Introduction

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

»The economy behaved completely contrary to nature. Therefore we had to reverse economic practice and bring it into line with nature. This realisation was the key to worldwide prosperity.«

– Joytopia

 

Dear Reader,

If you are starting to read this book, there is certainly a precise reason for it. And you are that reason! You have just decided to open yourself up to the idea that prosperity and peace are possible for everyone – in harmony with nature. Had you not believed this idea to be possible, this book would have ended up in your waste-paper basket, either in your computer’s recycle bin or in an actual waste bin.

This book has the potential to change the whole of life as you know it in a positive direction. By this I do not only mean your private life. This book does not train you to be successful after the pattern of »Ponder and become rich«. It is not another book about positive thinking, revealing the secret of becoming a millionaire for the umpteenth time. Neither is it about evil forces which have conspired to change our beautiful earth into a prison. On the contrary, it is a set of instructions that we have copied from nature for you. These instructions show us how together we can get back to the natural state of abundance which we once lost through conscious or unconscious wrong behaviour.

Thus, you will not read about esotericism or lofty matters but about natural science in the best sense. The method of transferring inventions from living nature to technology is known as bionics. Every aircraft engineer has to study bird flight before he constructs his »sheet-metal birds«. What is now common practice in technology has been shamefully neglected in economic sciences to date. So it is no wonder that today humankind is more than ever before exposed to an array of life-threatening dangers, such as economic and financial crises, inflation, monetary crash, destruction of the environment, poverty, hunger, disease, wars and natural disasters.

In the solution presented here you will learn the results of the economic bionics research we have been conducting intensively at the Gradido Academy for more than ten years. And this for a good reason, for nature is the marvel of the most brilliant inventor of all times – our creator! Creation stories are to be found in all cultures. They differ slightly from each other depending on the culture. But this primeval knowledge has one thing in common: there is a brilliant creator who has accomplished this marvel. The Bible  says, »God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him« (Genesis 1:27).

If it is true that we were created in God’s image, we humans also have creative power within ourselves and our task consists of using it – for the good of the individual, the good of the community and the good of the big scheme of things. You will often meet with the term threefold good in this book. For only decisions and actions which meet these three criteria are worthy of being considered in the Natural Economy of Life.

What awaits you in this book

In the first chapter you will read about things that are going wrong on our earth at present. You will learn something about why the situation is still as it is today and why it is guaranteed that it cannot continue in this way. In this we will refrain from blaming anyone. We have all played the game. True, we have played different roles in the theatre of life but we have played in it. Our greatest appreciation and recognition go to all players.

In the second chapter a very good friend transports you to the planet »Freegaia« on the edge of the galaxy, where the Natural Economy of Life has already been introduced and brings the inhabitants worldwide prosperity in harmony with nature. In this entertaining, visionary short story you learn what the world used to be like, how the new economic model works and how the peaceful transition took place. Look forward to reading the story of »Joytopia«!

In the third chapter you learn something about the way in which you can consciously free yourself of old thought patterns and establish new ones. After that we will together analyse the statements in the Joytopia story, supplement them and assemble them into an economic model. This is not difficult at all, for the basic idea of anything brilliant is simple. And nature is brilliant, believe me!

In the fourth chapter you get to know the 100 most important benefits of the Natural Economy of Life. One advantage often results from the previous one. In this way ascending spirals of possibilities are created, which carry you further upwards with each rotation. Once you have learnt to think in positive possibility spirals you can change your personal life and your whole environment in a positive direction.

In the fifth chapter we get started together. What can each of us do with simple means so that we can soon enjoy worldwide prosperity and peace in harmony with nature? Fortunately, this is the shortest chapter, as there is not a lot to do. »Wu wei, doing by doing nothing«, an expression from Chinese Taoist philosophy lets us refrain from blind actionism and shows us the way of »refraining from acting against nature«.

Instead of a conclusion I will tell you a story from the future. Thirteen-year-old Pia asks her grandparents: “How did you manage it?”

A gift

Nature practises a gift economy and the free e-book is a gift to you: you can download the e-book of the shortened »Free Edition« on the internet and pass it on in unaltered form for non-commercial purposes. The full »Sponsor Edition« can be purchased as a printed book and as an e-book. With your purchase you are sponsoring the projects »Gradido« and »Wish20«. Many thanks!

