Gift economy – the financial system of nature

The gift economy is based on principles of solidarity

And I have now been living by this principle of solidarity for ten years. Because when you trust in the principles of nature, you get back more than you give.

The term gift economy (also “culture of giving”) refers to a sociological theory that is assigned to structural functionalism. Accordingly, the gift economy is a social system in which goods and services are passed on without any direct or recognisable future (monetary) return – although in fact usually with delayed reciprocity. In the longer term, it is then a form of exchange, but one that differs from barter – one speaks of gift exchange as opposed to commodity exchange. The gift economy is often based on the principle of general solidarity. The term was originally used for a phenomenon prevalent in prehistoric and tribal societies, in which social or immaterial returns such as karma, reputation or loyalty and other forms of gratitude were expected. Anthropologists and other scholars have also succeeded in demonstrating gift exchange in present-day cultures. The gift is the signal of respect and deference towards another person. You can find the whole text on Wikipedia:

Wikipedia: Gift economy

If you would like more information on money and the gift economy, I recommend the following reading:

Der Preis des Geldes: Eine Kulturgeschichte (The price of money: a cultural history)

The indispensable standard work: in her brilliant analysis of the history of money, Christina von Braun focuses on the question of why we believe in the power of a system that hardly anyone understands any more. A quotation from it:

“Since its emergence, money has reached an ever higher level of abstraction: from coins via bonds and paper money to electronic money. By now, most money is credit money, based on hope, faith and promises. In economics there is a broad consensus that money does not need any backing. Christina von Braun puts forward the opposite thesis: modern money, which has no material equivalent, is ‘backed’ by the human body. This explains not only the extremely unequal incomes in financial capitalism, but also the monetisation of the human body, for example in mercenary service, prostitution, organ trading or reproductive medicine. The modern authentication of money was already laid down at its origin and found the ideal cultural breeding ground in the Christian religion.”

Der Preis des Geldes: Eine Kulturgeschichte – Christina von Braun (German)

When I recognised the truth in this quotation about ten years ago, I looked for ways to get out of this slave system. I found one possibility in the following book:

Sacred Economics (Charles Eisenstein)

So for years now I have been living the principle of the gift economy. What does that look like in practice?

The first step was understanding how our current financial system works. Because my freedom has always been very important to me, I made the decision to do whatever it takes to get out of this system of slavery. This important step is a question of mental attitude. How much money shapes our way of thinking is described in the book “Der Preis des Geldes”. So I “programmed” other beliefs into myself. Yes, that is possible – I am happy to explain on request which method I use. These beliefs then led to a conviction that I live more and more in everyday life. I give what I can, and what I can and want to give, to those people who need it and are able to accept it. Trusting in the principles of nature, you get back more than you give. Note: it is the same mode of action as “free energy technology”.

When someone I have given something to asks me what they could give me, I answer: “Find out what I need or what would give me pleasure!” Yes, that requires time and attention. It also restores the social closeness that we have lost through the use of the existing money “system”.

By the way, since each of us still needs some of these colourfully printed slips of paper, the so-called bank “notes”, a gift in the form of money can also be of value to the recipient. Because, as I always say: “The petrol station hasn’t quite caught on to the gift economy yet!”

So an amount of money in the form of a membership fee or a donation to GAIA, the Society for Self-Sufficiency, can also help us soon to have technologies at our disposal that take us one step further out of dependence on money.

Interest & contact

For all those who want to know more about the gift economy, or even want to take part, I offer webinars and am also happy to meet in person.

Members can simply leave a comment below this post after logging in.

I am also happy to answer calls or text messages on +43 660 8838812, or you are welcome to write to me by email at gottfried.herrmann@bewusst.mensch.at.