BUY GOLD! (as if...)

[chad steele]

A friend of mine is encouraging me to invest in gold... I had the following thoughts.

...money in any form: digital, paper, gold, salt, etc. are all abstractions of value
...value is a cultural agreement, it is taught, it is not inherent or the truth
...our culture values rare things -- it values scarcity and invents reasons to fear
...our culture values hoarding -- it values consuming more than producing
...and hence, most of us consume much more than we produce

Life does not value scarcity, life creates abundance, life is abundant
Life does not consume or produce it just evolves

What if our culture, or just us as individuals, could quit valuing scarce things (like gold) and just started valuing life?
Can an individual practice an abundant life vs. an abundance of things in this culture?
Can we evolve personally or culturally if we're suffering over the value of gold vs. paper?

What does an economy that values and exchanges "life" look like?

[Marc]

I think this is a great focus for contemplation. I agree with your friend as far as what is happening now, that if one wishes to hold wealth or maintain their assets gold coins or other forms of actual gold held in your hands is a very good way. This does not take in the larger questions of how we get from this place to the place your question takes us. I am aware that some communities have started local currencies and this is a good step because it involves a connected community choosing to participate in a money circle together. This is much different than having one imposed upon culture by outside banking interests, yet it still does not yet reach the standard you aspire to the currency of life.

To me it is possible to have an economy based on life affirming values. Money itself can me made to serve communities, if it is properly adjusted and tuned, so much of what is happening is that people are made to serve money, or money's masters. The Dominator paradigm is attached to using money to control people, because of fear, fear of lack of control over people and resources, also fear of a lack of abundance etc.
thus in my mind the first steps involve addressing that fear on a macro scale. However, along the way it may be helpful to demonstrate the success of local currencies. To model something that is based on cooperation not competition. This is where the transformation can begin. Ultimately the idea of usury, or interest compounds also presents structural problems in that money gets created without being attached to some creative act such as making a pie, or milking a goat. this will also need to stop, in order to create a sense of equity, and begin to break down the class based cultures and that mind set of us and them...

In closing, if you have wealth now, it would not be a bad idea to acquire as much gold coin as feasible, this will preserve value as the money system begins to break down, at least until we can all agree to use co-op world notes...(smile). But also look into "local currencies" they hold an interesting model for communities.