Gradido is an initiative by people who are still able to think and feel freely or, better expressed, have relearnt this ability. The author and his partner have invested many years of their lives to find out how nature works and which of the brilliant inventions of living nature are suitable for establishing a new economic model – a monetary and economic model to form the basis of worldwide prosperity in peace and in harmony with nature. Several thousand people are currently participating in the gradido research project.

In the tradition of many indigenous peoples a gift has to be passed on for it to retain or even increase its value. That is also the case with this book. By passing it on, the gift circulates, increases in value and can enable you, your fellow beings and the following generations to lead a life that you have not even dared to dream of up to now. It contains invaluable knowledge that helps humankind not only to survive but even to make a quantum leap in its development towards regaining the paradise on earth – just as the creator once intended for people of all cultures and religions.

If you wish to reciprocate the gift by supporting the research project, the Gradido Academy and its initiators in their work, please feel free to do so. Every amount is a help to us. You can find our bank details and our PayPal account in the details at the beginning of this book. Many thanks in advance!

Off we go!

And now I would like to ask you to fold up the tray in front of your seat, put your backrest in an upright position and fasten your seatbelt. We are now together on the runway taxiing into a future where nothing will be as it was before. A future in which your grandchildren will one day be proud of you because you helped to change course before it was too late and change the route of the journey – back from the descent into hell to the way to paradise on earth.

But while we are still on the ground, we will familiarise you with some instructions. You will learn why the situation is as it is today and why it is guaranteed that it cannot go on like this…

Chapter 2.3 – The Joytopia model

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

“Like every nation on Freegaia Joytopia has monetary sovereignty and the sole right to create money. Our money is no longer created from debts but from life itself. Our currency is the gradido, which means »thanks«. The creation of money follows simple rules. 3,000 gradidos are created for every citizen each month.

A third of the money created is used for a basic income. Another third is used for the national budget and the rest for the Equalisation and Environmental Fund. We call this the threefold creation of money.

First of all Joytopia and the other nations decided on a general cancellation of debt. So as not to harm anybody the governments paid the amounts due to the creditors into their accounts. That may sound unusual but money is, after all, only a number in a database which is created with binding agreements. And the nations, which have monetary sovereignty on our planet, had agreed on this in a referendum.

After that the payment of interest was abolished and a decaying currency introduced. From then on it no longer made sense to hoard money for a long time, as it got less all the time.”

“A decaying currency? That’s what we call inflation!”

“The word inflation comes from the language of the old economic system and does not give the proper meaning. We speak of the cycle of life, the natural cycle of growth and decay.”

“How high is decay on Freegaia?“

“At the beginning we experimented a bit but now all the nations have agreed on 50% a year. That means that after one year half the money is still left.”

“Does that mean that when a pretzel costs one gradido this year, in three years it will cost eight gradidos?”

“ The gradido is electronic money and the decline in value is debited from your account. The value of the gradido stays constant and your pretzel will still cost one gradido in three years. We had also developed a model for decaying paper money but we didn’t use it in the end.”

“Well, how does it work in everyday life?”

A thousand thanks for being with us!

“The state creates 1,000 gradidos for each citizen every month. You remember that gradido means thanks. Every citizen has the right to an active basic income of 1,000 gradidos. The state, that means the community of all citizens, says thank you to every single citizen: »A thousand thanks for being with us!«

The basic income of 1,000 gradidos covers the costs of living and enables every person to live a worthy life. The second syllable of gradido – »di« – stands for dignity. All people have the right to a basic income – children, adults and old people. Single parents with two children, for example, receive 3,000 gradidos monthly. In this way they are equal to other single people.

“Is it an unconditional basic income?”

“The active basic income guarantees unconditional participation in the community. Everyone has the right – not the duty – to unconditional participation. Participation consists of giving and taking. So every person has the right to contribute to the common good in accordance with their nature. In the local plenary meetings we announce what work needs to be done and who can and wants to do it. The payment for this is 20 gradidos an hour. Everybody is allowed to do 50 hours of paid community work a month to earn their 1,000 gradidos as thanks.”

“What about children and old or sick people?“

“Everyone can contribute something in accordance with their nature. Work is supposed to be a pleasure and give strength. Nobody has to do anything that they do not really like doing. This results in people being very fit up into their old age. If someone happens to fall ill, they will still want to make a useful contribution as they know that it gives them strength and pleasure. And if that isn’t possible, the basic income naturally continues to be paid.

