From "Sustainable Planet: Solutions for the Twenty-First Century"
We are seeking a new American dream.
Adventure would come both at the frontiers of science and the frontiers of soul.
I believe that how we look at money is a prime suspect in the mystery of where the good life has gone. We agree that little pieces of paper and metal have value, so we are willing to part with true wealth-time, skills, products, edibles, and the like-to have money. Once we had the basics-food, clothing, shelter-we might devote ourselves to a raft of activities having nothing to do with money.
This isn’t hopeless idealism.
We now believe that without money we won’t survive, when in fact we can’t eat it, wear it, drink it, go anywhere in it, or meet any real needs with the pieces of paper and metal. Despite this, we believe that every morsel we chew, every stitch we put on, every swallow we take, every journey we set out on, and every pleasure we enjoy will somehow require money. This fixation on money as the key to getting what we want often displaces our other needs-for affection, security, intellectual stimulation, contribution to society, rest, play, creativity, and freedom.
One route out of this dilemma is to redefine money in terms of something real to us, rather than abstracted access to a never-ending stream of goods and services. Money equals our life energy. By this I mean the hours we invest on the job to earn it. Time is all we tangibly have on this earth. Every hour we invest on the job is an hour not invested directly in our children, our mates, our community, our health, our spiritual development, our search for meaning, or our contribution to the larger life.
Adventure would come both at the frontiers of science and the frontiers of soul.
I believe that how we look at money is a prime suspect in the mystery of where the good life has gone. We agree that little pieces of paper and metal have value, so we are willing to part with true wealth-time, skills, products, edibles, and the like-to have money. Once we had the basics-food, clothing, shelter-we might devote ourselves to a raft of activities having nothing to do with money.
This isn’t hopeless idealism.
We now believe that without money we won’t survive, when in fact we can’t eat it, wear it, drink it, go anywhere in it, or meet any real needs with the pieces of paper and metal. Despite this, we believe that every morsel we chew, every stitch we put on, every swallow we take, every journey we set out on, and every pleasure we enjoy will somehow require money. This fixation on money as the key to getting what we want often displaces our other needs-for affection, security, intellectual stimulation, contribution to society, rest, play, creativity, and freedom.
One route out of this dilemma is to redefine money in terms of something real to us, rather than abstracted access to a never-ending stream of goods and services. Money equals our life energy. By this I mean the hours we invest on the job to earn it. Time is all we tangibly have on this earth. Every hour we invest on the job is an hour not invested directly in our children, our mates, our community, our health, our spiritual development, our search for meaning, or our contribution to the larger life.