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way - to OS - oecd - foma - money - the dif - to sow - to play - to pay - (revisions)

the dif of money


Here's what you need to know about money

It's the pretty much the same stuff all over the world. Mainstream money comes and goes as bills, cheques, coins and credit accounts. Although the packages look different and in some ways perform differently, they are all money of the same form - issued in limited supply by central authorities, so that they maintain value, so that they are accepted anywhere in the world. All moneys of that sort fall in the left column in our "does-is-from" matrix on previous pages.

While money of this form serves as a means of exchange, enabling trading, it also acts as a store of value, a commodity. These two functions are in direct contradiction. Money needs to flow freely and in sufficient supply for an economy to work. Mainstream money is both quicksilver and molasses.

It's a commodity for which we have to compete. It comes and goes intermittently, making us an economy of addicts. The classic conditions for the development of addiction are that that there's something we need, but it's scarce and not always available - the supply is uncertain. That fits.

Even those few who feel they have enough money (how many do you know?) fear losing whatever flow they have and whatever savings they have managed to protect. Rich or poor, we all want the most for the least, trying to hold on to it as best we can - but saved money is money not moving, and trading not happening.

But since money is really just information, there is no reason to suffer a singular addiction to any form of money, especially one so dysfunctional. Community money systems will fill the gaps in the means-of-exchange function left by the inevitable scarcity of mainstream money. If it works like money - it is money.


So here's the dif

    mainstream money dif

      what it does - - - - - flows in and out of the community

      what it is - - - - - - - is scarce

      where it's from - - - - comes from external sources

    so communities and markets and people are often dried out.

since money is information, the design space is open

    community money dif

      what it does ...... circulates within community

      what it is......... enough

      where it's from ... from us.

    so the community works better and generates wealth


Community money is to mainstream money as AC is to DC - similar and yet very different. It's like signal to volume, pattern to mass - the information matters more, and the material matters less. If normal money is black and white, community money is full colour. If the economy is a monetary monoculture, community money is bio-diversity. And everybody knows, there is strength in diversity.

Since money is made up, let's do just that.

who's playing? who's on first?


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