long-lasting happiness and greater well-being. Some classic examples of goals that do not bring lasting happiness once achieved include winning the lottery, achieving a higher social status, or attaining your culture’s view of physical attractiveness.

So, what goals and activities actually make most people healthier, more resilient and more engaged? According to the research done by scientists at various institutions of higher learning, doing activities that align with a purpose greater than ourselves brings the most long-lasting and highest levels of well-being. In short, any activities you do which causes others to feel your genuine kindness, generosity, patience and compassion will bring you happiness in return. Values such as these form the bedrock of an altruism-based economy.

Such an economy can only work if most people in that economy highly value and practice altruism for self, family and community in healthy balanced ways that contribute to well-being for all involved. Therefore, cultivating and growing our innate inclinations towards kindness, compassion and responsible generosity is key for building a world that runs on kindness, compassion and responsible generosity.

In what ways can you cultivate and grow your own innate inclinations towards kindness, compassion and responsible generosity? For some ideas on how to start, please refer to the following websites:

Center for Healthy Minds. University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Founded by world renowned neuroscientist Dr. Richard J. Davidson, the Center for Healthy Minds envisions a kinder, wiser, more compassionate world. Our mission is to cultivate well-being and relieve suffering through a scientific understanding of the mind.” https://centerhealthyminds.org/

The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Stanford University. “Founded and directed by Dr. James Doty, Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery, CCARE is established within the Department of Neurosurgery. To date, CCARE has collaborated with a number of prominent neuroscientists, behavioral scientist, geneticists and biomedical researchers to closely examine the physiological and psychological correlates of compassion and altruism.” http://ccare.stanford.edu/

Greater Good Science Center. University of California, Berkeley. “The Greater Good Science Center studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.” https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Chicago, IL. “The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL). CASEL supports educators and policy leaders and enhances the experiences and outcomes for all PreK-12 students.” https://casel.org/

Teachings on kindness, compassion and mindfulness in Buddhism, Christianity, Darwinism, Hinduism, Indigenous Religions, Islam, and Judaism

As you practice cultivating and growing your own innate tendencies towards kindness, compassion and responsible generosity, keep in mind that these altruistic behaviors (like many other behaviors) are contagious. Start small and start with you. The effects will ripple out and inspire others to value and practice altruism, and you will become part of a growing global movement that has the potential to change the world.

What if…?

On June 27, 2017January 31, 2021 By cjohnson541In Global Health and WealthLeave a comment

Here is some background information on the following story, “What if…”

I. The Problem: Our dependence on money as a way to manage the production and distribution of limited resources has led to extreme inequities in the possession of health and wealth on a global scale.

II. A Possible Solution: Begin the gradual implementation of a global points-based system which relies on universal laws that govern human nature in order to reward behaviors that create health and wealth for everyone in all communities. The points-based system is meant to gradually replace our current money-based system.

III. The Basic Idea Explained: In a points-based system you earn points for socially responsible behavior such as obeying the laws of your country, completing your education, performing community service and engaging in behaviors that promote mental, emotional and physical health. As you complete your education, perform community service and maintain your health, your city, state or federal institutions add points to your “character” account. You use the points in your account to “purchase” goods and services. This is somewhat similar to the money system; however, there are significant differences that may make it better, and render it less susceptible to corruption and exploitation.

IV. Description and Implementation: The following story “What if…”, outlines the problems associated with a money-based system and proposes one possible points-based system along with suggestions for practical and responsible implementation should wide-spread support for the idea emerge.

PROLOGUE

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a far-away world where the custom of exchanging money for goods and services did not exist. Instead, everybody agreed to work in return for the knowledge that they were genuinely needed, valued and appreciated for using their talents and skills to make positive contributions to their communities. One day, after the little girl came home from school and was happily chatting with her parents at the kitchen table, her mother asked, “So, what kind of job do you want to have when you grow up?” The little girl replied quite confidently: “Oh, I’m not going to have a job when I grow up. I’m just going to live in a really big house with 500 teddy bears and eat candy all day long.” Her father smiled and asked her, “Now what do you think would happen if everyone thought that way?” The little girl shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t know. I guess everyone would have teddy bears and eat candy and live in a really big house like me.” Her mother then asked her, “Well, if nobody is working, who’s going to build your house or make your teddy bears? Who’s going to work in the candy factory?” The little girl frowned, not particularly liking these troublesome questions and how they seemed to be ruining her perfectly brilliant plan. “Well”, the little girl replied somewhat uncertainly, “I guess I’d have to find some way to make other people go to work so I could get all the stuff I wanted.” Her father replied, “You know that’s an interesting idea, because somebody actually did try that. You want to hear the story of what happened?” Now, the little girl loved stories, and because her father had said this particular story was about her idea, she was certain that it would be a good one with a very happy ending. “Yes!” she said brightly. “I want to hear it.” So the three of them moved into the living room and she snuggled up between her mom and dad on the comfy couch as her dad began the story: “Once upon a time, there was a far-away world where all the people had agreed to work for one another in exchange for a thing called “Money.”

“In this far-away world, people lived according to a basic rule,” her father continued. The basic rule was: ‘I won’t give you anything unless you give me something in return.’ So, if a person was good at raising chickens, but not so good at growing corn, she would take her eggs to the market hoping to find someone who was good at growing corn, but not so good at raising chickens. At the market, the chicken raiser would agree to give the corn grower so many eggs in exchange for so many ears of corn. They called this system “barter and trade.” “But Daddy”, the little girl interrupted, trying hard to understand this very new concept, “what if the chicken lady really needed some corn, but she couldn’t find anyone at the market who wanted her eggs?” “Well,” her father replied, “she would just have to go home without any corn, or she could try to find another market where there might be people who needed eggs and had corn to trade.” “That sounds like a lot of trouble and way too much walking around to me,” the little girl mumbled. Why couldn’t somebody just give her some corn?” Her father smiled patiently and replied, “Remember the basic rule at the market was: ‘I won’t give you anything unless you give me something in return.’ In the barter and trade system, everyone has agreed to honor and accept this rule. So, you can probably imagine what would happen if the corn grower just gave away his corn. The little girl thought for a moment and said, “Oh, I get it now. I guess nobody would give him what he needed if he didn’t have enough corn to trade. In a barter and trade system, it’d be pretty stupid to just give away your stuff.” “Exactly,” her father replied. “But, you know, you did have a good point about how much trouble it was for people to find others who had things they wanted to trade.”

“As villages got bigger and life got more complicated, it became more and more difficult to use the barter and trade system. So, the people created a new system to follow that was a somewhat like barter and trade, but much more efficient. They decided to use gold and silver coins or cowrie shells to get the things they wanted and needed.” The little girl looked utterly confused and surprised. “Why would anybody want to trade their stuff for coins made of golden rocks and sea shells? If I were the chicken lady, I would only give away my eggs for corn or something else I could eat or use.” The little girl’s eyes then widened with wonder as she considered possible reasons why anyone would give away perfectly good food in return for shells or metal coins. “Did the people in this far-away world eat golden coins and shells,” she asked, burning with curiosity. Both her mother and father and mother’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “No, honey,” replied her father gently. “The people didn’t eat the coins or the shells. However they did highly value these things.”

“But, why?” she asked incredulously, unable to make any sense out of such a strange idea. “The people valued gold, silver and certain shells simply because they were rare,” her father answered. “Even though the objects themselves had no real practical use, people really liked the idea of possessing things that few others owned. Try to imagine how you would feel and what you would do if everyone valued the following idea: ‘I have something that most other people want, but can’t easily get because it’s rare.’ The little girl did not have to think for long. She saw her original idea, her brilliant plan taking shape, coming into sharp focus and bursting into reality within the realm of this far-away fairytale-like world her father was describing. “I know exactly what I would do,” she replied confidently. “I would try to get as many gold coins or shells or whatever as I could, and then only give them to people after they built my house, worked in my candy factory and made my 500 teddy bears. But I wouldn’t have a lot of people working to make the stuff I wanted. I’d have just a few people so I wouldn’t have to give away a lot of my coins.” Her mother looked at her little girl thoughtfully, and then asked, “But what if the people making your 500 teddy bears got tired and needed help? What if the people in your candy factory needed someone else to work for a while so that they could take a vacation?” The little girl had an answer ready and gave it without hesitation. “Then I’d find someone else to work for me who didn’t need so much help and didn’t need to go on vacation. If people want coins from me, they’re gonna have to work however I want them to work.” She had already begun to imagine using some coins to pay a dentist to invent a fruit-flavored gum that made teeth cavity-proof. However, her mother interrupted the direction of her thoughts by asking, “And how exactly will you get your own gold coins if you plan on just eating candy all day long while living in your big house and playing with your teddy bears?” To this question, the little girl did not have an immediate answer. She sighed as she saw her magnificent vision once again fading away in the light of her mother’s very annoying, yet highly logical questioning. She looked hopefully at her daddy and asked, “Did the people in the far-away world have a way to get lots of gold coins without having to work for them?” “Yes, as a matter of fact they did,” her dad replied slowly. The small glimmer of hope in the little girl’s eyes grew brighter, upon hearing this revelation. With barely contained enthusiasm, she exclaimed, “Well, tell me! Tell me! How did they do it?”

“Well, there were lots of different ways to get coins without working, or by doing very little work,” her father began. “If you lived in this far-away world, you could of course steal other people’s coins. You could lie to them or figure out other ways to trick them into giving you their coins. If your parents had a lot of coins, you might get the coins after they died. This was called an ‘inheritance.’ People played lots of games of chance. If they were lucky at these games of chance, they could win coins. This was called gambling. Much later on in their world’s history, the people developed and agreed to honor a very complex thing called a “banking system.” This banking system allowed people all over the world to use numbers to represent how many coins they earned, borrowed, loaned or paid out. The numbers, which people called ‘money’, were kept safe inside things called individual ‘accounts.’ When more people began trading in numbers instead of actual coins, shells or special paper, it became even easier and more efficient for them get work done or to get the goods and services they needed and wanted. In many ways the money system helped greatly advance their civilization. Unfortunately, many people also found ways to cheat, steal or play games to manipulate the system so they could get more numbers put into their personal accounts. Overtime, this cheating and other unethical behaviors lead to some very serious problems.”

“In fact, these massive problems lead some people to try to think of new and better rules to live by. These people called themselves ‘architects’ because they envisioned building an alternative system that was less susceptible to greed and corruption. They imagined building a system that would help people all over the world lead healthier and happier lives.”

“Wait a minute!” cried the little girl desperately. She was seeing her dream plans being smashed to bits by a wrecking ball swung about by a demolition team masquerading as so called architects. “The problems couldn’t have been that bad! They probably didn’t have to change the whole system. It seemed like it could work pretty well. Nothing’s perfect. I don’t see how a little lying and cheating could make someone want to destroy the whole thing! What could have been so bad, daddy?”

Her mother replied instead. “Have you looked at your syllabus for history class lately? You’re going to be starting a new unit tomorrow where you’ll learn about money and its role in the customs of ancient civilizations. When you go to school tomorrow, you will learn all about some of the first architects and the problems they were attempting to solve. Their history and culture teaches many important lessons which still influence our civilization today.”

“So, this is not just a made up story you were telling me, Daddy? These people were real?” the little girl asked in amazement. “Yes, sweetie, they were real,” he replied. “So if you want to know what happened next, be sure to pay attention in class, tomorrow.” He kissed her the top of her hair and her mom kissed her cheek, and then they both got up to do other things, leaving her sitting on the sofa in complete bewilderment. History class was at 2 o’clock. She could barely wait for school to start.

School

When the little girl got up the next morning and headed off to school, all she could think about was what she would find out in history class at 2 o’clock. Her morning classes seemed to drag by so slowly and she had quite a difficult time concentrating on math, ethics, science and music when to her mind what would be revealed in history was obviously so much more important.

2 o’clock finally arrived and the little girl eagerly settled into her seat as the warm afternoon sunshine streamed through the large windows of the inviting and spacious history classroom. After the other students had taken their seats, the teacher smiled at the eager anticipation on each of their faces. It was clear that their parents had done the homework they had been assigned at the last parent-teacher conference. They had told their children the beginning of the story. Now she would continue.

“If I’m not mistaken,” she began, “I believe you all have heard a story about a far-away world in which the people agreed to work for something called money. Raise your hands if you have heard this story.” Wondering how in the world she knew this, all the hands in the classroom went up. “Ah, very good!” the teacher responded. “Now, when you go home today, be sure to tell your parents they all get an A+ for doing their homework and telling you the beginning of the story.” The air came alive with exclamations of surprise and laughter as the students realized their innovative teacher had once again used a good-natured trick to get them to want to learn what she had to teach them. “So,” she continued, once they had settled down, “do you want to know what the serious problems were and why the architects felt compelled to fix them?” Every head in the classroom nodded vigorously. “OK, so what we’ll do first is discuss some of the good things that happened in their money-based economy. Then we’ll talk about some of the serious problems caused by the bad things. After we’ve finished our discussion, I have some video footage from their archives that I will show you. The video footage will help you better understand your homework assignment for the next class, which is to read “Part One” of the architects’ story on page 33 in your textbook. The story is entitled “What if…” The architects wrote it because they realized that they alone could not force change, that a small group could not fix such massive problems. They wrote the story in an attempt to persuade billions of people that each one possessed the will to change their world. So keep that in mind as you read Part One, and as we start today’s discussion.

As the teacher skillfully lead her young charges in a discussion that was lively and passionate as various opinions and points of view were respectfully expressed, they began to think deeply about the subject. After the discussion and especially after seeing the video footage at the end of the class period, the children headed home with new thoughts and new feelings developing and taking root in their young minds. The little girl was no exception. After arriving home and eating her after school snack, she went quietly to her room, closed the door, sat down at her desk and opened her textbook to the title page of the architects’ story: “What if… Part One.”

She felt in equal measures both intensely reluctant and intensely curious to begin reading. On the one hand, she was almost certain that what she found on the following pages would not make her feel good about how she wanted to acquire her wonderful house, the cute teddy bears and unlimited amounts of magically delicious candy. The classroom discussion and especially the video footage left her with uncomfortable feelings in the pit of her stomach. On the other hand, she had gotten a glimpse of this far-away world where wishes like her very own had been realized by real people using the dream-building currency called ‘money.’ She was, therefore, also very curious to find out more about this system and why the architects felt so strongly about changing it completely. Perhaps they had been wrong, she thought. Perhaps there had been some way to fix the system that they just couldn’t see. If so, she needed to find the flaw in their thinking. Then, when she grew up, maybe she could do some building and redesigning of her own world that would allow for the success of her grand plans. Would she find what she was looking for? There was only one way to find out. The little girl turned to first page of the architects’ story and began reading Part One of “What if…”

***

WHAT IF…PART ONE

The Problem with Money

Morpheus: Do you believe it fate, Neo?
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: Because I don’t like the idea that I’m not in control of my life. (From “The Matrix” movie)

In the midst of the current global economic crisis, most of the world’s population feels that they are increasingly less in control of their lives. They lose their jobs through no fault of their own because their companies can no longer afford to pay them. Young people cannot afford to pay for the rising cost of a college education, so they go tens of thousands of dollars into debt by taking out student loans. When these students do graduate, they cannot get jobs because companies and organizations are trying to save money. There are millions of people across the globe who struggle to live on just a few dollars a day. They have no or very limited access to clean water, healthy food, adequate shelter and basic health care because they have so little money. Whether one is the leader of a country in trillions of dollars of debt, head of a company struggling to stay in business or a family barely able to put enough food on the table, it appears that the vast majority of people in the world do not have enough money to feel that they are securely in control of their lives.