Children want to help in a playful way consistent with their age. Children who are allowed to do something at an early age enjoy this very much. It increases their self-confidence and feeling of responsibility and, besides that, they stay more healthy.”

“You say that everybody has the right to unconditional participation but not the duty. Who is supposed not to want to participate?”

“Some people prefer to spend all their time on their jobs. Because they can earn more money like that, because they are needed more there, because it’s more fun for them or for whatever reason. Everybody is free to decide for themselves.”

“So there can’t be any unemployed at all!“

“No unemployment, no pension problems, better health, more leisure time. The active basic income has so many benefits.”

“Opponents of the unconditional basic income say that it might happen that not enough is produced because too many people don’t want to lift a finger.”

“That is exactly why we introduced the active basic income. Giving and taking belong together. What we contribute is largely up to us but we have to contribute something if we want to earn money. Whether we contribute to the common good or work in the free economy, it is the same as in nature. Everybody does something that is consistent with their nature. A person who likes baking bread bakes bread, someone who like playing a musical instrument plays music. Some citizens practise several professions because they enjoy being versatile. We do what we love, deliver the best quality and are successful. The economy – especially small industry, services and art – flourishes on our planet as never before. On the other hand, everybody only works as long as it’s fun for them. That’s why there is no over-production that pollutes the environment unnecessarily.”

“Who does the dirty work with you?“

“Because of the enormous speed of technological development the dirty work has greatly decreased. Our houses are equipped with compost toilets, which are completely odourless.

All packing material and most commodities can be composted. Our houses are built from natural materials in a unit assembly system. Hard and unpopular work is done by machines. The remaining unpleasant jobs are correspondingly well paid. There are examples of people who have financed wonderful holidays with a bit of dirty work.”

“Are there any other advantages?“

“There are no more compulsory levies such as taxes, contributions to medical insurance or pension insurance…”

“Why’s that?“

“Remember that the second third of the money created is intended for the state budget. As the government creates its money itself, it doesn’t need to raise taxes. That means there are no inland revenue offices, no accounting, no illegal work and much less administration. The government finances social benefits, such as the health service, nursing care, pensions, emergency aid, etc. from the second amount of money created.”

“Isn’t there inflation if the government simply just prints its money?”

“The government doesn’t just simply print money! The money is created in accordance with international agreements with 3,000 gradidos per person per month. It’s the same in all countries. But you’re right! If we hadn’t planned for the money in our system to be perishable, there would be inflation. Decay is a natural law and so inflation would be unplanned decay. The cycle of growth and decay makes the gradido into a self-regulating system. The money supply is stable and can’t be manipulated. It automatically evens out at the value where money creation and perishability are in balance.”

“What do you do about protection of the environment?”

“The last third of the money created goes to the Equalisation and Environment Fund (EEF). An additional amount equal to the government budget is available for nature and the environment. There is no such thing in any other monetary model! Products and services are subsidised depending on how environmentally friendly they are. That’s why nature and protection of the environment have become the most lucrative sectors of the economy. Products that harm the environment have no more chances on the market. Besides that we have amended patent law.”

“What does patent law have to do with protection of the environment?”

“Well, all new ideas and inventions belong to the community. Just imagine, earlier we wasted over a hundred years building vehicles with combustion engines. A terrible stench spread over our planet. In some cities machines were installed so that people could pay to inhale oxygen! At that time all the car manufacturers employed their own research and development teams that kept their results secret or had them patented. In the end almost every single screw was patented. No wonder development didn’t progress. After the amendment of the patent law everyone freely donated their ideas and inventions – in return for a reward from the Equalisation and Environment Fund – and we developed the free-energy propulsion system within just a few months! Like in a big jigsaw puzzle, each inventor and developer placed their piece in the right place.”

“You often use the expression  freely donate. What do you mean by that?”

“Free donation is a crucial part of our economic system. While it used to be important to make big profits, the intention of free donations is to benefit yourself and others as much as possible with as little expense and work as possible. With this it isn’t so important to get something in return because the benefit and joy come back severalfold to the person who freely donated.

