Chapter 3 – The new monetary and economic model

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

»You can’t solve a problem with the same thought patterns which helped to bring it about.«

– Albert Einstein

Since the beginning of time, living nature has created something which economists can only dream of: it creates live and constant growth in abundance. Only we humans seem not to have understood something yet: although we could feed all the people in the world – actually with biologically produced food – two-thirds of humankind live below the poverty line, while just a few are swimming in money.

Why is there this endless poverty in the world? And why is there extreme wealth? We were concerned with the question of »why« in chapter 1. In this chapter we will concern ourselves with the question of »how«. How does nature do it? What is it that nature does right and we humans have obviously been doing wrong up to now? How can we achieve prosperity for everyone in peace and in harmony with nature?

When I pondered on this question intensively in the mid-1990’s, I was almost the only one with such thoughts. The public did not yet know anything about the idea of a basic income or alternative currency models. Although such approaches had already existed since the beginning of the twentieth century, very few people had heard of them – myself included. And that was a good thing, as it later turned out. For in that way I was able to set out on my quest for the solution without being influenced by other ideas.

Creating new thought structures

»Technology was never a problem. The problem that needed to be solved lay in the inhabitants’ thinking and in the economy.«

– Joytopia

In order to figure it out I had to start thinking quite differently from hitherto: for our previous thought patterns have taken us to the point where we are at the moment. And because our thought patterns are firmly ingrained and our thoughts follow these patterns like the motorists on the highway, I began to use unusual techniques to stop the accustomed patterns in their tracks. Only when there is a total road block are the motorists forced to switch to side roads and try new ways. Then completely new views open up in a wondrous way.

Writing a visionary short story was one such new way. You relocate to a desirable future and look back at the way you achieved this future. In doing this you can wish for anything you like – prosperity for all, peace, a nation without taxes, full employment, a good working climate, happy and motivated people who are fit up to a great age, intact nature and much more. There is no such thing as »It won’t work«, since everything is possible and everything is allowed in your imagination. Even Albert Einstein valued the imagination higher than knowledge: »Knowledge is limited, imagination unlimited.«

Another method of breaking the pattern is the requirement to think of everything in the reverse of the usual way. When we live in a world where the national budget is financed with taxes, we have the government donate money to its citizens. When demographic change can no longer be financed, in our vision senior citizens finance the economy through their simple existence. When single parents have child support problems, in Joytopia children contribute to their family’s prosperity through an active basic income.

Internal role play is also an effective instrument for creative lateral thinkers to obtain completely new perspectives and impulses. You slip into another person’s role and have them speak on a topic. In our story it is Very Goodfriend from another planet who shows people the way to worldwide prosperity – in peace and in harmony with nature.

Such and similar creative techniques are excellently suited to helping us find new ideas and solutions. We let our soul grow wings and discover worlds full of opportunities.

Nature as a role model

»On Freegaia there had always been people who observed nature and sought to fathom its laws.« 

– Joytopia

Nature has always been and still is the greatest source of inspiration. I repeatedly asked myself, »How does nature do it and what do we do differently?« – and that for several reasons. On the one hand, the new economic model should be in harmony with nature. If we humans want to survive, we need to work with and not against nature. We need to do everything in our power to make good the catastrophic damage we have caused in past years. On the other hand, nature shows us how life functions. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We only need to decode the inventions of living nature. Are you familiar with the term bionics? Wikipedia describes it as follows:

»Bionics (...) is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. (...)The transfer of technology between life forms and manufactures is, according to proponents of bionic technology, desirable because evolutionary pressure typically forces living organisms, including fauna and flora, to become highly optimised and efficient.«

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bionics

In technology bionics is applied as a matter of course. Every aircraft manufacturer studies the bird flight and learns how flying works from nature. Afterwards it is much easier to construct aircraft or optimise them. But Wikipedia only mentions technology. What is part of the tools of the trade for aircraft engineers and other technicians is only just starting to find its way into economics.

At the Gradido Academy (formerly Joytopia Academy) we have been practising economic bionics for years. By observing nature intensively we have arrived at a completely new economic theory – the Natural Economy for worldwide prosperity in peace and in harmony with nature. All our research comes to the same conclusion with a very clear message:

We humans can create worldwide prosperity if we observe natural laws.

Below we will analyse statements from the Joytopia story, supplement them and assemble them into an economic model. That is not so difficult at all. For everything brilliant is simple in its fundamental idea. And nature is brilliant! She has not only generated life but also maintains it – in a sustainable way.

The power of vision

»Everything you can think will become reality! Everything you wish for will come to pass if you can imagine it.«

– Joytopia

“Do be realistic!” – “You’ll never manage it!” – “I can’t imagine it!” – “Who do you think you are because you think you can change the world!”– “ »They« will never allow it!” – “The world is as it is and we can’t change it!”

Do you know who our greatest enemies are? No, they aren’t other people! They are our own thought blockades. We don’t believe we can imagine that we can succeed in doing something. Yes, you read it correctly: the thought blockade starts with us thinking we couldn’t even imagine it. However, we know that our imagination is infinite. »Thoughts are free«, a German folk song says. But if we do not even allow ourselves to imagine a positive future in our thoughts, however do we want to create it?

»Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.«

– Marianne Williamson – A Return To Love:

Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

This quotation, which was incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela and thus became world famous, insistently urges us to live our life’s purpose: »We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us«.We have let ourselves be weighed down by our self-made thought blockades for much too long. We have allowed ourselves to be forbidden to make use of our inalienable freedom, the freedom to think and dream, develop visions, make plans and help shape the world.

The powerful people of this world have not permitted this ban on freedom. That is the reason why they appear so powerful to us. But they are also prisoners of the system as long as they believe they can keep this simple secret and have to keep down the rest of the world in order to stay in power. This way of thinking is consistent with the zero-sum dogma, the illusion that there is not enough for everyone. A person who believes there is not enough for everyone has to put up fences and deny others access to the source.

But God’s gifts are there for all of us. We were all born »to make manifest the glory of God «. We all carry creative power within us to create a world in which there is prosperity for all, in peace and in harmony with nature.

»We have already achieved that aim on our planet Freegaia. You just need to copy it and spread it on earth. That’s our gift to you humans«.  

– Joytopia

The plan for such a world already exists. That is the subject of this book. We just need to have the courage to let our light shine and let go of our deepest fear, the fear of being powerful beyond measure. In this way we give our people the opportunity to do the same and our presence liberates others. We trigger a powerful, liberating chain reaction, for the gift from Joytopia is available to everyone.