Money is the currency that nearly everyone in the world agrees to value, yet nearly everyone in the world does not have enough of it. Perhaps at one time this situation was intended to create an environment in which hard-working, highly motivated, honest and responsible people were rewarded with more money, while lazy, dishonest, poorly motivated and irresponsible people received less. Perhaps at one time it was possible for most people to retain their good character and a strong work ethic as they worked their way to the top and amassed great financial wealth. It appears that times have changed. The current financial situation seems to have forced most human beings across the globe to make decisions that are destructive to themselves, to others and to the environment. For example, heads of governments with trillion dollar debts are forced to implement economic austerity measures that leave significant portions of their citizens jobless, homeless, and unable to buy food. Leaders of companies who intend to stay in business have no choice but to try to get the most work out of the fewest number of people while paying them the least amount of money possible. Individuals who intend to survive often have no choice but to work long, hard hours in jobs they hate because they need money to live. People who become frustrated by the idea of working so hard for so little decide to earn money in illegal and socially destructive ways such as drug dealing, prostitution, financial scams, and gambling. When there is no other way for human beings to gain access to material goods and services except through the use of money, they will do whatever they can to acquire money. Unfortunately, it is often easier to amass financial wealth by being dishonest and unethical, than it is by being honest and ethical.

Human beings are generally not born dishonest and corrupt. People generally do not come into this world hard-wired with the will to exploit one another for the sake of profit. Such behavior is learned. We have all been born into a system in which we learn that lying, stealing, and hoarding are faster and easier ways to amass financial wealth, especially if we believe we have the means to get away with such unethical acts. It is not impossible, however, it is much more difficult to amass financial wealth by being completely honest, generous and willing to share, and so we generally learn to equate these acts with foolishness. Profit-driven thinking has led to an erosion of human character on a global scale. The money system has created a world that is full of greedy, corrupt, morally bankrupt people who are willing to accept the demise of planet in return for the very material things that are leading to its destruction. Oil spills, air and water pollution, deforestation, over- fishing, and the resulting extinction of animal and plant life do not matter, when profit is the bottom line. Acts of atrocity against human beings, exploitation of children, women and men in the name of profit are accepted as unfortunate, but necessary by-products in the exchange of goods and services for money. Many people may point out that that’s just the way things are and there’s nothing anybody can do to make significant changes. They may point out that we are all slaves to the money system. It rules our lives, our behaviors, our decisions, our character, our access to health and happiness, and there is nothing we can do to escape its control. It is a king, an emperor, a sovereign power that cannot be overthrown. It is an idea of our own creation, and we have become psychologically enslaved by it. We may as well just do our best to live within the confines of this unhappy kingdom, locked in by the invisible chains wrapped tightly around our minds. There is simply no way out. Or is there?

The Basic Idea Explained

Morpheus: The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you’re inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save…You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it.

There is a way to break free from this system which we no longer control, but which instead controls us. The way out requires nothing more than a change in the way we human beings think about what we must do in order to attain the material and nonmaterial things we need and want. The path to freedom is not a long road, but rather a single short step in a very different direction. A major reduction in the world-wide physical, emotional and psychological impoverishment that was created by the money system requires a mental shift that is as simple as it is profound: We do not need money. We need each other. Whether we contribute to society by growing food, building houses, cleaning toilets, healing patients, collecting garbage, teaching children, transporting goods, entertaining vacationers, providing spiritual counsel, or protecting the public, we all depend upon one another directly and indirectly for these material and nonmaterial goods and services. Money does not build our cars, grow and transport our food, conduct ground-breaking research or construct homes. People do. Money does not entertain us at concerts or sporting events, nor does it perform life-changing surgery. It does not fly us across the country, educate our children or make our beds in five star hotels. People do.

However, when entire societies world-wide agree that most work cannot be done unless people receive money in return, this creates a strong belief in the illusion that the money is more valuable than the work. When entire societies agree that the money is more important than the work, bizarre situations arise when finances are not available or in short supply. Although the community desperately needs people to work, the people desperately want to work, and physical resources are not limited, the work does not get done because everyone has agreed that they cannot help one another without financial compensation or some kind of direct trade. For example, a city police department needs to hire more police officers and there are several well qualified candidates for the job. However, because the city does not have the money to pay the officers, they do not get hired. As a result, crime continues to spiral out of control affecting every aspect of community life. A school system needs money to hire more teachers. There are several well qualified recent college graduates who want to teach. However, because the school system does not have the money to hire more teachers, the college graduates do not get hired. As a result, children must be taught in crowded classrooms equipped with inadequate resources by over-worked, highly stressed teachers who are unable to provide their students with a quality education due to the impossibly difficult situation in which they find themselves. The lack of a quality education for the children leads to limited opportunities and the downward spiral into poverty continues for yet another generation. Meanwhile, the recent graduates continue to look for work as the interest on their college loans puts them deeper into debt. Multiply similar scenarios world-wide and it becomes easy to see the extent of tragedy caused by a near universal belief that people cannot do anything unless they get paid in money.

On some level everyone understands that money itself is not really valuable. We all know we can’t eat it. We can’t wear it, build a shelter out of it or cure a disease with it. On some level we understand that money is valuable only because most everyone in the world agrees to pretend that it is. We all know that the gold standard had to be abandoned years ago because there wasn’t enough gold on the planet to back up the paper bills. Still we continued to agree to pretend in the value of the paper bill. Today we all know that there is not enough room on the planet, let alone in someone’s bank vault to hold all the paper bills which represent the trillions of dollars of debt held by various countries around the world. So now we agree to pretend in the value of the numbers that represent the paper. Since numbers are infinite and far less concrete than golden rocks and paper, the degree of fantasy and illusion to which we cling rises to dangerous heights as we could potentially project financial deficits in the quadrillions and higher. A continued belief in the money fantasy carries serious and far-reaching consequences for the real world. We are already witnessing the devastating effects of this belief, as financial experts frantically and fruitlessly attempt to find solutions to the economic crisis that is gripping the globe. Few people on the planet want to continue down this road. No happy end will await us and future generations if we continue along the path of believing in a currency with pretend value. It is time to stop pretending.

What if…

The One (Neo): I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid. You’re afraid of us. You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin. I’m going to hang up this phone and then I’m going to show these people what you don’t want them to see. I’m going to show them a world without you, a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries, a world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.

What if the majority of people around the world could indeed agree to stop pretending that money is valuable, and instead value the knowledge that we are all genuinely needed, valued and appreciated for making positive contributions to our societies through our work? These are attributes with universal and real value that cut across cultural, political, religious and geographical boundaries. What if we could make that simple, yet profound mental shift toward the realization that it is not money we need, but each other? If we took that step, if we swallowed the red pill, we would find ourselves in an entirely different dimension. Upon arrival we would immediately recognize a simple and obvious truth: Everyone’s needs and wants would be met if we all agreed to work for each other, rather than for financial compensation. Truckers continue to transport goods across hundreds of miles, not for money, but because they know people in both the public and private sectors are depending on them to get those goods from point A to point B. Teachers continue to educate their students, not for the money, but because they know businesses and organizations need highly competent people who can provide goods and services in a responsible, ethical and honest manner. People in the entertainment and hospitality business continue to provide high quality services for their vacationers, not for the money, but because they know people need time to relax, play and recuperate after working to do their part to contribute to their communities. People continue to work, not for money, but because they fully realize that just as others depend on them to provide goods and services, they depend on others to do the same. People continue to work without financial compensation because they fully realize that if they didn’t, we would experience total system failure. If everyone decided not to work once they stopped getting a paycheck, they know that the world would descend into a brutal chaos of unimaginable proportions from which we may well never recover. Nobody would want that, and for that very reason we would work together as hard as we could to prevent such a thing from happening.

Rather than valuing an illusory currency that acts as an obstruction to productivity, people work in return for that which has real and universal value. In a world where people have learned to truly value the knowledge that they are genuinely needed, valued and appreciated for making positive contributions to their societies through their work, the custom of exchanging money for goods and services becomes unnecessary, and therefore obsolete.

In a world without money, every student with the necessary academic qualifications could attend a university or trade school of his or her choice. In a world without money, these universities and schools would no longer find it necessary to focus on being cost-effective. Instead, they could simply focus on being effective. This would allow them to hire as many faculty, staff, and administrators as they needed to provide their students with a high quality education. At these accredited universities and schools, all graduates would have learned and demonstrated the competence, ethical behavior and social responsibility necessary for living and working in a moneyless global society. In a world without money, companies and organizations would also no longer find it necessary to focus on being cost-effective. Instead, they could simply focus on being effective. This would allow them to hire as many university or trade school graduates as they needed to provide high quality goods and services to their customers in an effective, efficient, socially and ecologically responsible manner. When employers can hire as many people as they need, rather than the fewest number necessary to profitably operate, unemployment plummets. When employees no longer feel the need to hoard overtime hours or work more than one job because they have bills to pay, incidences of stress, burn-out, and feelings of exploitation are minimized. When workloads are reasonable for everyone, productivity and quality increase. In a world where profit-driven thinking no longer exists, where both employers and employees have learned and demonstrated the ability to value, respect and appreciate each other for making positive contributions to their communities through their work, everyone wins.

In a world without money, ideas that lead to medical, scientific and educational breakthroughs are shared, discussed and implemented for all, rather than hoarded, trademarked and sold only to those who can afford to purchase the products of such breakthroughs. In a world without money, people would have much to lose and nearly nothing to gain for committing crimes such as drug-dealing, murder for hire, prostitution, and theft. When incentives for engaging in criminal activity are reduced, the costs to society in terms of violence and lost human potential is also reduced. In a world without money, social programs with a clearly demonstrated track record of helping people become productive members of society would not have to be cut because of lack of funding. Bribery and financial scamming would be very difficult if not impossible to practice in a moneyless society. The incentive to irresponsibly exploit the earth’s resources diminishes significantly when profit no longer matters, and temporary job loss does not lead to personal devastation. In a world where everyone agrees to value people rather than profit, it becomes much easier to follow the natural inclination to be generous, kind and helpful so deeply embedded in our DNA.

Once we have stepped into this dimension and seen the possibilities, would we ever want to return to the one on the brink of a growing and seemingly unstoppable socio-economic global disaster? Would we be willing to show others that there is a choice?

Why is a Moneyless Global Society a Realistic Possibility?

The evil Agent Smith is in the subway station standing right behind Neo. Trinity says quietly, “Run, Neo, run!” Instead, Neo slowly turns to face Agent Smith. Trinity asks incredulously: “What is he DOING?”

Morpheus: He’s starting to believe.

People considering this concept from the other side of the dimension will say that such a highly naïve and unrealistic vision belongs in the world of fantasy and make-believe. They will say that we cannot realistically expect people world-wide to abandon their belief in the value of money, despite every indication that this belief is leading everyone down a road toward disaster and not even the financial experts know how to stop it. They will say that a mentality is an extraordinarily difficult thing to change in one person, let alone in billions of people. They will say that such a mental shift requires not a small step, but a quantum leap. And they may be right—to a certain degree. Changing someone’s world view may seem as futile as banging one’s head against a brick wall. However, it is important to realize that we are indeed dealing with ideas, not brick walls. The belief that we need money in order to function as a civil society is an idea. The belief that we need only each other to function as a civil society is also an idea. One presents a roadblock to the kind of world in which most people want to live. One presents a gateway to that world.

Right now there are indications across the globe that individuals and organizations have already caught a glimpse of the gateway. They may not yet recognize it as a way to a moneyless society. However, their actions indicate that they are ready, willing and able to at least consider the concept, because they have already helped or are currently helping people without the expectation of financial gain. For example, when Tim Berners-Lee invented and then gave away the Internet for free with the words: “This is for everyone”, this action demonstrated that he valued the positive power of human interconnectedness over profit. Another case in point is the MIT graduate named Sal Khan who has posted thousands of online tutorials which help students grasp concepts ranging from basic math to calculus and trigonometry. In over 3,600 tutorials, he also teaches concepts related to the humanities, finance and economics. The fee for access to these tutorials is zero because Mr. Khan’s vision is to make a first class education available to everyone in the world for free. His extraordinary ability to explain complex subject matter in a way that the average person can understand has already helped millions of students. He could have become very wealthy by marketing this ability and selling the tutorials. However, the fact that he is not interested in profit seems to indicate that he values the knowledge that he is needed, valued and appreciated for helping educate millions of people more than he values amassing financial wealth. Other online organizations such as Wikipedia and Open Source also place the dissemination of information for the benefit of humanity over profit.

In the field of medicine, the rise of “Crowd-Sourcing” as way for doctors to use social media to help diagnose diseases indicates how much people are willing to help without the expectation of financial gain. Author Alice Parks (Time Magazine: Social media are changing how we diagnose disease) writes “When doctors or patients are stumped by symptoms, Facebook, Twitter and medical networks allow them to tap the wisdom of crowds with a few clicks.” The fact that thousands of people world-wide do respond to such doctor and patient requests for information seems to indicate that people can be motivated by the knowledge that they are needed, valued and appreciated for providing input that could possibly save lives, even though they are not getting paid for this input. Scientists, doctors and patients have indeed already seen how well crowd-sourcing actually works. For example, in May 2008 scientists were trying to ascertain the shape of a key protein used by HIV to multiply. The University of Washington developed an online game called Foldit which allowed anyone to attempt to figure out the shape of the protein. A team of players was able to solve the problem in three weeks, and the scientists credit these gamers in the study. (Time Magazine, August 6, 2012, Social Media: Changing how we diagnose disease). The gamers received no financial compensation for their help. What they did get in return was the knowledge and the acknowledgment that they played a crucial role in the discovery of a medical breakthrough.

Even when profit is part of a business, this does not necessarily mean it takes priority above all else. Author Arianna Davis wrote an article entitled: “The Mushroom Men,” in which she described the vision of two young men. “After graduating in 2007, the pair (Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, both 26) cofounded Evocative Design, a company that sells biodegradable alternatives to materials like Styrofoam which can remain in landfills for hundreds of years… ‘Our goal is to rid the planet of harmful disposable plastics,’ he (Bayer) says. ‘When that bag from the supermarket finds its way into a field, I want it to be nutrients for the field.’” Based on this vision, it seems that Mr. Bayer and Mr. McIntyre work because they are more motivated by the knowledge of being needed, valued and appreciated for providing practical solutions to today’s pressing ecological problems, and less motivated by earning large profits.

In corporate world where profit often does take priority over people, individuals are beginning to rethink the role that money plays in their lives. The fact that some individuals make the decision to leave a job in which they were earning six or seven figure salaries in order to dedicate their talents to word that paid less in money, but far more in terms of purpose and meaning, indicates that they have learned what has true value. For example, when a corporate executive decides to leaves his/her job to teach elementary or high school kids, s/he has learned to value the knowledge that s/he is needed, valued and appreciated for making a positive difference in young lives. (For an example, google: “Deacon Candidate leaves corporate world to teach high school religion,” by Sean Gallagher). For people who decide on such radical career changes, this knowledge seems to exert a much stronger pull than a big pay check at the end of a day in which the “good” that was accomplished was very difficult if not impossible to find.

Even companies and organizations that may value profit over people understand that they must market the idea that the opposite is true. No company in the world would attempt to win customers by saying: “We need to make money, so buy our product.” Instead they create advertising messages which indicate that that they genuinely care about their potential customers’ well-being above all else. A billboard for a local college proclaims: “Our purpose is to help you find yours.” A cereal box reads: “Want to help your family eat well throughout the day? We want to help.” An insurance company runs a television commercial which shows people engaging in a chain reaction of altruistic behaviors. At the end of the ad, the company says: “Responsibility [is our policy]. What’s your policy?” A health care business states: “We are here for you… a passion for caring… a promise for peace of mind.” Such advertising shows that every business and organization in the world, whether for-profit or non-profit, recognizes and claims to support the core values that are essential to the function of a moneyless society. Every company and organization wants to at least give the impression that they work so hard primarily for the knowledge that they are needed, valued and appreciated for making their customers’ lives better. Our current money-based economy may limit the ability of businesses and organizations to be sincere in expressing their dedication to improving peoples’ lives. Nevertheless, these same values that are so essential to the function of a moneyless society are also firmly built into the visions and mission statements of most businesses and organizations around the world, and are crucial to their operations.