A good example is the Natural Economy of Life. The state gives everyone the right of participation. Everybody is allowed to take part and in return receives a thousand gradidos as basic income – »a thousand thanks for being with us«. Because of this there is no more poverty, no unemployment and the more communal services are rendered, the richer all will be together. And that’s only the beginning. With the basic income everybody is taken care of but still has plenty of time left for other things. Many people take on additional jobs. Their earnings are tax-free, for the government has already covered its budget with the second amount of money created. That’s why people can concentrate on their essential activities. Can you imagine how much potential is released in this way? The added value created benefits all the citizens and, in turn, the state.

Another example is what you call neighbourly help: a friend helps another person in the field they know best and supplies what the other person needs. Or you have a certain item to spare that someone else needs. If you give it away you have more room again and the other person has the desired item. As money is available in abundance, it has lost its importance. We’ve all become more generous and have great fun giving things away!”

Chapter 2.4 – Win-win financing

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

“How can you finance large amounts when money is perishable?”

“Through loans. Both parties benefit from these. The lender gets their money back in full at the time agreed. If they hadn’t granted a loan, their money would have become less because of its transience. The borrower gets an interest-free loan. Here we have a classic win-win situation.”

“I didn’t quite understand that.“

“Imagine a young family would like to build a house and they need a loan for this, let’s say 100,000 gradidos. Other people have a lot of money on their accounts, which would have vanished after a few years. They give the young family loans to the total amount of 100,000 gradidos and the family uses the money to build their house. They pay back the loan in a few years and the lenders have their 100,000 gradidos back in full.”

“That sounds quite simple and logical. Do such things as investments exist?“

“Yes, on one hand, you can lend your money by giving loans and, on the other, you can participate in projects, rather like your shares. However, the need for loans and investments has decreased. After all, everyone is provided for all the time. So they don’t need to accumulate money any more to guard against hard times. The fear of not being provided for has disappeared. We all live much more in the here and now. And we are provided for in the here and now. We often give away a large part of our superfluous money.”

“Really?“

“Yes, when someone is planning a project and still needs more money they write to their friends. The ones who like the project support the person and pass on the request to their friends. So it can happen that the person gets a lot of support from people they didn’t even know beforehand. We call this here-and-now financing.”

“And it works?“

“It depends on the people and the project. Ego-trips can’t be financed like that. You also have donations. You on earth mostly donate to a good cause, for example to help people in need. With us there is nobody in need anymore but there are a lot of good causes. The third syllable of gradido, the “do” stands for »donation«.

“And you really are so generous?“

“Some people more, others less – everyone according to their wish. After all, we have money in abundance. If we try to keep it, it melts away between our fingers. And we get more and more new friends by helping each other. If we need something some day, we will also be helped.”

“That reminds me of the donation buttons we often find on the websites of providers of free software or other free content on the internet. It is a great thing: everyone is allowed to download the software or information free of charge, copy it and pass it on to friends. If you like the thing, you send a donation to the author. Good things can be quickly spread over the whole world without any marketing costs and the authors get money to continue their valuable work.”

“Yes, open source, Creative Commons and similar initiatives are already bridges to the new era. In this way projects which would otherwise hardly be possible can be realised. With our free donations it is similar: we give money to others to help them realise their wishes and projects. We have money in abundance and it’s easy for us to make donations. In addition, there is the feeling of having helped others. Are you happy too, when you can help others?”

“Yes, when I do it completely of my own free will, no matter if someone expects it of me or not. Then I feel good.”

“That’s how it is with the system of free gifts. It’s completely voluntary and it’s fun. Besides that, we see the whole thing more like a game.”

“A game?“

“Yes, money doesn’t have nearly as much importance as it does with you. Since everyone has plenty, you can’t use money to force someone to do something anymore. Money is only a means of motivation, not an instrument of power. Everything has got more playful. Work is play, commerce is play. Anyone who doesn’t want to play the game has a bit less money but still more than enough to live on.”

“Is there still competition?“

“In a sporting sense, yes. Certainly some enterprises are more successful than others. But there are no real losers anymore.”

Chapter 3.2 – Gift economy and abundance

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

Nature practises a gift economy

» Nature produces food from herself and gives it to her living creatures.«

–  Joytopia

The members of nature do what they do because of an internal stimulus. The busy bee collects nectar which the flower freely gives it because it is consistent with its being. It can’t do any differently. It follows its inner motivation, its instinct. Along the way flower pollen sticks to its hairy legs. And while it flies from flower to flower, it carries on the flower pollen and helps pollinate other flowers. Fruits grow from the pollinated flowers – apples, pears, plums, berries, tomatoes peas, beans…, delicious food for humans and animals – all free gifts.

