By Shae Hadden | Bio
I’ve
been glancing in shop windows recently as I wander my new neighborhood.
There seem to be more sales and discounts now at the retail outlets
than ever before, as if lowering a ticketed price will lure consumers
in to buy when the prevailing mood is one of restraint and caution.
Experts argue over whether our market economy is going to limp along in
its current form or be remade or redefined. Scarcity thinking seems to
predominate consumer behavior. Meanwhile, what I don’t want us to lose
sight of are the barter and gift economies that co-exist (and continue
to evolve) alongside the regular buying and selling of goods. A
‘gift economy’ is one in which people give away products and services
without any expectation of compensation. In a way, bartering is a
reciprocal form of ‘gifting’, in which two parties exchange what they
need with each other and eliminate the transfer of money. In a gift
economy, simultaneous giving to others (and not just a back and forth
between two people) is looked on favorably, as it circulates and more
widely redistributes resources within a community. In some societies,
the person who ‘gifts’ is seen as being altruistic and is accorded some
social status for being the ‘giver’. In others, gifting is simply seen
as an expression of a genuine concern for others. Thinking of
the world in terms of limited resources and little time left to save
the planet can easily lead us into thinking along the lines of “There’s
not going to be enough…”. Conversely, the gift economy rests on a
belief in ‘abundance’. In early human societies (before the existence
of currency), the sharing of food and other perishables ensured the
continuity of the group and the ‘abundant living’ of all. Native
American potlatches allowed leaders to strengthen the community by
sharing their accumulated wealth with their followers. In Tonga, Samoa
and some of the outer Cook Islands, reciprocal gifting is still part of
their culture today. In North America, we still practice this at
the family level (when we share our time, money, food, shelter and
wisdom with relatives). What I find interesting is that the concept of
‘gifting’ has expanded to include things like: - Open source software (free access to software code for developers)
- The blood bank system
- The organ donor system
- Gift exchanges
- Regiving networks
- Creative Commons Licences (free access to other people’s creative works)
- Wikipedia (a free online encyclopedia)
- Free schools
- Give-away shops
I
see a connection between this movement and Eldering: a common
commitment to sustainability and a shared future for all. And I'm
reminded of the wisdom of my grandparents and my parents in dealing
with troubled times in their lives. I’ll be writing more about these
and other ways in which the gift economy is showing up in our lives
today in the coming weeks. © 2009 Shae Hadden. All rights reserved.
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
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eldering
gift_economy
market_economy
scarcity_thinking
By Shae Hadden | Bio
I
haven’t lived through the Depression, or participated in a major global
conflict. Compared to many people on this planet, I haven’t had a lot
of difficulties in my life. But the challenges that I have faced I have
been able to survive. If you’d asked me a year ago what made that
possible, I would probably have said “sheer will power”. But I’m a
little older and a little wiser now. And my answer today has a quality
of serenity in it that wasn’t evident back then. Viewing the
future as[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
action
courage
future
perseverance
possibility
 By Shae Hadden | Bio
Despite
my intentions to stay focused on launching new materials into the
world, the last couple of weeks have seen a flurry of activity around
forming partnerships. When I look at the very real challenges we are
facing today and the urgency with which they need to be addressed,
establishing relationships might seem like the last thing we should
spend time doing. However, I’m reminded of something Jim Selman often
says: “Relationships are the foundation of success.” [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
partnership
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relationship
success
time
 By Shae Hadden | Bio
Today is the day after the Canadian federal elections. It's also
Blog Action Day on Poverty. Admittedly, poverty is an important issue,
and so are politics. But there is an intractable problem we all face
that is the context for poverty, economics and politics. And that
is the environment. Our elected leaders in Canada and the U.S. will not
only set the course for
North American environmental and economic policies for the next few
years, but will also impact our long-term future as well. And we all
(developed and developing countries alike) need to transition to
clean energy economies if we want to avert global disaster. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
economics
election
environment
politics
 By Shae Hadden | Bio
Since Sarah Palin’s Gibson interviews, I’ve been hearing a lot of
people saying that she reminds them of George Bush—even more so than
John McCain does. Some of the similarities they’re seeing between Palin
and Bush include:[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
bush
mccain
palin
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Words of wisdom from a dear 'younger' friend:
The greatest problem to overcome: Fear
The most destructive habit: Worry
The most damaging attitude: Resentment
The most satisfying work: Helping Others
The greatest "shot in the arm": Encouragement
[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
giving
integrity
leaders
youth
By Shae Hadden | Bio
It’s
so easy to get ‘comfortable’ with the circumstances of our lives—even
when they are uncomfortable or when we can see that they may very
likely lead to discomfort. It’s almost natural, sometimes even
expected, that we complain about what’s ‘not right’ or ‘not perfect’ in
our lives. But complaining (to ourselves or others) doesn’t change
anything and we’re left ‘adapting’ ourselves to living with whatever is
contributing to our discomfort. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
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circumstances
comfort
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By Shae Hadden | Bio
With each passing
day, it seems as if every environmental and social crisis we’re facing
is heading into even more dangerous waters. In the conversations I’ve
been having, it has been quickly apparent to me who is resigned about
this state of affairs and who is engaged and in action. Although the
latter group appears to me (for the moment) to be in the minority, I’m
reminded of Buckminster Fuller’s concept of the ‘trimtab factor’ and of
the potential influence a small group of people can have on the
future…and I am inspired by their actions. Similar to how a
trimtab influences the course of a large ocean-going ship, we can shift
the direction we’re heading in any large-scale issue by leveraging the
influence of a powerful sector of society.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
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commitment
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