Our everyday individual acts of kindness and generosity are indications that we value the opportunity to help one another without the expectation of financial gain. We donate blood, mentor children and teens, pick up trash on our neighborhood streets, give directions to tourists who are lost in our cities, work in soup kitchens, and visit senior citizen homes. We volunteer to work in animal shelters, bring items to the ‘lost and found,’ recycle our paper and plastic, smile and say hello to perfect strangers. We use words like please, thank you, you’re welcome and excuse me. The idea that we should get paid for such small acts of kindness and generosity is ludicrous, although they make a tremendous positive impact on our communities and how we feel about one another. We do these small things because we understand how big the return is when we are kind, helpful and generous. We also understand how great the loss is for all sides when we neglect to carry out these small, yet important unpaid courtesies. Sometimes a fairly simple act of kindness gets catapulted into the national news and recognized for its extraordinary significance. For example, a police officer takes the time to buy a barefooted homeless man on the freezing New York City streets high quality, warm, water-proof shoes with his own money. Someone takes a picture, posts it on the Internet where it gets half a million hits in a short period of time. In a world swimming in examples of greed and corruption, people cling desperately to such stories of generosity because they are reminders of their own humanity.

In times of great need, the importance of individual kindness and generosity becomes even more apparent. Hard times, such as those brought about by tornados, floods, fires and hurricanes, lay bare the indisputable fact that human beings want to take positive action and feel that communities need them. When faced with such extreme situations, everyone briefly understands that the value of money pales in comparison to the value of helping hands. In the aftermath of hurricane Sandy thousands of volunteers from across the nation helped people in every possible way without the expectation of financial compensation. What would have cost families hundreds of thousands of dollars, individual volunteers and generous businesses did for free. What they received in return was the incredibly satisfying knowledge that they were genuinely needed, valued and appreciated for making a positive difference in the lives of people who were facing personal devastation. What everyone discovered was that the need to help is just as deep-seated as the need to be helped. A war veteran who organized a team of volunteers remarked that coordinating efforts to help the victims of this disaster did more to help him come to terms with his issues in one week than the past 7 years. A woman remarked that she would have had to pay thousands of dollars to salvage her home if the volunteers had not come to help. A businessman decides to drive his truck into neighborhoods and donate bread, milk and toys. The Marines come in day after day to help manage the devastation. When FEMA remarks that it has moved millions of dollars into people’s bank accounts, the victims of the hurricane do not mention this money. When journalists ask if the volunteers or the government has been most helpful, the definitive answer is the volunteers. People feel and see the presence of the helping hands and comforting hugs. These are the tangible things that they remember. The belief in the intangible and illusory value of money fades into the background when disasters remind of us of the reality that we need only each other, not just to survive, but also to thrive.

Why now?

Neo (on the phone): Hello.
Morpheus: Hello Neo. Do you know who this is?
Neo: Morpheus.
Morpheus: Yes. I’ve been looking for you, Neo. I don’t know if you’re ready to see what I want to show you, but unfortunately you and I have run out of time.

Just as natural disasters allow people to re-discover the fact that they can and do help one another without expectation of financial compensation, the growing economic crisis is proving to be a catalyst for this same discovery. In Spain, for example, a group of 400 people have agreed to use “Time Banks” since the government’s austerity measures have left large portions of the population with no opportunities for paid work. According to this innovative idea, people from all walks of life agree to work for one another in hour-long time blocks. Whether one is a doctor, lawyer, seamstress or taxi driver, everyone’s hour is worth the same. In a Wall Street Journal article entitled: “For Spain’s Jobless, Time Equals Money,” by Matt Moefett and Ilian Bratt, 22 year-old Silvia Martin says that “the time bank not only saves her cash,… but also lifts her spirits by making her feel ‘part of a community that’s taking some positive action during hard times.’

Because of the hard times brought about by the economic crisis, people are by necessity re-discovering the fact that no one is independent. Such a fact is difficult to recognize in times of economic prosperity, when an abundance of money and the resulting greed and materialism makes it very easy for people to forget the importance of kindness, generosity and commitment to community. When people have lots of money, they learn to value hyper-independence as their wealth creates the illusion that they are self-sufficient and do not need to rely on anyone but themselves. However, now that we are facing a global economic crisis, people are rediscovering not only the importance of interdependence, but also the fact that it does not create weakness. On the contrary, when people learn to highly value interdependence, their communities are strengthened by the bonds of mutual trust. This leads to situations in which people work together earnestly and productively to come up with practical solutions to their problems, like the members of the Time Bank community in Spain.

We are currently facing a series of very serious problems that demand innovative and practical solutions, collaboration, cooperation and the ability to think outside the box. We are facing not only a global economic crisis, but also climate change, population explosions, limited food and water resources, environmental pollution, poverty and an expansion of conventional, nuclear and biological weapons. These circumstances demand that we rethink the way we function as a civil society. Nearly everyone on the planet understands that the systems we have relied upon for centuries to build and maintain our civilizations are unsustainable. Our survival depends upon our ability to be proactive, adaptive and inventive in finding practical and innovative solutions to the social, ecological and economic crises we currently face. A safe, responsible, well-planned transition to a moneyless society may be one way to stop the physical destruction of our planet and the psychological destruction of our character that was created by a system that rewards greed, dishonesty and unethical behavior. Now, not hundreds of years from now, is the time to take the necessary step in our social evolution that may well ensure our continued survival. The conditions are exactly right, right now.

We are now more connected to each other than at any other time in human history. We are connected to each other through the internet, television, radio, magazines, newspapers, Facebook, and twitter. Through the ingenuity of social and multimedia we are all part of a neural interactive network consisting of billions of thoughts and voices. There are griots, counsel elders and sages everywhere and they are no longer separated by miles of jungle, ocean or forests. We are only a couple of mouse-clicks away from each other. When we use this technology to connect, we realize the power of human ingenuity to cooperate and collaborate on an international level to solve world problems.

What can I do?

Morpheus: When the Matrix was first built, there was a man born inside who had the ability to change whatever he wanted, to remake the Matrix as he saw fit. It was he who freed the first of us, taught us the truth.

Of the 7 billion people who inhabit this planet, there are a few who have not just experienced a fleeting glimpse of the gateway to a better world, but who see it very, very clearly. They are also intensely aware of the roadblock. It is they who have the ability to show everyone else that we have the choice and the power to free ourselves from the idea that we need money. Perhaps you are one of these people. If so, it is very important to never underestimate the ability of a single voice, or a small chorus of voices to lend power to an idea. An idea has the power to lead to words. Words have the power to lead to action. Action has the power to lead to change. With change a vision is transformed into reality. It all starts with a single conversation, an exchange of ideas. It is up to us to begin the smaller conversations now that will soon lead to larger ones. While time is of the essence, the switch to a moneyless society will not happen overnight. Before the transition to a moneyless society can occur, major discussions and input at all levels across the globe will have to take place involving everyone from experts in human behavior to the ordinary citizen. Such discussions will either reveal the theory of a moneyless society as a viable solution that can be safely and responsibly implemented, or as unworkable and unrealistic. If it proves to be unworkable, then of course other solutions would have to be explored. If, however, initial discussions lead to the conclusion that a moneyless society is workable and realistic, it is absolutely crucial that people around the world are made aware of this option.

When people are aware of the fact that they have a choice between a better life or a worse life, most would choose a better life. When human beings are aware of the fact that they have a choice between survival and destruction, most choose survival. Destruction results only when people are convinced that they have no control and no choice except to continue falling deeper into crisis. If you think that a moneyless society may be a viable solution to our current global economic crisis and other world-wide problems, start the discussion with your family, friends, trusted co-workers and others. Bring up the idea in the barbershop, the beauty shop, the bar or the bowling alley. If you can do so without getting fired or experiencing a backlash, mention the idea to your boss or bring it up in the boardroom. Even if your colleagues appear to think the concept is crazy, the idea will be in their heads. It may be a long shot, but they may begin to think: “What small change can I make so that my workers don’t feel exploited? How will it make me feel if I can do something for them that they truly need value and appreciate without hurting the company?

If you happen to be reading this and are in the top 1% , ask yourself if there are other ways to show that you are extraordinary besides amassing large amounts of money and acquiring expensive goods and services. If money were taken out of the equation, and your corporation was still at the top in terms of the millions of customers it served, the stellar rates of customer satisfaction it received, and the reputation it had for hiring only the best and the brightest employees, how would that make you feel? If your company was still among the very best as far as making a positive impact on the world for what it provides, would succeeding in that way make you feel just as extraordinary, just as powerful? How much of a challenge would it be for you to win the honor of being recognized as the head of a company that is the best or among the best in the world for being needed, valued and appreciated for the goods and/or services it provides? If you were competing with other companies who were trying to do the same thing (hire the best people, provide the best service, and garner the highest rates of customer satisfaction) what would it mean to you to come out on top? Would this be enough of a challenge to feed your need to feel a great sense of accomplishment and victory if you actually accomplished such a thing in a moneyless society? Would you be able to find sufficient numbers of people who are driven enough to want to be a part of such a company?

Whether you are part of the 1% or the 99%, if you believe that you would be happier living in a moneyless society, ask yourself what you are willing to do to make it a reality. If you live in the USA, remember that your country was founded on the principle that “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” are extraordinarily important. Ask yourself how the money system is standing in the way of your ability to pursue happiness and live your life freely and ethically. Remind yourself (and others) that these are ideas that people fought and died for in the formation of this country. What did their sacrifices mean if we continue to allow a system to deprive us of our liberty to live deeply, honestly and prevents us from taking the time to pursue what brings us happiness? If you live in other countries, remember what principles your countries were founded upon. Ask yourself how the money system may be preventing you from living according to your country’s principles. If you live in a country with few or no redeeming principles, how does the money system perpetuate this situation? What are you willing to risk so that future generations do not have to endure what you endure?

Whether you are a doctor or a video game designer, a janitor or a banker, an athlete or a home-maker, wealthy or unemployed, the ideas that stem from your experiences will play an important role in informing the discussions of the viability of a moneyless society. What are some possible problems and solutions? How exactly will switching to a global moneyless society affect things like education, housing, health, food distribution, natural resources, governments, and armed conflicts? Is there something we can do right now to prepare for a possible transition to a moneyless society? Who should be involved in making the decision to effect the transition and how should it be made? Is there a way to predict what will actually happen after the transition has been made with some degree of reliability? Are there any safety or backup measures that can be put into place in case the moneyless society doesn’t work? All of these questions will be addressed in Part Two. In the meantime, share your ideas about this concept with others. For more information, visit sites on the internet where people discuss the idea of a moneyless society. Add your input and ideas. You have a voice. Make it heard!

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The little girl closed her textbook and began to think about the architects’ words, especially that last part about making one’s voice heard. Even though it had been apparent through many previous class discussions that she thought about things quite differently than her schoolmates, voicing her opinion had never been a problem. Her confidence had been nurtured by all of her teachers who encouraged the expression of alternate points of view, as long as this was done in a respectful manner. The little girl had some definite ideas about the first part of the story, and was more than ready to express them in class tomorrow.

School- The Discussion

The children quickly entered their history class, eager to discuss what they had read in Part One. In fact, some animated discussion had already begun among small groups of two or three as they were dismissed from their previous classes and walked down the halls towards history. As soon as everyone was seated, their teacher reminded them (as always) of the ground rules for civil discussion and then posed the first question.

“Now that you’ve all read Part One of the story, how do you think the people in the far-away world responded to it?” An eager, excitable child was first to shoot his hand into the air. The teacher nodded at him and gently reminded him to slow down his normally rapid-fire speech so that his classmates could understand what he had to say.

“Well, I think the architects did a pretty good job of explaining that money was causing all of the problems and all they needed to do was get rid of it, and then everything would be OK. It seems to me that if you know that one thing is causing all your troubles, then you throw out that one thing and replace it with something better. I mean, we live without money, and we don’t have nearly the problems that they have. So why couldn’t they see that it’s easy to live without money just like we do right now?”

“That’s a good question,” the teacher replied, “and I believe you’ll understand the answer if you think about how they responded to technological developments in their history. For example, in their 1976^th year the fastest computer in their world was built. It was called the Cray I. It cost approximately 9 million dollars and weighed over 5,000 pounds. This behemoth of a computer filled an entire room and represented new, exciting, cutting edge technology. The brightest, most knowledgeable people in the world of computer science had spent countless hours on the project, working hard to produce this magnificent machine. They were justifiably quite proud of their monumental achievement.”

“Now imagine if someone had said the following to these scientists: ‘In another 30 or 40 years, we will possess the technology to mass produce a computer that is faster and more powerful than this 5,000 pound one, and it will weigh only 4 ounces.’ Such a statement would probably have been met first with shocked silence and looks of disbelief, then followed by snickers, and finally dismissed as the words of a crazy, naïve, clearly delusional person. Those scientists would have had no way of knowing that 37 years later, in 2013, nearly every teenager in America would own a 4 ounce cell phone with more computing power than their 5,000 pound 9 million dollar wonder.”

“It’s difficult to see what’s right around the corner, when your way of thinking is so thoroughly enmeshed in the past. Just as the idea of a powerful 4 ounce computer was unimaginable in 1976, the idea of living without money seemed completely crazy to people back then in 2013. They just couldn’t imagine it happening.” The little girl was next to raise her hand and be called on.

“I’m not so sure that they needed to get rid of the whole money system in the first place,” she said. “I know it had problems, but the video we saw yesterday showed that a lot of people were able to get all kinds of things they wanted like those really big houses, the fast cars, fancy clothes and the really nice vacations. If some people could figure out a way to make a whole lot of money, then I think they deserved to buy the stuff they wanted. I don’t think they should have had to feel bad just ‘cause other people couldn’t figure out ways to get rich.” A little boy sitting in the seat behind her raised his hand and was called on.

“But what about helping the poor people by giving them some money? It seems to me that the more money people had, the less they wanted to help. It seemed to me like you had to be kind of mean and just look out for yourself and not care so much for other people in order to make a whole lot of money.” The teacher smiled and nodded at the little girl who had quickly raised her hand again and was nearly bouncing out of the chair in her eagerness to respond.

“I know we learned in ethics class how important it is to be compassionate, but I don’t agree with that. It seems to me that caring about other people just makes it harder to get what you want because you feel guilty about not helping. In the money system, I think people were more free because they didn’t have to worry about being compassionate and so they didn’t have to feel guilty about not helping. They didn’t have to worry about compassion stopping them from doing what they had to do to get rich because they were going to be admired anyway for having a bunch of money and getting all the things they wanted, no matter how they got them. It doesn’t seem fair that the architects wanted to get rid of a system that helped people get everything they dreamed of. If I had lived in that world and had a whole lot of money and I could get everything I wanted, I wouldn’t want my money to all of sudden be worth nothing. If I had lived back then, I’d be really mad at the architects.”

“Those are all interesting and excellent points”, the teacher replied. “Many people in their world actually did see compassion as a liability, as a character flaw that resulted in weakness and which limited the afflicted person’s power to make choices that were clearly in their best interest, but may have hurt others. You’re absolutely right about people getting very upset at the thought of losing the power that money gave them. In fact, the architects anticipated these and many other problems that may have caused people to resist the idea of an alternate system. Let’s take a look at the list of the problems they considered.” The teacher then distributed a handout to each student which the architects had entitled: ‘Ten Possible Obstacles to A Moneyless World’

Ten Possible Obstacles to A Moneyless World

One: People are inherently greedy. The majority will want much more than they need and will rapidly consume limited resources. Not everyone can have a mansion on 500 acres and a private jet.

Two: This idea sounds like a big socialist or communist scheme designed to take from the rich and distribute everything equally to everyone in the world. I worked hard for my stuff and there’s no way I’m going to give it up.