The animals, in their turn, run or fly around and drop their heaps wherever they like (as did our human ancestors). The seed falls to earth embedded in valuable dung and can grow up into a new plant. So that all this can happen the sun gives us warmth and rain falls from the clouds. Worms and other organisms make the soil fertile and solubilise  the nutrients so that they can be taken up by the roots – just like that.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Has any of the living creatures made an agreement with the others? Have they taken out a loan or set conditions? – Who has thought up this wonderful teamwork? Chance? Hardly, for »God doesn’t play dice«. God gives us the most valuable thing we possess – our life. So nature practises a gift economy. Not a market economy, not communism or capitalism – nothing but a gift economy!

We humans have preserved a few relicts of the gift economy. We can still find something of it in our cultures and religions: »It is more blessed to give than to receive« with the Christians, generosity with the Buddhists, the proverbial hospitality of the Orientals, the gift festivals of the Indians. And also citizens’ voluntary commitment, donations, compassion…, qualities and activities, without which our modern society would not function anymore.

Abundance

»When nature is in order, abundance prevails, i.e. there is more food available than is needed. Food is perishable and can only be stored for a certain amount of time«.

– Joytopia

Not only does nature freely give us what we need; she also gives it to us in abundance. When we sit by a river, fresh water constantly flows from one side, far more than we will ever need. All the water we don’t need goes on flowing. That was at least the primitive situation before industrialisation used, polluted and contaminated water on a large scale. At that time people could bathe in the rivers and drink the water from streams and rivers.

Another example is a healthy apple tree which bears a lot of fruit. Animals (as long as they do not invade as pests) do not consume the entire crop but eat what they need and leave the rest on the tree. Here too, nature supplies more than is needed. The unconsumed apples rot and re-enter the natural cycle. 

An interesting observation is the fact that the use of a resource in nature often creates added value.  Plants and animals that drink water grow and reproduce or at least keep themselves alive. Furthermore, the consumption of fruits also serves the reproduction of the plants that have produced the fruits –  as thanks from the beneficiary to the donors.

Chapter 3.12 – Free donation – the gift economy

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

»Free donation is a crucial part of our economic system. While it used to be important to make big profits, the intention of free donations is to benefit yourself and others as much as possible with as little expense and work as possible. With this it isn’t so important to get something in return because the benefit and joy come back severalfold to the person who freely donated. «

– Joytopia

Similarly to freedom the subject of »donating« arouses strong emotions with us. There are things you cannot buy. You get them as gifts, or not at all. They include love, recognition, trust, attention, thanks…, that basically means intangible goods that make life worth living. But material things are sometimes also donated. Rituals and festivals where gifts are exchanged exist in all cultures. Children sit down at the table to eat with their parents as a matter of course. And when friends invite each other round, a meal together is often a gesture of friendship.

 There is a free lunch!

Scarcely any other economic dogma causes more harm than the seemingly insignificant sentence »There is no free lunch«. This basic economic assumption means that everything has its price. Thus, everything in the world has become purchasable. Everything that is sacred to a person in their innermost soul, their yearnings, their wish for love and security, their basic trust, their hospitality… thus changes into a marketplace or is dismissed as naïve social romanticism.

The sentence »There is no free lunch« and the commercial philosophy behind it have destroyed a great deal of potential trust in us. »Once bitten, twice shy« now applies to all of us. »What does the other person want from me?« – »What gift does he or she expect from me in return?« – »How can I make it good to them?« These are the thoughts that automatically flash through our minds. It does not seem appropriate to us to accept a gift »simply like that«. And to be honest, can we still make a gift without any expectations? Don’t we, too, expect something in return?

Expectations can never be satisfied in the here and now. They always concern the future. When we donate something expecting to get something in return later a debt relationship is created. We make the other person indebted to us, no matter if they are aware of it or not. The sentence »I owe you thanks« hits the nail on the head. As soon as we make a gift with the expectation of something in return, we have committed ourselves to the concept of indebtedness. And the system of creating money from debt derives from the concept of indebtedness.

Donating freely has to be relearnt just as does unconditional love. Nowadays love is often linked to expectations as well – unfortunately. For only when we can let go of our expectations can we experience true love. The little sentence »There is no free lunch« makes a business deal out of every gift and prostitution out of love. It has contributed to separating human beings from their true nature and marketing their most precious treasures at a global bazaar.