Three: The people with the most money are the people in the greatest positions of power. They would do everything they could to prevent a moneyless society from becoming a reality because they would be afraid of losing their wealth and the power it gives them.

Four: This idea is a female thing. It’s trying to turn everyone into people pleasers and all you get in return is “Thank you very much.” Men are naturally competitive and want to come out on top. An accumulation of more material wealth than the next guy is the best way for a man to prove his dominance. Most men could never be happy in a society that puts a premium on cooperation, collaboration and interdependence.

Five: If you want people to do a good job, you have to pay them. If you want to attract the best talent and the best minds, you have to pay them well. Otherwise they will not work for you. If everything were free, babysitters would have access to the same material things as doctors, therefore no one would want to become a doctor. No one would want to do the difficult, dirty, dangerous or unpleasant jobs if they did not get paid.

Six: If people are afraid of losing their jobs and thus the money that provides their means of surviving, they will work. People are more motivated by fear and greed than by goodwill. Knowing that they could lose their job because of poor performance is much more motivating than knowing their poor performance could jeopardize the quality of the product or service and thus other people’s lives. Fear is a major motivating factor. People will only work if they have to.

Seven: The idea of a money-less society is nothing but a welfare society where a few motivated people will have to work in order to support the masses who are too lazy to contribute to society.

Most people are more self-centered than altruistic. An “all-volunteer” society simply would not work.

Eight: There are too many countries involved in extremely complicated, long term armed conflicts that have less to do with money and more to do with differences in culture, world views and revenge. Too much instability as well as physical, emotional and psychological devastation exists in these countries. It’s not possible for a moneyless society to function in such chaos.

Nine: If all the poor people in the world could just get on plan for free and fly anywhere they wanted, the borders of industrialized countries would be flooded with people wanting to enter. These countries would have to build heavily patrolled walls just to keep the masses out.

Ten: Our planet has limited resources and a population of 7 billion and growing. There are simply not enough resources to provide clean water, air, food and shelter for everyone. It may not be right, but a money system ensures that the masses are not able to consume at a rate that would leave everyone without the things they need. At least some people have enough to live a happy and content life.

After having the students read through the list, the teacher said, “You can see that the architects had a lot to think about. In many ways the problems must have seemed nearly insurmountable. Yet they did not give up. What do you think kept them going?” A child with deep brown eyes, curly dark hair and a soft, serious voice raised her hand and was called on.

“When you showed us that video from their early years—the one where kids didn’t have enough to eat, where they were so skinny and shaking, wide-eyed and scared, and the grown-ups couldn’t afford the food or the medicine and there was nothing at all that anybody could do, so the parents just had to watch their kids die. Maybe stuff like that kept the architects from giving up.” A somber silence settled over the classroom as the memories of yesterday’s video footage replayed through their young minds. It was very hard to imagine that such things had actually happened, that the grown-ups back then had viewed poverty, unemployment and large scale violence as an acceptable and unavoidable reality.

A child with piercing blue eyes and hair as fiery as his spirit had no time to raise his hand and wait to be called on. The rush of words carried on an unstoppable tsunami wave of emotion burst forth, breaking the brief silence.

“To allow those things to happen was just so wrong and stupid and dumb and there was no reason for it to be that way, no reason at all! How could they have let so much bad stuff happen when they knew that money was causing the problems? They knew, they knew, they knew! But they were just so greedy and they were selfish cowards and they didn’t even have the guts to try to change things! People rioting because they don’t have jobs, people dying because they can’t afford doctors, people living without toilets and running water, and the people in charge of governments still thinking they can solve the problems by not giving anyone money ‘til they can pay back a trillion dollars, and that’s just so crazy because they’re just making people suffer and be miserable. How could they not see that was just wrong? How could they not see that? How?!…” The teacher gently interrupted just before this very sensitive child’s angry tears threatened to spill over.

“I know this is hard and upsetting, but it is still very important to say what you think using words that are civil and respectful. Try to remember that there were many people who were trying earnestly to help in the only way they knew how. To call their actions “crazy”, “stupid” or “cowardly” may seem correct from your point of view, especially since their actions often made situations worse. However, you have to understand that they did not know then what we know now. Many people in positions of power were doing the best they could, but it wasn’t good enough because they could not see that they were working within a system with fundamental design flaws that severely limited their efforts to significantly improve the lives of people all over the world. Still, they kept trying. In fact, there were very rich people who did give away vast sums of their personal wealth to charities and other organizations in an attempt to feed and educate the poor, to find cures for diseases and provide medicine.”

A child in the very back of the classroom raised her hand and was called on.

“Well, it was good that a few rich people were trying to help, but everyone had to see that it wasn’t enough. So, why didn’t the governments just make all the rich people give their money to the poor? I’m not saying take away all their money, just take some of it. I mean, the leaders had to know that it wasn’t right for some people to make millions of dollars every year while most everyone else in the world could barely afford food and medicine, right?”

The little girl’s hand went up immediately and the teacher nodded for her to respond.

“If you tried to give away their money, then you’d have the rich people rioting and trying to take over the governments. They would have probably been able to do it too, since their money made them so powerful and they controlled a lot of stuff that people needed like those big farms and cars and hospitals. Nope, can’t see that working.” A little boy by the window nearly jumped out of chair as he frantically waved his hand in the air and was called on.

“That’s just so selfish! Didn’t anybody teach them right from wrong? Didn’t they learn anything from their parents or from school about being generous and kind?”

“Those are very good questions, the teacher replied. “When you read Part Two of the architects’ story, you will see that they knew how important it was for people to understand deceptively simple concepts such as knowing the difference between right and wrong. It may be hard for you to believe, but many people truly did not know the difference, or if they did, they did not care to choose right over wrong. For these reasons, the architects knew that whatever alternative system they proposed, education would have to serve as the foundation of the structural design.”

“I know this discussion is difficult and intense and there’s so much more that you want to say about it, but our time is up for today. I’m sure that many of you still have lots of questions. You’ll find the answers to some of those questions as you read the homework assignment for next week, which is Part Two of the architects’ story. As you’re reading, be sure to jot down your comments and questions in the spaces provided after each section so that you will be prepared to participate in the class discussion. Be patient, keep reading and thinking, and I’ll see you next week.”

The children reluctantly left the classroom carrying a tumultuous and relentlessly swirling storm of thoughts and feelings with them as they made their way home after school. Some of them had formed little groups of two or three, continuing the discussion as they walked home or waited in front of the school for their parents to pick them up. The little girl overheard some of the kids talking about what they might have done if they had been the architects and had to convince 7 billion people to put their faith in a new system that did not involve the use of money. It seemed to her that most of the comments centered on the idea that the money system taught people to be selfish and greedy, and that this selfishness and greed made it difficult for them to let go of the system, even though it was functioning very badly. Her classmates seemed to be in agreement that the architects just had to teach people not to be selfish and greedy.

The little girl did not share her thoughts with anyone. She was still imagining her gorgeous, big, beautiful house with the 500 cute teddy bears of all sizes and shapes sitting in careful arrangement in each room. She imagined herself in a different world, where her classmates were all grown-up, working in her candy factory, sewing little clothes for her teddy bears, keeping her house shiny and clean while she went on long walks in the park, enjoying the colorful flowers, the ducks on the pond and the wide blue sky interspersed with fluffy white clouds. She was thinking that if she had lived in that far-away world where people used money to get things done, she would have figured out a way to get a lot of it without having to work too hard. That was not being selfish or greedy, she thought. That was just being smart, wasn’t it? As she walked down her shady, tree-lined street towards her pretty red brick house with the green shutters, she hugged her books a little tighter, suddenly unsure if the direction of her thoughts made her bad like the some of the people described in the architects’ story and in the video her teacher showed– or not. The uncertainty she felt was very, very unsettling.

She wanted answers, and she wanted them now. As soon as she walked in the door, she headed straight to her room bringing Part Two of the story, not even bothering to grab her usual after-school snack. A far more urgent hunger had to be satisfied first. She settled comfortably on her bed between her 2 teddy bears, Mr. Buttons and Corduroy Brown, and turned to the first page of Part Two in her textbook, thoroughly intent on devouring the story.

***

PART TWO

The Invitation

After reading Part One, you may be wondering exactly how a moneyless economy could realistically function. You may also be asking yourself, how would we make the transition from a world that is based on money to one that is not? Where does one start? The first step in begins with inviting you to walk through the door of a spacious, multi-storied house designed specifically for your perusal. The house represents one conceptual model of how a moneyless society could possibly function. As you inspect the foundation of this house, ask yourself is it strong and solid enough to build on, capable of holding up the wide and varying array of perspectives, hopes and dreams contained in the lives of 7 billion human beings? As you walk through each room in this house, put aside for a moment thoughts of how other people may respond to the layout. Instead, ask yourself, “Is this the type of house in which I would like to live? Would I feel safe here? Would I feel welcome and comfortable?” You ask yourselves these questions because we, the architects, are not only inviting you to become prospective homeowners. We are also inviting you to participate as fellow-architects, builders, and building inspectors. We are inviting you to walk through the house with your fresh perspective so that you may point out any cracks or structural flaws that we may have overlooked and make suggestions on how to re-structure or rebuild either the very foundation or various rooms in the house. The door is wide open. Please come in and take a look, first, at the foundation.

A. The Foundation

A well-educated population is the key to any successful society, especially a moneyless one. In order for a moneyless society to function well, the majority of the population would have to be educated enough to know how to live responsibly in a world where money no longer has value and in which resources are limited. The educational curriculum would not only involve preparing students to be competent in their chosen line of work, but it would also include a heavy emphasis on teaching values connected to social emotional learning such as kindness, compassion, honesty, integrity and ethical behavior– values that are especially crucial to sustaining a strong, functional moneyless society. This curriculum would be in place in all levels from the primary grades, through high school, trade schools, schools for adult and continuing education and universities. In an educational system that is free for all, you would be presented with solid research which shows that true happiness does not lie in the acquisition of vast amounts of material wealth, but in helping others who sincerely need, value and appreciate your help. You will learn that you find true happiness when you choose to live with generosity, kindness, honesty and integrity. Your coursework would include many assignments which would give you experience in helping others through community service activities. You would learn through these actual experiences and through reflective writing on them that true happiness lies in having not just a comfortable home, clean air and water, healthy food, health care and time to play and be entertained, although all of those things are incredibly important. True happiness also lies in knowing that your life has purpose, that you are a valued and needed member of society.

Through the educational system you would gain an understanding that just as “all work and no play” are detrimental to your physical and psychological health, so is “all play and no work.” You would learn that it is very difficult for most people to be truly happy if they get everything they want exactly when they want it without having to work for it. You would learn that there is nothing to look forward to when you can get everything you believe you want immediately. You would learn that it’s very difficult, if not impossible to experience a sense of accomplishment and the self-confidence it brings if you never have to work to overcome challenges.

Your school will not be dependent on money to operate, and therefore it will be able to hire as many excellent teachers as it needs to help you expand your way of thinking and live a successful life. Your teachers will not be working in return for money. These dedicated individuals will be working in return for the knowledge that they are needed, valued and appreciated for making a positive difference in your life. Through your teachers’ example and through the knowledge they impart, you will have the opportunity to learn what a crucial role you play in making positive contributions to your communities through your own work.

Because you attend school to become educated, not indoctrinated, your teachers will encourage you to ask questions and consider many alternate points of view. Freedom of expression in a civil and respectful manner, especially in an academic setting, will be unequivocally honored. The grades you earn are determined by your ability to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts taught during the course of your education and your ability to complete the coursework. Your grades are not determined by your decision to accept or reject the concepts presented. Therefore, your teachers will not require you to agree with the research on the science of happiness and ethical behavior, only to understand it. You will be not be required to agree with the research which demonstrates that doing good for your community leads to personal satisfaction. Once you know and understand the good, the choice to believe it or not, to live it or not is left entirely up to you.

If you do choose to acquire, accept and internalize the values taught in your school, living without money may feel as easy, fulfilling and natural as breathing. Because of the values you learned at school and at home, you may feel no desire to irresponsibly consume great quantities of limited resources far beyond what you need. You may not want to engage in purely self-indulgent activities all day long for the the rest of your life, contributing nothing to society. Because of your educational background, you would know without a doubt that such actions harm not only the community and the planet, but also your own chances at attaining long term happiness and living a life with few regrets. Because of your education, you will have internalized the basic core value that was consistently taught from your kindergarten year through your senior year in high school. That basic core value is: “We need each other.” When you act because you know that other people depend on you to contribute positively to the community, just as you are dependent on others to do the same, you help create the will to do good on a global scale.

Questions to Consider

a) Would you like to attend a school like the one described in the foundation? If you have children, would you like them to attend such a school? Why or why not?

b) What do you like about the educational curriculum described in the foundation? What do you dislike?

c) What do you see as the strengths of the foundation? Are there any weaknesses?

d) Can countries with various religious and secular perspectives build on this foundation or modify it to suit the needs of their particular culture or world view? As far you know, do any of the core concepts presented in the foundation contradict any culture’s world views? If so, how?

e) To what degree does the foundation address any problems that might make the function of a global moneyless society impossible? (See “Ten Possible Obstacles to A Moneyless World”)

Once you have thoroughly inspected the foundation, be sure to share any suggestions you have for improving its design with your fellow builders, either online or face to face. Every voice is important in the construction of the home that we may all inhabit, so be sure to make yours heard.

If you are ready, let’s now take a look at the other rooms in our house. We will begin with the furnace room and the first floor.

B. The Furnace Room

In the furnace room you will find the system that is meant to keep everything in our house running smoothly and comfortably, just as your furnace keeps your house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The furnace room houses a points system. The intent of the points system is to objectively allow for a distribution of goods and services that is based on direct measures of social responsibility. It is meant to keep our communities running smoothly and comfortably. As we tour the various parts of the furnace room and the ground floor, first ask yourself if you personally would prefer such a system over a money-based system. Then, ask yourself would most people in your country or culture prefer such a system over a money-based system? Would your government leaders see the points system as beneficial in helping them reach the goal of building a more prosperous country? Or would they see the points system as a deterrent to reaching this goal?

We conceived the model below based on U.S. American culture. If you are not from the U.S., what parts (if any) of the model can be modified to fit your country’s culture and world views? We look forward to hearing from you. But first, let’s take a look around.

The Basic Idea Explained

In this system you earn points for socially responsible behavior such as obeying the laws of your country, completing your education, performing community service and engaging in behaviors that promote mental, emotional and physical well-being. As you complete your education, perform community service, and maintain your health, your city, state or federal institutions add points to your “character” account. You use the points in your account to “purchase” goods and services. This is similar to the money system; however there are significant differences that may make it function better, and render it less susceptible to corruption and exploitation. (See #2 below)
The points you earn cannot be traded, transferred to another person’s account, invested, donated or inherited. They belong to you and to you alone. Points cannot earn interest. They are not reduced to coins, bills or checks. They can only be accessed electronically by your “character” card and/or your fingerprint scan. Points are only deducted from your account when you “buy’ something or when you are convicted for breaking laws. Businesses do not get your points when you “buy” something. (How businesses operate is explained in sections 28-38 on the fourth floor. Please be patient and don’t go straight to the fourth floor yet! You will have a much better understanding of how the upper rooms function AFTER you have toured the first through third floors). Nobody gets your points. Your account is kept safe by identity theft protection services.
Your city, state and federal institutions do not collect taxes, nor do they own any type of accounts from which they distribute points. In other words, there is no “pot” which contains a limited amount of points from which to draw. These institutions are simply authorized to deposit a certain number of points into your account, based upon laws agreed to and voted on by you in city, state and federal elections.

Let’s now look at the other rooms on the first floor, in which you will see in more detail how the points system functions.

C. The First Floor

Earning Points by Obeying Laws-Room #1

Currently (in our money based economy), it costs about $30,000 per year to incarcerate an adult who has committed a crime. When you choose to obey the laws, you are making an extremely important positive contribution to society. Beginning at age 18 you may choose to register your “character” account with your state government if you have successfully completed all 4 years of high school. Your state will then automatically deposit 2,500 points into your account every month (on your birth date in each month). If you obey the law, you keep your points. If you do not break any laws in a 12 month period, you will have earned 30,000 points for the year. If you choose to break the law and are convicted, a judge will deduct points from your account and/or restrict access to your account. The judge will use your state justice department’s formula to determine how many points to deduct from your account and/or how much to restrict your account based upon the severity of your crime. You may also serve jail or prison time under the same laws that exist in the money based economy. If you must serve jail or prison time, the “cost” of your incarceration is deducted from your account on a monthly basis. This cost will be determined by your state’s penitentiary institutions. The penitentiary does not get your points. You can lose points and be subjected to the same consequences for breaking any laws that are currently in place in the money based economy.

Earning Points through Non-School Related Community Service-Room #2

Everyone who is at least 16 years old can earn points for volunteering or participating in non-school related service activities and/or continuing education programs. These licensed service organizations at all levels (local, state, national and international) and accredited continuing education programs will add 25 points to your account for every hour of service you provide or for every program hour you complete. You may for example decide to take a “Service Abroad” trip and help people in developing countries for a few weeks in the summer. You may decide to donate blood or volunteer at the local animal shelter. Like the “Time Bank” in Spain, (see Part One, section 5) each hour is worth 25 points regardless of the service activity. Once you have reached the age of 16, you can earn up to 10,000 points for non-school sponsored service activities and continuing education programs per calendar year. You can earn up to 12,000 points if you are at least 16, and have passed your sophomore year. Once you have passed your junior year courses, you can earn up to 15,000 community service points. Everyone who is at least 16 and has completed their senior year courses can earn up to 20,000 community service points per calendar year.

Other Forms of Community Service-Room #3

Community service, broadly defined, refers to activities that contribute positively to society. Thus, there are several ways for you to earn community service points. For example, for every 1,000 points under 50,000 that you “spend” per year, your state may add 2,000 points to your account for that year. In the moneyless system, “the less you spend, the more you earn.” Saving and spending judiciously are valuable services to the community. Your state may also allow you to earn service points by voting in city, state, and federal elections if you have completed all four years of high school. If you are a parent, you may earn points by attending parent teacher conferences, PTO meetings and/or volunteering at your child’s school. You could earn points by volunteering at a senior citizen’s home, coaching little league sports, mentoring a child or teen, or enrolling in recovery programs if you are battling addiction, depression or other psychological challenges. Your state will determine what qualifies as community service activities and distribute points accordingly.

Earning Points by Reaching Health Goals- Room #4

Currently (in our money based economy) it costs billions of dollars and requires hundreds of thousands of health care professionals to attend to people who become sick due to poor lifestyle choices that lead to preventable illnesses such as obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol levels, skin cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. When you take naturally effective steps to stay physically, emotionally and psychologically fit, you are making a tremendous positive contribution to society. If you are at least 18 and have passed your senior year of high school, you can earn up to 75,000 points per calendar year by fulfilling conditions outlined by your state’s health department for maintaining a healthy blood pressure, cholesterol level, body mass index, age-appropriate fitness levels, etc. For example, when you see your doctor or dentist for regularly scheduled checkups, your results are sent (only with your permission) to your state’s health department which then adds points to your account based on your level of health in various categories. You may, for instance, earn 500 points for having no new cavities, 1000 points for a healthy blood cholesterol level, 2000 points for demonstrating age-appropriate fitness levels, etc.

If you struggle with mental and/or physical health issues, you can still earn points by making reasonable progress toward personal health goals set by you and your doctor. If you are unable to reach the 75,000 point maximum by attaining ideal health and fitness standards, there are other ways to earn points in the health category. For example, if you have disability-related health issues that are not caused by poor lifestyle choices, you can still earn the 75,000 point maximum by reaching reasonable health goals set by medical experts that are based on the limits of your disability. You can also earn points by getting regularly scheduled vaccines and health checks for yourself and/or your children, and fulfilling any other health-related conditions that your state deems appropriate. If you are already fit in every category and maintain that level of fitness throughout the year, you will earn the maximum number of points (75,000) for that year.

Questions to Consider

a) If you are normally law-abiding citizen, what do you think of a system that rewards law-abiding behavior with increased purchasing power?

b) If you are normally accustomed to breaking the laws of your country and/or engaging in criminal activity, how would a system that rewards law-abiding behavior with increased purchasing power affect your activities? Would you be more motivated to abide by such a system or would you be more motivated to try to find ways to exploit the system? Please explain your answer.

c) If you are physically, emotionally and mentally well, how comfortable would you feel living with the points system? Would such a system motivate you to maintain your current levels of physical , emotional and mental fitness, improve your levels, or would such a system have no influence on your wellness goals?

d) If you experience difficulties with reaching ideal physical, emotional and mental wellness goals, would such a system motivate you to improve your current levels of physical, emotional and mental fitness, lead to a decline in your levels, or would such a system have no influence on your fitness goals?

e) To what degree would the points system help motivate you to perform community service activities? How would the act of helping others in need on a regular basis make you feel? How would you feel if you received needed help from others on a regular basis?

f) What problems can you foresee with regard to determining how many points should be distributed to people in the U.S. and to people in various other countries around the world?

g) To what degree do the furnace room and rooms 4-7 address any problems that might make the function of a global moneyless society impossible? (See “Ten Possible Obstacles To A Moneyless World”)

D. The Playrooms

Now that you know how points are earned, we will move to the various playrooms on the first floor where you will see how points can be spent. In the playrooms you get to spend your points on whatever (legal) goods and services you want and need. Whether you need a vacation on a secluded tropical island or a new pair of winter gloves, you can use your points to purchase these things.

Accessing Your Points- Room #1

Once you have completed all four years of high school, you will be privileged with the opportunity to earn up to 30,000 points per year for obeying the laws of your community. Completion of your high school education will also privilege you with the opportunity to earn up to 75,000 points per year by fulfilling conditions outlined by your state’s health department for maintaining a healthy blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body mass index, age-appropriate fitness levels, etc. (See sections 4 and 7 in rooms #1 and #4 above).

However, you will not be able to immediately access all of these points if you have not yet reached the age of 21. If you are under the age of 21 and have passed your senior year of high school, your state will have devised a formula to determine what percentage of your points you will be able to access based upon your school performance. For example, if you were an A student throughout high school, your state may allow you to access 90% of your points. The remaining 10 percent would be restricted. If you were a B student, your state may allow you to access 80% of your points. If you were a C student, your state may allow you to access 70% of your points. (You must have a C average/70% or better to pass high school). As you get older, you will be able to access more of the points in your account. When you are at least 21 years old you will have full access to the points in your account.

Purchasing Items-Room #2

You pay for goods and services with the points that you have accumulated. If you want a car that costs 35,000 points, you present your ‘character card’ to the car dealer who then swipes it in order to subtract the 35,000 points from your account. The car dealer does not get your points. If you don’t have the 35,000 points available, you can’t purchase the car until you have enough points. No partial payments are acceptable for anything. If you want a house that costs 300,000 points, but you only have 100,000 you won’t be able to buy it yet. There are no monthly payment plans. You can only buy goods and services that you can afford at the time. If you do have the 300,000 points available, the real estate agent subtracts that amount from your account. The real estate agent does not get your points. If you have a spouse who has accumulated 400,000 points, while you only have 200,000 points, you could both buy the house together. You both tell the real estate agent how much you want deducted from each account to reach the 300,000 point price and complete the paperwork that shows you have both agreed to this. Both of your names are now on the deed and you both own the house. If you decide to get a divorce, then (just as in the money based economy) you “hire” divorce lawyers to settle who gets what assets that are jointly owned. (The divorce lawyers do not get your points.)

If you are under the age of 16, but are attending high school, you may spend the points you earn from getting good grades, performing school-sponsored community service, and/or participation in school-related extracurricular activities. After using some of your points to pay for required educational expenses, you may use the rest of your points to buy whatever you like, as long as the items can be legally “sold” to you. Just as in the money-based economy, laws prohibiting what minors buy (tobacco, alcohol, body piercings, hotel rooms etc.) will still be in place. Whether you want to purchase clothing, electronic devices, movie or concert tickets, your performance in high school directly affects your purchasing power. This will be explained in more detail on the second floor.

Buying for Underage Children-Room #3

If you are the parent or guardian of a child who is under 16 AND who has not yet passed the 8^th grade, it is your responsibility to use your character points to pay for your child’s grade school and middle school educational expenses. This includes books, calculators, writing instruments, school uniforms (if this is required), etc. There is no tuition charged for attending grade schools and middle schools. When your child reaches the age of 16 or has completed the eighth grade (whichever comes first), it is their responsibility to pay for their own educational expenses using their own character points.

If a parent decides there are legitimate reasons for helping an older child pay for their educational expenses, they should have that option. However, the parent would not be required by law to pay for an older child’s educational expenses. Helping a child (16 or older) pay for educational expenses is not encouraged! The points system is meant to encourage personal responsibility and accountability for one’s own actions. There are plenty of ways for your older child to replenish his/her character account such as by participating in service activities and earning good grades. This is explained in more detail in the second floor rooms.

Healthcare-Room #4

Healthcare does not cost any points. Everyone is entitled to free health care regardless of their point status. If your doctor determines that you need an operation or that you need to take medication, points will never be deducted from your account to “pay” for any such medical intervention prescribed by your doctor. While you do earn points for being in good health, you will not lose points for being in poor health. Your state’s health department will never deduct points from your account if you go to your doctor because you need medical intervention to correct your health problems, no matter what the reasons for your poor health. Doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies do not get “paid” in points for helping you get well. They operate on the same principles as all other businesses and organizations. Again, how businesses and organizations operate will all be explained on the fourth floor, so please be patient and don’t go rushing up those stairs just yet!

Your Account-Room #5

Your state will continue to deposit 2,500 points into your account every month on your birth date for the rest of your life. You will also continue to earn up to 75,000 points per year based on age-appropriate fitness levels. Your points never expire and you keep them from year to year. Points are only deducted from your account when you “buy’ something or when you are convicted for breaking laws. You cannot leave points to your relatives, friends or pets after you die. When you die, your account is simply closed.

Questions to Consider

a) What (if any) problems do you anticipate occurring by allowing people to access up to 125,000 points per year after completing a high school education that emphasizes the values referred to in the foundation (honesty, integrity, competence, interdependence)?

b) What strengths and weaknesses do you see in how points are restricted and distributed?

c) What do you think about not allowing partial payments for “big ticket” items, such as houses, cars, vacation packages, etc.?

d) What problems may occur by providing free healthcare for everyone in a points-based system? Do you see any solutions to these problems? Do you think healthcare problems in the points-based system would be worse than the ones we face world-wide in our current money-based system? Please explain your answer.

e) Points cannot ever be transferred from one person to another. What are some disadvantages to this rule? What are some advantages? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

e) To what degree do the “Play Rooms” address any problems that might make the function of a global moneyless society impossible? (See “Ten Possible Obstacles to A Moneyless World”)

E. The Second Floor

Let’s now head upstairs to the second floor. On this level you will find all the rooms in the house in which you (or your children) will spend the primary and secondary educational years. These spacious, bright and cheerful rooms are built to stimulate, nurture, and inspire creative energy, concentrated work, playfulness, perseverance, thoughtfulness, kindness and generosity. In these rooms you will meet caring teachers who are dedicated to helping you discover and build your character as well as your particular skills and talents. They will help you understand that whatever you can do, somebody somewhere needs you to do it. As you discover and practice what you can do, you will also discover who you are. For, as the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said: “We are what we repeatedly do.”

Therefore, from your kindergarten year onwards, your teachers will dedicate themselves to providing you with many opportunities to practice kindness, so that you may become kind. They will provide you with many opportunities to practice honing your particular skills and talents so that you may become competent in whatever line of work you choose. They will provide you with many opportunities to pursue excellence in developing habits, such as courtesy, honesty and dependability that will benefit you as well as your community.

Depending on your age and maturity level, you may want to eagerly take advantage of all of these opportunities to become the best person possible and to maximize your particular skill set so that you may serve your community well in the line of work you choose. On the other hand, you may not feel particularly motivated to do any of these things. Because people possess varying degrees of intrinsic motivation, we architects have incorporated the points system into all the educational rooms on the second floor. Let’s now enter room #1 on the second floor to see how this could work.

13. Earning Points by Attending School- Room #1

When you enroll in high school as a freshman, your school adds up to 5,000 points per semester (or up to 10,000 points per academic year) to your account based on the grades you earn in your Social and Emotional Learning classes as well as in your other academic courses. In order to maintain objectivity, the quality of your coursework is not be graded by your teacher. Instead it is graded by independent assessors who follow set criteria agreed upon by your school’s teachers, administrators and parent liaisons. Standardized test scores, your participation in school-related extra-curricular activities and school-sponsored service-learning activities are also taken into consideration. Because every student’s performance is graded based on set criteria, rather than on a curve, you learn that collaboration and cooperation with your peers leads to greater success for everyone.

Your school will help you set up your “Points” account when you enroll. Your school will also award you a one-time “signing bonus” of up to 2,500 points upon enrollment based on your academic and Social Emotional Learning performance in middle school (6-8^th) grade. For example, if you have an “A” average from middle school, you would be awarded the entire 2,500 points. If you have a “B” average, you would be awarded 2,000 points. As you complete your high school years, the higher your grades and your participation levels in extra-curricular activities and school-sponsored service activities the more points you earn. Your school will determine how points are distributed and deducted. (Your school may be occasionally audited by an accredited agency to ensure that points are being distributed ethically and honestly). Your school administration can deduct points for breaking school rules already in place, such as fighting, vandalizing school property, bullying, bringing weapons onto campus, skipping school, etc. If you break non-school related laws already in place, such as drunk driving, assault, stealing, (using an alternate currency), drug dealing etc., a judge will subject you to the consequences already in place for breaking these laws and will deduct points from your account.

Earning Points as a High School Freshman- Room #2

As an elementary and middle school student, you had no account, no points, and thus no purchasing power. You had to rely on your parents to pay for the things you needed and wanted. Once you have passed the eighth grade and enrolled in a high school, you gain the freedom to purchase goods and services using points from your signing bonus, from the grades you will earn as a freshman, and from your service and extracurricular activities. As a high school student, you now can pay for the things that you want, however, you also have a responsibility to pay for the things you need, such as your own educational expenses. (Your parents are required by law to pay for your educational expenses until you have passed the eighth grade or have reached the age of 16, whichever comes first.) Your school will devise a formula that determines what percentage of your points must be used to pay for approved educational expenses. Examples of approved educational expenses are textbooks, calculators, notebooks, school uniforms (if your school requires this), laptops, writing instruments, etc. No tuition is charged. After you have used your allotted points to pay for required educational expenses, you may “spend” the remaining amount on whatever you like. For example, if you are awarded a 2,000 point “signing bonus”, your school may require you to spend 40% (or 800 points) on school expenses. You can spend the remaining 60% (or 1200 points) on whatever you like. If your signing bonus is only 1,000 points, your school may require you to spend 80% (or 800 points) on educational expenses. You can spend the remaining 20% (or 200 points) on whatever you like. When you “purchase” something at a business by swiping your “character card” (or using a fingerprint scan if losing the card is a concern), the cost of the item is deducted from your character account. The business does not get your points. No one gets your points. They belong to you only. They cannot be traded, transferred to another account, donated or inherited. Your account is kept safe by identity theft protection services.