How can we relearn how to make free donations? How can we free ourselves from the entanglements of conscious and unconscious expectations? How can we become innocent and free of debt again? As always, bionics – the observation of living nature – comes to our aid. We can copy the art of freely donating from those who have not forgotten it: animals and small children show their needs quite openly. We adults call this »begging« and try to break them of the habit. But what is wrong with showing your needs? Wouldn’t communication with each other be much easier if we said what we wanted quite openly without being offended or ashamed if the other person does not fulfil our wishes?

But animals and small children do not only show their needs quite openly. They also give us unconditional love without any ulterior motives, at least as long as we have not trained them to expect something. A small child’s smile is a gift to us – simply so. The child is not yet able to think »If I give Mummy a smile, she will give me something to eat«. Neither does it think »If Mummy gives me her breast, I must be really good in return afterwards and sleep through the night«.

Two things belong to giving freely: on the one hand, communicating one’s needs openly and, on the other, giving freely when we feel like it without ulterior motives. The more we relearn the quality of freely donating, the easier it will be for us to create true prosperity for all.

How can donating freely work in a community? Let me tell you a story about that…

                                                        

Chapter 3.13 – The empty and the full bowls

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What do we need the banksters’ money for?

Imagine they have all the money and nobody needs it!

From now on, let’s donate our talents and skills to each other! Then everyone will have enough to eat and be happy and there will be lots left over. From now one, we won’t ask what we can take out of the empty bowl but what each of us can put into the common bowl.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 3.15 – Why do we need money at all?

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

If the solution is to give freely, why do we still need new money at all? Why don’t we change over immediately to a gift economy? This question is completely justified and is also discussed in circles of alternative economic researchers. Interestingly, the question is always soon raised regarding a regulator to document the services that have been rendered and made use of. Some people suggest writing down simple figures: when a certain service has been rendered we should, for example, credit an account with +10. Then one person would have the figure +267 on their account and another person –389. But what is that but money without a name?

Money has proved itself for the documentation of services and goods transactions. Even the advocates of a pure gift economy cannot do without it. Sooner or later they invent a money equivalent, which they may claim is not money although it fulfils similar functions. The gradido is such a money equivalent. It is up to you whether you want to call it money or not.

In this connection an important difference between the gradido and conventional money must be pointed out. The old money is a promissory note, a promise of services, a means of payments. The gradido is by nature rather a documentation of services rendered or goods transactions. If the services or goods are given voluntarily, meaning »donated«, the gradido is not a means of payment but a »means of thanks«. With the gradido we are gradually moving away from the old market economy, the »economy of buying and paying«, in the direction of an »economy of donating and thanking«.

Chapter 3.16 – Here-and-now financing

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

»When someone is planning a project and still needs more money they write to their friends. The ones who like the project support the person and pass on the request to their friends. So it can happen that the person gets a lot of support from people they didn’t even know beforehand. We call this here-and-now financing«.

– Joytopia

Loans – also the interest-free loans of the Natural Economy of Life – are a method of postponing a settlement which does not appear possible in the here and now to a later date. They thus create a dependency relationship between the lender and the borrower. This may quite possibly be desired. For that reason provision is also made for loans and investments in the Natural Economy of Life. 

Freely donating offers us the additional possibility of financing projects in the here and now. Free gifts do not result in any dependence of the person receiving the gift on the one making it. They may lead to friendships which are voluntary. We already know here-and-now funding under the name of »donations«.

In the open-source movement for free software and also in the Creative Commons movement for free content the »donation button« has become common practice. Someone who uses free software or reads free content might like to support the project and simply makes a donation directly to the developers or authors. The latter have already shown that they are committed to the common project and do good work. Nobody minds that they are individuals. Quite the contrary,  one hundred percent of the money is used for what it should be, that is for developing the project without unnecessary administrative expenses.

This is the principle of here-and-now financing. Someone who is carrying out a project whose success might be of interest to other people publicises the project and asks for support. Every project costs money, in the form of external costs and personal work. A person who wants to carry out a project using their own personal strength has little time and energy left  for earning their living as well. And when the project is really important they will get plenty of help. People for whom the project is likewise important will support the person and pass on the request to their friends. This will trigger a positive chain reaction: the project becomes known and receives more and more support.