Remedial or Alternative Schools- Room #3

If you have difficulty meeting the criteria for promotion to the next grade level due to poor academic performance and/or behavior problems, you may attend a remedial or alternative school. (Attending school is mandatory until you have passed your senior year of high school. See section 17 below). Your remedial or alternative school will re-teach any academic subjects that you need to master in order to get promoted to the next grade. In addition to study skills, your school will also focus on helping you learn to value and internalize life skills such as respect for yourself and others, self- discipline, responsibility, accountability, integrity, etc. The standards for promotion at remedial and alternative schools are the same as the standards at regular schools. Once you have satisfactorily completed the required coursework for promotion to the next grade level, you may transfer to a regular elementary or middle school. If you have passed the eighth grade at a remedial or alternative school, you may transfer to a regular high school or to a high school for adults who are 18 or older. When you transfer, your school will award you a “signing bonus” of up to 2,500 points upon enrollment based on your middle school (6-8^th grade) academic average.

Special Education- Room #4

Students who have significant mental or physical disabilities that prevent them from succeeding at mainstream schools will attend special education schools. At these schools, students will learn to develop the skills and talents they have so that they can contribute to society to the best of their ability and live happy, productive lives. Students with mental and physical disabilities that do not prevent them from succeeding in mainstream schools must be integrated into regular schools, if that is the parents’ choice. The American Disabilities Act (like most of our current laws) which makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of physical and mental handicaps will still apply. The points system at special education schools is identical to the points system at regular schools.

School Attendance- Room #5

Because a well-educated population is the cornerstone of any successful society, school attendance is mandatory until you have passed your senior year of high school, regardless of your age. High school drop outs are a tremendous drain on society. If you drop out of regular, alternative or remedial school before completing your senior year, you are committing a crime and your state will completely block your access to your account. Your state may also decide to deduct points from your parents’ character accounts if you are under 18 years old and social support agencies can demonstrate that your parents have not made a good faith effort to keep you in school. This penalty also applies to your parents or guardians if you drop out of special education school. If you decide to go back to high school to complete your education, your access to your account will return to its normal levels and you will resume earning points as you normally would.

If you have dropped out of school because you are battling addictions, depression, physical health issues or other difficult personal circumstances, you must get help from a licensed professional, otherwise access to your account will be blocked. The block will be removed once you or someone acting on your behalf contacts a social worker who arranges for you to get diagnosed and enrolls you in a program that will help you overcome your difficulties. You are doing a tremendous service not only to yourself, but also to your community when you decide to take the necessary steps to get well. If you are at least 16, enrolling in such programs will earn you 25 community service points per hour based on the progress you make. (See section 5 above for a detailed explanation of “Non-School Related Community Service). If you are under 16, your parent or legal guardian will earn community service points if social services can determine that they are playing an active role in helping you successfully complete your recovery program. (Points are not deducted from your account for enrolling in these programs).

Earning Points as a High School Sophomore- Room #6

As you complete your sophomore year, your school will add up to 6,000 points per semester or 12,000 points per academic year to your account based on the grades you earn, standardized test scores, your participation in school-related extra-curricular activities and school-sponsored service activities. You may be awarded a “promotion bonus” of up to 3,000 points at the beginning of your sophomore year based upon your academic performance, school service, and extra-curricular activities during your freshman year. After you have used your allotted points to pay for educational expenses, you may “spend” the remaining amount on whatever you like.

If you do not pass your freshman year, you will not be awarded a promotion bonus. You will have to attend a remedial or alternative school until you meet the criteria for promotion to sophomore. As you re-learn material from your freshman year, your remedial or alternative school will add up to 5,000 points per semester or 10,000 points per academic year to your account based on the grades you earn, standardized test scores, your participation in school-related extra-curricular activities and school-sponsored service activities. You will not have access to these points until after you have passed your freshman year. As you complete your coursework, service and/or extracurricular activities, any points you earn will be automatically deducted to pay for educational expenses you incur in your second attempt to pass your freshman coursework. Once your educational expenses have been paid and you have passed your freshman year, you may use any remaining points for whatever you like. When you transfer to a regular high school or to high school for adults 18 years or older, you may receive a “promotion bonus” of up to 3,000 points based upon your academic performance, service and extra-curricular activities at your remedial or alternative school.

Earning Points as a High School Junior- Room #7

As you complete your junior year courses, your school will add up to 7,000 points per semester or up to 14,000 points to your account. You may be awarded a “promotion bonus” of up to 3,500 points at the beginning of your junior year based upon your academic, school service, and extra-curricular activities during your sophomore year. After you have used your allotted points to pay for educational expenses, you may “spend” the remaining amount on whatever you like. If you do not pass your sophomore year, you will not be awarded a promotion bonus. You will have to attend a remedial or alternative school until you meet the criteria for promotion to junior. As you re-learn material from your sophomore year, you will not have access to your points (up to 6,000/semester or 12,000/year) until after educational expenses have been deducted and you have passed your sophomore year coursework. Once you have passed your sophomore year, you may receive the promotion bonus of up to 3,500 points from the school to which you transfer.

Earning Points as a High School Senior- Room #8

As you complete your senior year courses, your school will add up to 8,000 points per semester or 16,000 points per academic year to your account. You may be awarded a “promotion bonus” of up to 4,000 points at the beginning of your senior year based upon your academic, school service, and extra-curricular activities during your junior year. After you have used your allotted points to pay for educational expenses, you may “spend” the remaining amount on whatever you like. If you do not pass your junior year, you will not be awarded a promotion bonus. You will have to attend a remedial or alternative school until you meet the criteria for promotion to senior. As you re-learn material from your junior year, you will not have access to your points (up to 7,000/semester or 14,000/year) until after educational expenses have been deducted and you have passed your junior year coursework. Once you have passed your junior year, you may receive the promotion bonus of up to 4,000 points from the school to which you transfer.

High School Graduation- Room #9

When you have satisfactorily passed your senior year courses, your school will award you a “graduation bonus” of up to 20,000 points based upon your cumulative academic performance, school service, and extra-curricular activities during your high school years. You may spend your entire graduation bonus on whatever you like (or you may save it). If you do not pass your senior year, you will not be awarded a graduation bonus. You will have to attend a remedial or alternative school until you meet the criteria for graduation. As you re-learn material from your senior year, you will not have access to your points (up to 8,000/semester or 16,000/year) until after educational expenses have been deducted and you have passed your senior year coursework. Once you have passed your senior year, you may receive the “graduation bonus” of up to 20,000 points based upon your cumulative academic, school service, and extra-curricular activities during your high school years. You may spend your entire graduation bonus on whatever you like. (Or you may save it).

Questions to Consider

a) To what degree are you (or your children) motivated to complete your education to the best of your ability in our current money-based system? Please explain your answer.

b) To what degree do you think a points system would motivate you (or your children) to complete your education to the best of your ability? Please explain your answer.

c) To what degree would you be tempted to try to find ways to cheat your school’s grading system in order to earn more points?

d) If you are a teacher, would you like to work in the educational system in which you are expected to teach your students personal values (honesty, dependability, self-discipline, kindness etc.) as well as academic subject matter? How do you feel about incorporating the points system into the high school educational system?

e) If you are a teacher, do you think the high school education in a moneyless society should be longer than 4 years? Please explain why. If you are a parent or student, please share your thoughts on this question as well.

f) To what degree do the second floor rooms address any problems that might make the function of a global moneyless society impossible? (See “Ten Possible Obstacles To A Moneyless World”)

F. The Third Floor

Once you have completed your high school education, you will be ready to advance to the next level of living in a moneyless world. Let’s now move up to the third floor and inspect the rooms which hold various choices for you to consider. Take your time, look at everything each room has to offer, and then ask yourself which (if any) of the rooms appeals to you the most. Think about who your roommates would be and how comfortable you would feel sharing this room with the people who also find it most appealing. The stairs are this way. Let’s head on up.

After High School: Furthering Your Education- Room #1

After you have satisfactorily passed your senior year of courses, you may choose to attend a trade school or university. With an education beyond the high school level, you will have acquired skills, talents and strengthened personal values that your community needs, values and appreciates as you make positive contributions to society through whatever job you may choose. Your admission to an accredited trade school or university is based solely upon your record of academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities and all your service activities while in high school. You do not have to use your character points to pay tuition for attending an accredited trade school or university. You do not have to pay for required textbooks, on campus housing or on campus dining halls. Your post-secondary education is completely free. Neither do you earn character points for attendance, grades or participation in extracurricular activities at your trade school or university. You choose to further your education because you have internalized the values that were consistently taught from your kindergarten year through your senior year in high school, as well as at home. The basic core value is: “We need each other.” You work at your studies because you know that when you graduate, someone will need you for the skills and knowledge you have developed at your trade school or university. You understand that just as you depend on others to perform their jobs well, others will depend on you to do the same. If you want, you may choose to have your character card “enhanced” so that your status as “post-secondary student” is displayed on any “cashier’s” computer whenever you swipe your card (or use a fingerprint scan) to make “purchases.” As you complete your trade school or university education, you may choose to have your character card further “enhanced” so that your class level and/or performance level (sophomore, honor student, master mechanic…) is displayed.

Level I Employment: Your Contribution to Community- Room #2

If you have satisfactorily completed your senior year of high school, you may decide not to attend a trade school, university or adult education program. You may decide to work in a job that does not require further education. These types of jobs (waitress, cashier, janitor, assembly line worker, etc) are just as necessary as any other job, and a civil society could not function fully if people like you were not willing to do them. You will be recognized as a full time employee if you log at least 1200 hours per calendar year (about 30 hrs per week with 10 weeks off). You will be recognized as a part time employee if you log at least 600 hours per calendar year.

Businesses and organizations do not pay you (or anyone else) in character points for working regular “non-community service” jobs, whether they require more than a high school diploma or not. You choose to work for your company because you know they genuinely need, value and appreciate your work. You choose to work because you have internalized the values that were consistently taught from your kindergarten year through your senior year in high school, as well as at home. The basic core value is: “We need each other.” You fully understand that just as you depend on other people to perform their jobs, other people depend on you to perform yours.

If you want, you may choose to have your card “enhanced” so that your status as a full or part time employee is displayed on any “cashier’s” computer whenever you swipe your card to make “purchases.” If you choose to work in a job that is dangerous and/or unpleasant, your card can be further ‘enhanced’ to indicate this status.

The Family Room- Room #3

You can also be recognized as fully employed if you choose to work as a full time parent AND have earned full-time parent certification by successfully completing courses in baby, child, and/or adolescent development and family dynamics. If you earn this certification, you may choose to have your character card enhanced so that your status as a full-time certified parent is displayed on any “cashier’s” computer whenever you swipe your card to make “purchases.” If you choose to do so, you may also have your child’s level of community service, extra-curricular participation and/or academic achievement displayed as well. Part-time certification is available if you are able to complete half of the coursework. Your state’s education department will determine the specific requirements for certification. One or both parents or legal guardians may choose to earn full or part time certification. The certification programs are also open to grandparents. If space is available, other family members who do not have children or grandchildren may take these classes. However, only parents, grandparents and legal guardians can earn certification status.

Since attending these courses is part of your job as a parent seeking certification, you do not earn points for completing the coursework. You complete these courses and apply what you’ve learned in your household because you know that doing so will help you raise children who grow into healthy, happy, fully functioning adults who give back to society. You choose to work to increase your parenting skills without getting paid in points because you have internalized the values that were consistently taught from your kindergarten year through your senior year in high school, as well as at home. The basic core value is: “We need each other.” You work to pass this core value on to your children because you fully realize how much your community depends on you to raise your children well.

Time-Out- Room #4

However, if you are the biological or adoptive father, mother or legal guardian of children who are habitually delinquent AND you are not making a good faith effort to resolve the issue by working with Social Services programs, then your state will deduct points from your account. When you do not raise your children well, you are making an extremely far-reaching and long-lasting negative impact on your community. Whether you are male or female, once you make the decision to become a parent biologically or through the court system, your state will hold you responsible and accountable for your child’s behavior until he/she reaches the age of 18. Even if your parental rights have been terminated, you will still lose points if your child is habitually delinquent AND you are not actively working with Social Services to resolve the issue. If your case worker determines that the best thing you can do is to stay out of your child’s life until you can resolve your own issues, then you must take steps to resolve your own issues to avoid losing points and to increase your ability to have some positive effect on your child’s life in the future. If your case worker says that showing up at parent-teacher conferences, participating in family counseling sessions or completing parenting classes will help reduce your child’s delinquent behavior, then that is what you must do to avoid losing points and to help your child succeed. If you are an absentee father or mother, points will be deducted from your account for each child that you are neglecting. The person(s) raising your child does not get your points.

Whether you are male or female, if you cannot be a proper parent by playing an integral role in a child’s life and if you cannot raise a child to respect the laws of the community, then your community needs you to exercise reproductive responsibility by choosing to practice abstinence or by choosing to use reliable birth control. When you make the mature and responsible decision to avoid or delay parenthood because you understand your limitations, you are making a tremendous positive impact on your community.

Choosing Not to Work- Room #5

If you satisfactorily complete high school, trade school and/or university but do not work or perform any community service, there are no penalties. As long as you obey all laws, you will continue to earn up to 30,000 points each year as this is an extremely important contribution to society. You will also continue to earn up to 75,000 points per year for maintaining your health. You are one of the few people who are either physically or mentally unable to contribute to society by helping others through service activities or through work, or you are one of the few able-bodied and mentally competent people who have chosen not to contribute to society by helping others through service activities or through work. For whatever reasons, you did not internalize the values that were consistently taught from your kindergarten year through your senior year in high school, as well as at home. The basic core value is: “We need each other.” Whenever you swipe your card to make “purchases,” no status will be indicated on the “cashier’s” computer. If there are too many people like you who are either unable or unwilling to work, perform any service activities, or participate in continuing education programs, the moneyless society will most likely not function.

In this case a fail-safe measure could be instituted if the data show after “x” amount of time that “non-contributors” are too much of a drain on society. This fail-safe measure would allow individual state governments to mandate that not contributing (not working) is a crime, and points would be deducted from the offender’s account. To protect people who have legitimate reasons for not working, your state would recognize the following categories: “Retired,” “Disabled” and “Temporarily Unemployed.” For example, after at least 15 years of working, you could register with your state to have your card show “Retired” as your employment status. If you want, you could have the number of years you worked indicated on your card as well. If you have been cleared by a licensed professional as unable to contribute at all because of severe physical or psychological conditions, your state would recognize your status as “Disabled.” For privacy reasons, this status would not show up on your card when you swipe it. If you are unemployed, but looking for work, your state would recognize your status as “Temporarily Unemployed” until you find another job. For privacy reasons, this status would not show up on your card when you swipe it. No one would have to know how long you’ve been unemployed. As long as you’re working with the unemployment office, and they verify that you are going on interviews, sending out resumes, taking classes to beef up your skills, working with agencies that specialize in matching your skills with organizations that need those skills etc., you won’t be considered a non-contributor. The Unemployment Agency would determine a reasonable length of time needed to complete your job search before you can be considered a “non-contributor” masquerading as temporarily unemployed.

Level II Employment- Room #6

If you have completed your education at an accredited trade school or university, you have the opportunity to apply for a skilled job or high level career in which you feel needed, valued and appreciated for using your talents and knowledge to contribute positively to your community. In an economy that is need-based rather than money-based, companies and organizations will be able to hire as many people as they need in order to meet the demand for goods and services. For this reason, your chances are excellent for finding employment at a company or organization that needs your particular skills. Because the world’s needs are so great there will always be something that needs to be done. There will always be jobs that need to be filled. Whether you want to contribute to society by performing brain surgery, repairing cars, teaching science, doing construction or cutting hair, somebody somewhere needs you. Your company or organization does not pay you in points for doing your job. What you do get in return is the knowledge that your company or organization genuinely needs, values and appreciates you for using your talents and skills to make positive contributions to your community through your work. You choose to work because you have internalized the values that were consistently taught from your kindergarten year through your post-secondary education, as well as at home. The basic core value is: “We need each other.” You fully understand that just as you depend on other people to perform their jobs, other people depend on you to perform yours.

Questions to Consider

a) Which room(s) on the third floor appeals to you the most? Please explain why you find these particular rooms appealing.

b) To what degree would you feel motivated to work for a company or organization which treats you fairly and does not overwork you because they genuinely need, value and appreciate your work, even though you are not getting paid in points?

c) How important is it for you to be recognized (through the card enhancement option) as someone who has chosen to contribute to your community through part or full time employment? How important is it for you to be recognized as someone who has chosen to work in a job that is dangerous and/or unpleasant?

d) Do you think that you would want to live in room #4 (Choosing Not to Work) for the long term (more than 5 years) even after successfully completing 12 years of education in which you learned how much your community needs you to contribute? Do you believe that most people you know would choose room #4 for the long term even after successfully completing the 12 years of education? Would you consider living in room #4 for the short term (no more than 5 years) after completing your education? Why or why not?

e) To what degree do the third floor rooms address any problems that might make the function of a global moneyless society impossible? (See “Ten Possible Obstacles To A Moneyless World”)

G. The Fourth Floor

Now that you have seen the foundation and all the rooms on the first through third floors, you are now ready to move up to the fourth floor. On this level you will see how businesses and other organizations may function in a world where no forms of currency (points or money) exchange hands. Perhaps, after touring the lower levels, you already have some idea of how this may work. Will your ideas correspond somewhat to the ones we have developed and built into the rooms on the highest level of our prospective home, or will they radically diverge? As you tour this floor, please carefully inspect each room and be prepared to point out any flaws in the structural design that you may see. We look forward to hearing any suggestions you may have for either improving or completely re-designing this crucial part of our prospective home. Come on up to the fourth floor and take a look.

Business and Organizational Leadership-Room #1

If you want to become a business owner or head of an organization, you must be a graduate of an accredited university or other school of higher learning. You must also have a demonstrated track record of high scores (85% average or better) in all of your ethics and social responsibility coursework as well as high scores (85% or better) that demonstrate competency in your field. As you will see in the following rooms, you carry a tremendous amount of responsibility to act ethically, competently and compassionately when you choose to serve your community by running a business or organization. If your educational accomplishments demonstrate that you have earned this privilege, a city, state or federal agency will issue and renew your business license or review your accreditation status.

Re-imagining Profit and Purpose-Room #2

Why are you running your business or organization? You run your business or organization because you have internalized the values that were consistently taught from your kindergarten year through your post-secondary education, as well as at home. The basic core value is: “We need each other.” You run your business or organization because you want to make positive contributions to your community on a larger scale. You run your organic farm because you want people in your community (or all over the world) to have delicious, nutritious food to eat. You run a company which manufactures weapons because you firmly believe in providing individuals (or governments) with the means to protect themselves from harm. You operate your schools because you understand the importance of preparing young people to become happy, healthy, productive citizens in their communities. You run your law firm because you fully understand the importance of defending the innocent and prosecuting the guilty. You run your sports organization because you believe in the integrity of the game and the ability of sport to bring people together. You run a beauty salon because you want your clients to feel good about themselves and gain confidence when they look in the mirror. You manufacture vehicles that run on green technology because you understand the importance of preserving the only environment we have. You run your hospital or your pharmaceutical company in order to save lives, keep your patients well and positively impact their lives.

You hire graduates from trade schools or universities who choose to work for your company, not for money or for points, but because they share your vision and your goals for positively impacting the community. The same mission statements and visions that were built into your business or organization in a money-based economy can be much more fully realized when monetary pay and profit are no longer factors. In a moneyless system accomplishing your vision and your mission is your profit.

Determining Prices- Room #3

How are prices determined? You determine the price of the goods and services your company will offer to the public. You may decide to start by using the values that were in place in the money based economy. For example, an item that cost 10 dollars in the money-based system might cost 10 points in the points system. You already know that people over 21 years old can earn a maximum of 125,000 points per year. You already know that the purchasing power of people under 21 is also limited and is based on their educational achievements and service activities. As people in various circumstances use their points to “buy” things, a picture of purchasing power may emerge that may help you determine your prices, and help you better estimate how much your business needs in terms of both human and material resources so that you can effectively meet demand. Since your business does not get the customer’s points, your goal will be to establish prices that allow you to meet people’s wants and needs based on their status as educated, community service oriented, law-abiding and health-conscientious citizens.

Rating Criteria-Room #4

Your business or organization is rated in four major areas: Employee Satisfaction (ES), Customer Service (CS), Business Customer Service (BCS) and Responsible Use of Resources (RUR). How these rating systems function is explained in detail in rooms #5-#10. In summary, your ES score is meant to ensure good working conditions for your employees. Your CS score is intended to promote quality and availability of the goods and services you provide for your customers. Your BCS score is meant to foster good working relations among business partners. Your RUR score is meant to help motivate you to use limited resources wisely.

Valuing Your Employees- Room #5

Employee Satisfaction (ES) measures your employees’ satisfaction with their working conditions. Every 6 months, employees rate their employer on five questions using a five point scale. 5 is the highest score and 0 is the lowest. The five questions could be something like the following (They are from Stephen Covey’s book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People): Do you have a clear understanding of what your organization is trying to achieve and why? Are you enthusiastic about your team’s and your organization’s goals? Do you have a “clear line of sight” between your tasks and your team’s and organization’s goals? Do you feel that your organization fully enables you to execute key goals? How fully do you trust your organization? A committee made up of employee representatives and employers could create questions that are specific to their particular business or organization. The points would be added up and your business’s average ES score (as a percentage) would be posted online for the public.

Valuing Your Customers-Room #5

CS (Customer Satisfaction) rates the customer’s satisfaction on a 0- 5 point scale, using five questions. Every business must have a question relating to the quality of the goods and/or services it provides the customers. This quality question will make up 50% of your CS score. Every business must also have a question related to availability. The availability question will make up 35% of the CS score. The other three questions can be chosen by the business and may relate to things like “Professionalism”, “Satisfaction”, or “Recommend to a Friend.” Points are added up and your business’s average CS score would be posted online (as well as numbers of customers served) for the public. If you set your prices too low, you will have trouble meeting demand. This will lower your score in the CS “availability category, which is weighted 35%. You may also get lower ES ratings if your employees feel overworked as they try to meet increased demand. If you set the price too high, you may also run into ES problems if your employees feel that the products they produce should be available to more than the elite few. A committee of both employee representatives and employers should work together to determine prices that the majority considers fair and ethical. When setting prices, all of you should keep in mind that accomplishing your vision and your mission is your profit.

Measuring Success- Room #6

Your two scores (ES and CS) are averaged together. This score indicates to the world how successfully you run your business. If your employees know that they are genuinely needed, valued and appreciated, they will produce high quality goods and services. If many customers purchase and highly rate your goods and services, you know that you are fulfilling a definite need for your community and doing it well. Outside agencies, such as the Better Business Bureau, may also track your company’s performance.

Business or Organization Failure- Room #7

If your employees do not feel genuinely needed, valued and appreciated, they will either find work elsewhere or they may stay but not do quality work. If you overwork, exploit and otherwise mistreat the people who have volunteered to work for you, they will not stay. In this system, working is truly a choice. Being temporarily out of work (short or long term) does not carry many consequences because there are no points to lose. If you are not invested in making sure your employees feel valued and making sure they feel your company is contributing positively to the community, you will lose your workers and both your CS and ES scores will fall. If one or both of your scores consistently falls below 70%, your license may be revoked.

Business and Organizational Partnerships -Room #8

If you own a business or head an organization, your company does not own any accounts, nor does your company earn points with which you “purchase” goods and services from other companies. The lack of accounts and points for businesses is intended to discourage the greed and corruption that often accompanies profit driven thinking. When your business (especially big business) is not driven by the desire to accumulate vast sums of points, it may be easier for you to stay focused on the reason you are in business. You want the knowledge (and perhaps the public recognition) that you are needed, valued and appreciated for making positive contributions to your community on a larger scale. Accomplishing your mission statement and your vision and being publicly recognized for this accomplishment is your profit.

If you don’t have any points, how do you then acquire the goods and services your business needs to operate in a world with limited resources? How will your business or organization be held accountable for not acquiring too much? Remember that you do not pay the people you hire in points. You hire the graduates from high schools, trade schools and universities who share your company’s vision and who want to work in return for the knowledge that they are needed, valued and appreciated for making positive contributions to the community. You also do not pay other businesses and organizations in points for the material resources you need to meet demand.

If you want to acquire the materials you need to manufacture your product, you contact the distributors and let them know how many “widgets” you need. Based on the size of your order and your ES and CS scores the distributor may decide to fill your order completely, partially or not at all. Rather than contracting with the highest bidder, the distributor contracts with the companies that show high levels of social responsibility reflected in their ES and CS scores. Both you and your distributors are required by law to track and report the inventory exchanged (barrels of oil shipped, books ordered, fertilizer used, etc.) to an independent agency in the “Responsible Use of Resources” (RUR) division (see section 37 below).

Businesses can and should rate one another using a BCS (Business Customer Service) score. For example, Company A may create a list of 5 questions related to the quality of the goods and services provided to them by Company B. No company may rate another company on availability. Why not? If company A orders a highly unreasonable amount of material that Company B can’t fill, company B should not be penalized for not providing the material. If Company B cannot fill an order that’s high, but reasonable, then Company A will have to find a distributor who can fill the order. Company A may use any other questions they like (except availability) to rate their satisfaction with the quality of Company B’s goods and services. Company A may also determine how they want the questions weighted. When companies rate one another, this is called a BCS score and is posted online for the public. The BCS score is meant to foster good working relations among business partners.

Using Resources Responsibly- Room #9

There is one more score for your businesses or organizations. This score determines how responsibly you use limited resources. An independent agency rates your business’s responsible use of resources (RUR) on a yearly basis. Because we live on a planet with limited resources, it is crucial that you be resourceful and not order four times as many “widgets” as you need “just in case.” For example, if your company orders enough materials to make 4000 Corvettes but “sells” only 100 of them, that is being extremely wasteful. You are required by law to track how many “widgets” your company “acquired”, how much it “sold” and how much inventory was left ‘unsold.” An independent agency would conduct an assessment of how your business uses limited resources, determine your RUR score and post it online for the public. If the agency determines that your company is being wasteful with limited resources, you must take steps to rectify the situation in order to keep your license or accreditation.

Keeping Your Purpose in Sight- Room #10

In summary, you run your business or organization because you want to make a positive impact on your community (or the world) on a larger scale. Because of your education, you fully understand that just as you depend on other businesses and organizations to provide you with the goods and services you need for success in reaching your goals, other businesses and organizations depend on you to do the same for them. Therefore, you strive for excellence in achieving scores that demonstrate your dedication to employee satisfaction, customer service, business customer service and responsible use of resources. When you choose to serve your community by running your business or organization ethically, competently and compassionately, you help create the will to do good on a global scale.

Questions to Consider

a) How might the interpretation of “the will to do good” vary among individuals and governments with secular and religious world views? How might these different world views affect the ability of international companies and organizations to build and/or maintain partnerships in a moneyless society? Please explain your answer. What might be done to resolve business partnership problems caused by differences in world views?

b) In a moneyless system accomplishing your vision and your mission is your profit. If you are currently the head of a business or organization, how motivated would you be to continue in this role if your business success was measured, rewarded and recognized solely by your company’s ability to contribute positively to the community, while your personal success (education, obeying laws, etc) was measured and rewarded in points? Please explain your answer.

c) If you are currently the head of a business or organization, do you believe that the points-based system would make it more difficult for you to run your business ethically, competently and compassionately? Would it be easier, or have no effect? Please explain your answer.

d) What structural flaws do you see in the rating system (ES, CS, BCS and RUR)? Do you have any suggestions for improvements?

e) What structural flaws do you see in “Determining Prices” in room #3? Do you have any suggestions for improvements?

f) To what degree do the fourth floor rooms address any problems that might make the function of a global moneyless society impossible? (See “Ten Possible Obstacles to A Moneyless World”)

***

The little girl closed her textbook and set it carefully on the desk beside her bed. The architects had presented so much information and so many ideas to consider! Both her thoughts and emotions were all jumbled and tangled up, and she felt so unsure about where to begin unraveling them and how to put them in order. When she went to school the next day, her classmates were clearly experiencing the same thing. The discussion, which lasted several days, proved vigorous and passionate as the students considered the architects’ first draft of the conceptual model outlined in Part Two. The children all had various opinions, both strong and tentative, about this ancient civilization’s first attempts at envisioning an entirely new system that did not depend on money to function. How could these ancient people find something so difficult to imagine, which was practiced so easily in their own world, the students wondered. Would they ever figure it out? What would happen next? The children could barely wait to read the assignment for the next class period, which was entitled “Part Three- Building the Bridge.

***

PART THREE- Building the Bridge

Now that you have seen the house, do you want to move in, either as it is, or with minor or major renovations? If you do not want to move at all, that is OK. You may be indifferent to the concept, or you may want to present strong arguments for not pursuing this goal. If you do not like the idea at all, then it is important that your arguments be heard and considered, especially if you believe that a move to a moneyless world would prove disastrous.

However, if you do want to pack up the moving van and start life in this new home (after it has been renovated to your satisfaction), you must help build the bridge that will span the chasm which separates the money-based “house” in which we live today and the points-based house on the other side. How much do you want to do this? What ethical, self-less and compassionate steps are you willing to take in order to make the move to a moneyless world a reality? These are crucial questions because your will to act is the material that must be used to build the bridge. The bridge will only be as strong as your desire to build it.

The steps below outline some possible scenarios for transitioning from a world that depends on money to one that does not. As you read through each step, ask yourself if you can do what it asks or not. What parts of each step appear to be structurally sound and what appears to be weak? Are there additional steps that need to be added, changed or removed? If 7 billion people decide to cross this bridge, we must do all we can to ensure that it is strong enough to carry everyone safely across.

The steps below are based on how the transition might be facilitated in U.S. American culture. If you are not from the U.S., what steps (if any) of the model can be modified to fit your country’s culture and world views?

Step One-Increasing Awareness

The first step you can take is to raise awareness of the concept of a moneyless society by sharing the information with people online as well as face-to-face. Communicate with as many people as possible about this idea. Share this story with friends, family members, and co-workers. If you feel this story merits their consideration, share it with your elected leaders at the city, state, and/or national levels. Discuss your reaction to Part I and your answers to “Questions to Consider” in Part Two. The initial model (the house) may not be perfect, however, if many elements of it are seen as realistic, chances are high that many people will begin to consider a moneyless society as a possibility and contribute their own suggestions for improvements. Listen carefully and objectively to anyone who points out possible problems and makes suggestions for pragmatic solutions. These solutions should then be objectively critiqued, improved upon, replaced, re-thought, added to, etc. until a realistic model of how a moneyless society can function emerges. If these discussions give rise to a strong model, the concept will not die out, but will remain viable, where it will eventually reach the mainstream, including people in leadership roles at the national and international levels.

Once the idea of a moneyless society has entered the minds of millions of people, how the concept is then transformed into reality may mimic the patterns that occur in nature. For example, in the biological world, once a sperm cell enters an egg cell billions of events spring into action that eventually leads to the formation of a sentient being. In the neural interactive world that is unique to human beings and facilitated by the power of technology and social media, once the idea of a moneyless society enters the minds of millions of people as a possibility, it may soon become reality. Once this idea takes root in our collective consciousness, once people see the possibilities, they may be willing to take the final step that will give birth to a new way of living that heralds a giant leap forward in our social evolution.

Step Two-Accounts

If awareness of the concept reaches a critical mass, we may consider taking the following actions. Ask your school and state government departments to set up “Points” accounts for all interested citizens. Your school or state government departments would then deposit points into or subtract points from these accounts as described in Part Two, sections 1-7. However, you would not be able to access your points until your country’s citizens vote to transition to a moneyless economy. This decision would most likely be affected by the willingness of other countries to make the transition as well. Until the decision is made to switch, all transactions would be carried out as they normally would using money. If, for example, you were given a speeding ticket, you would have to pay in dollars whatever fine is normally charged using your regular bank account. This same amount would also be subtracted from your (separate) “Points” account. (1 dollar=1 point). As another example, if you volunteered to coach little league, mentor a teen or donate blood, 25 points would be deposited into your “Points” account for each hour you spent performing these activities.

The intent of setting up “Points” accounts within the money-based economy would be to see how people might respond if they knew there was even a remote possibility that we (and other governments) could switch to a “Points” system in the near future. Just as people witnessed within their lifetime rapid advances in technology that had been previously considered unimaginable, would they believe they could within their lifetime bear witness to a transition to a moneyless world? Would we see a rise in responsible behavior and a decrease in crime as people considered trying to keep those 2,500 points that the states deposit into their “Points” accounts each month, just in case the decision to transition was made? Would there be an increase in volunteerism because of the 25 points per hour? Would children work harder to earn good grades if they knew those grades would be translated into points they could use to purchase goods and services if the switch to a points-based economy was made? Or would people see the points as “play money” that have no real value, and therefore not change any behaviors? How might businesses and organizations respond? Would stock market prices be affected as people considered the possibility of moving away from a money-based economy?

If the answers seem obvious, then always question the obvious. It’s nearly impossible to see how an idea will affect behavior until it’s tried out. What appears to be hopelessly flawed on paper may prove successful in practice. Of course, the reverse may also be true. If trying out a points system in the real world seems too risky, perhaps a video game design company could construct a video game which simulates the moneyless society. If enough people worldwide played such a game, the players’ actions and decisions may also give some insight into the feasibility of transitioning to a point system. Whether the points system is introduced through video game simulations or in real life, if the resulting behaviors from step two prove encouraging, then we can move to steps three through five.

Step Three-Education

If you are currently certified to teach courses in ethics and social responsibility, either online or face-to-face, your state’s education department will ask you to offer such courses to all interested students free of charge. If you are certified to teach courses on the science of happiness, you will be asked to offer such courses to all interested students free of charge. How you pay for your living expenses in a money-based economy while teaching for free is covered in step four. The “Massive Open Online Course” system could also be used.

Every high school graduate over the age of 18 must have completed 200 unit hours (about 2 years at 1 hour per week) of coursework in ethics, social responsibility and the science of happiness in order to gain access to their “Points” account if the decision is made to transition to a moneyless economy. (Each unit should take about 1 hour to complete).

In addition to the coursework, the student must also go to a certified testing center and pass a standardized test with a score of 75% or better in order to gain access to his/her “Points” account if the transition is made. The student will pay a $50.00 fee to take the Ethics and Social Responsibility test, and $50.00 to take the test on the Science of Happiness. The $50.00 fee for each test will be donated to a charity of the student’s choice. Each state’s education department will determine how many hours of coursework need to be retaken before a failing student (score below 75%) is allowed to take the test again. Students who pass with scores of 90% or better and are college graduates will be highly encouraged to become certified ethics teachers themselves.

Step Four-Earning Points by Supporting Education

Your federal government will deposit 3 points into your account for every dollar of personal income you donate to a national “Ethics Teacher Support” fund. This fund will be used to pay the living expenses of certified instructors who have agreed to offer courses in “Ethics and Social Responsibility” and the “Science of Happiness” free of charge. You can also earn points by donating to the “Ethics Teacher Support” fund of other countries. Businesses may also donate to the fund. While businesses do not earn points for their donations, they can and should be publicly recognized for their contributions. The degree to which we support the crucial work of these instructors across the globe will determine how much we want to transition to the moneyless economy. As pointed out in beginning of part two, a clear understanding of ethical behavior and the science of happiness that one acquires during the educational process will provide the foundation for a stable, civil and fully functioning global moneyless society.

“Ethics” and “Science of Happiness” teachers in each country agree to live on a yearly income that approximates a “middle class” standard of living for their country, if the fund can support this. For example, if you are an ethics or science of happiness teacher in the U.S and your federal government determines that the fund can support an income of $75,000 year, then you agree to live on this amount or less per year. You would track your expenses using a special card (or fingerprint scan if this technology can be developed soon.) You would also be asked to pledge not to accept any other income for obvious ethical reasons. 1,000 points will be added to your points account for every $2,000 dollars under $75,000 that you spend. You would of course be expected to be a role model for your students and to demonstrate at all times the ethical behavior you teach.

How difficult will it be and how long will it take to find knowledgeable instructors who can be fully trusted to carry out their duties in an ethical and competent manner? How many students will be interested in taking such courses? To what degree will these students to accept, internalize and act on what they have learned? The answers to these questions will also determine the feasibility of transitioning to a moneyless economy.

Step Five- Earning Points by Working for Free

If you are an hourly employee, your employer will authorize your state to deposit 100 points into your account for every hour you volunteer to work for free. If you are a salaried employee, your employer will devise a formula using your annual salary to determine approximately how much you earn per hour. Tell your employer how many volunteer hours you can afford for the calendar year and your paycheck will be reduced accordingly. Your employer must report the money saved from its workers’ volunteer hours to the IRS. The business must also clearly demonstrate to the IRS that the savings from the volunteer hours was passed on to customers in the form of reduced prices. The savings must not be pocketed by management or used to increase profit margins. The IRS will determine penalties the business will face if it violates this policy. If the individuals involved in the violations have “Points” accounts, the IRS will subtract points from their accounts.

If you are a business owner, your state will deposit 100 points into your account for every hour you volunteer to work for free. Your state’s Bureau of Labor and Statistics will devise a formula using your annual salary to determine approximately how much you earn per hour. You decide how many free hours you can afford for the calendar year and you reduce your paycheck accordingly. You must report the money saved from your volunteer hours to the IRS. You must also clearly demonstrate to the IRS that the savings from your volunteer hours was passed on to customers in the form of reduced prices. The savings should not be pocketed by anyone or used to increase profit margins. The IRS will determine penalties your business will face if it violates this policy. If you have a points account, the IRS will subtract points from it if you have violated the policy.

To what degree would you be motivated to work a few free hours per year if you knew each hour would be converted to 100 points in a system that may or may not become a reality? To what degree is it possible for you to make some financial sacrifice by working a few free hours now in order to earn points in a system of the future? If just a few people agreed to volunteer to work for free and if prices dipped somewhat in response, would this produce a domino effect in which increasingly larger numbers of people volunteered to work for free, thus driving prices down further? How would this scenario affect the ability of various businesses to meet demand? How might this scenario affect employment issues? If we can get to the stage where significant numbers of people are volunteering to work more free hours because they are becoming more confident that a transition to a moneyless society will occur where they will able to access their points, then we can move to step six.

Step Six-Businesses and Organizations

If you are currently the head of a business or organization you carry a tremendous amount of responsibility to act ethically, competently and compassionately when you choose to serve your community by running your business or organization. This rings even more true in a moneyless society in which accomplishing your mission and your vision is your profit.

In order to continue in your leadership position in a moneyless society, you will have had to complete the 200 unit hours (about two years at one hour per week) of coursework in ethics, social responsibility and the science of happiness. (Each unit should take about 1 hour to complete). In addition to the coursework, you must have also gone to a certified testing center and have passed a standardized test with a score of 85% or better in order to continue running your business or organization. (See Part Two, section 28). Each state’s education department will determine how many hours of coursework need to be retaken before a failing executive (below 85%) is allowed to take the test again. The testing fees are the same for business leaders as for everyone else ($50.00).

While we are still operating in the money-based economy, you and your employees may decide to implement some or all of the rating criteria (ES, CS, BCS and RUR) for businesses described in part two, sections 31-35. These scores, which demonstrate how you treat your employees, customers and business partners, and how responsible you use limited resources, may be helpful indicators with regard to how successful your business may be if the transition to a moneyless world is made.

Because you, as a business leader, play such a large role in the everyday lives of so many people, the transition to a moneyless world depends in large measure on your willingness to move away from a money-based economy. How you and your colleagues respond to the following questions may determine if the people you employ want to follow your lead in making the transition, or not. Do you believe the courses in ethics, social responsibility and the science of happiness would help you and your employees be more successful in accomplishing the company’s mission statement or vision? Why or why not? How much of a burden would it be for you to take time out of your schedule to complete about one hour of coursework per week? Do you think it would be difficult for you to pass the tests with scores of 85% or better? How do you feel about losing your leadership position in the points-based economy if you cannot pass the tests on ethics and the science of happiness?

If you are a business leader who is genuinely concerned about the well-being of others, do you believe that transitioning to a points-based system would lead to a major reduction in the world-wide physical, emotional and psychological impoverishment that currently exists in the money-based economy? If so, how willing are you to make decisions that will contribute to the realization of this goal? If not, do you have a different proposal?

If you are a business leader who is accustomed to putting monetary profit ahead of the well-being of your employees, would you prefer to work in a system where you do not have to sacrifice the well-being of your employees in order to achieve business success? Why or why not? What (if anything) would motivate you to want to transition to a points-based economy where “accomplishing your mission and your vision is your profit?” Would you miss making money if the transition is made? Why or why not? Would the chance to play a major role in radically improving the lives of billions of people be enough of an incentive to change your focus from monetary success to humanitarian success? Why or why not?

If the decisions and actions of business and organization leaders show that they are willing to consider making the transition, then we can move to the 7^th step.

Step 7-Government Leaders

There are currently 196 independent countries on earth. Just like the heads of businesses and organizations, each of these government leaders carry a tremendous responsibility to act ethically, competently and compassionately when they choose to serve the citizens of their respective countries.

Because you, as a national leader, play such a crucial role in the everyday lives of so many people, the transition to a moneyless world depends in large measure on your willingness to consider the concept. How you and your peers respond to the following questions may determine if the people in your country want to follow your lead in making the transition, or not.

What are the principles or ideals on which your country was founded? Do you believe a points-based system would help your country better realize these principles? Do you believe completing the coursework in ethics, social responsibility and the science of happiness with scores of 85% or better would allow you more success in helping your country better fulfill these principles and ideals? Why or why not? How much of a burden would it be for you to take time out of your schedule to complete about one hour of coursework per week? Do you think it would be difficult for you to pass the tests with scores of 85% or better? How do you feel about losing your leadership position in the points-based economy if you cannot pass the tests on ethics and the science of happiness?

If you are a national leader who is genuinely concerned about the well-being of others, do you believe the points-based system would lead to a major reduction in the world-wide physical, emotional and psychological impoverishment that currently exists in the money-based economy? Why or why not? How willing are you to make decisions that will contribute to the realization of this goal?

If you are a national leader who is accustomed to putting monetary profit and personal power ahead of the well-being of your citizens, would you prefer to rule in a system where you do not have to sacrifice the well-being of your citizens in order to achieve power and recognition at the international level? Why or why not? What (if anything) would motivate you to want to transition to a points-based economy where power and wealth is acquired by engaging in ethical and socially responsible behavior? Would you miss making money if the transition is made? Why or why not? Would the chance to play a major role in radically improving the lives of billions of people be enough of an incentive to change your focus from monetary success to humanitarian success? Why or why not?

There are certainly several other obstacles to a moneyless world that have not been covered in these three parts. However, when significant numbers of people at every level possesses the desire and the will to act, then cooperative, critical and creative thinking will provide solutions to even the most intractable problems. If enough people at the international, national, state and city levels see value in transitioning to a moneyless world, the vision stands a very good chance of becoming reality. When this happens, the bridge to the new world will be complete.

Step 8- Packing the Moving Van

If you are ready to pack up the moving van and cross the bridge to the new world, you may be wondering what you can take along. You may be wondering if you will lose the things you have acquired in the money-based economy after the transition is made. First of all, rest assured that no one is going to take away your stuff. No one is going to take away your mansion, your yacht or your private jet with the gold-plated bathroom fixtures once the transition is made. You may, however, have a problem holding onto the people who cut the grass in front of your mansion, polish the gold-plated bathroom fixtures in your private jet and maintain your yacht, especially if you have not made them feel needed, valued and appreciated for the upkeep of things that make you happy. Remember, in a moneyless world, working is truly a choice. If your employees do not find their work fulfilling or if they do not feel valued, they may decide to go elsewhere.

If you have diamond rings, no one is going to take those away. However, the people who work in the diamond mines may well decide that keeping wealthy people half a world away bedecked in jewels does not contribute anything positive to own their communities. On the other hand, in a moneyless world the diamond company could decide to quadruple its workforce of miners so that the shared workload is manageable, reasonable and no longer grueling and dangerous. If the diamond company decides to set prices so that many people can afford a diamond ring, and they can responsibly meet this demand, you may or may not feel the same about owning diamonds.

If you have accumulated wealth in the form of stocks, bonds, cash, etc., you do not have to worry about losing these assets as long as you have completed the coursework in ethics, social responsibility and the science of happiness with scores of 75% or better when the transition to a moneyless world is made. The net worth of all your accounts and assets will simply be converted to points and deposited into your points account. For example, if your net worth is currently 20 million dollars, then you will have 20 million points deposited into your points account. If your net worth is currently $20,000 then 20,000 points will be deposited into your account when the transition is made. Accommodations can be made for individuals who cannot pass the coursework due to approved disabilities.

If you have zero net worth and/or if you cannot pass the coursework crucial to living successfully in a moneyless world, then you will start with zero points in your account when the transition is made. However, you will have every opportunity to build up your points account within the moneyless society by making as many attempts as necessary to complete your ethics coursework, by participating in community service activities and taking advantages of social services help if you so choose. In a moneyless society, poverty would reflect an inability or unwillingness to live as an ethical, responsible, contributing member of one’s community.

If you work in the banking industry, you will have to find another way to use your talents and skills to contribute to your community since money will no longer exist. However, in a points-based economy, temporary job loss does not lead to personal devastation. You have plenty of time to either go back to school to learn a different skill or work with employment support agencies that can match your current skills with businesses or organizations that need them. No matter what your job was in the money-based economy, somebody somewhere needs you. Whatever career choice you decide to make, your opportunities to help contribute to the needs of 7 billion other human beings are nearly endless. Those other 7 billion people are also contributing directly or indirectly to your needs as well.

While financial wealth has never been equally distributed across the globe, human talent is. Brilliant people are born on every continent. When lack of money no longer presents an obstacle to the nurturing, education and training of these people, more goods and services can be made available to more people as skill levels increase. Depending on where you live in the world, you may see this situation as either negatively or positively affecting your “competitive” edge.” In a moneyless world, the playing field is truly level.

Conclusion

As with any transition, the beginning may be challenging. We may at first find that operating with a points system instead of money may be a lot like switching from a tricycle to riding a bike with training wheels. It may be kind of wobbly at first, but after a while we will start to find our balance and feel confident enough to ride faster, better, smoother.

After following this system for a while, people may not need to rely on points anymore to do the right thing, and the “training wheels” (meaning the whole points system) may finally be removed. A natural equilibrium may emerge in which people know from generations of practice exactly what they need and want to be happy and content. We will know that we need only each other to survive and to thrive. When we are emotionally, psychologically and physically healthy, then our planet, our home, this single beautiful blue and green globe of air and light will also be healed and will produce in plenty everything we need.

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EPILOGUE

What will that little girl and her schoolmates find out when they meet for the next class period? What further information did the teacher pull from our archives? Did we make the transition or not? Did this idea survive and thrive or did it die? What happened to us? What else will that future generation read about our “far-away world from a long time ago?” Did our story end up in the “Happily Ever After” category or not?

Every single one of us is a contributing author to our world’s history. We are writing that story right now with our actions. What story those children read in that far-away future will be determined by the actions that we decide to take today.

THE BEGINNING

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