The Gift Economy

I was introduced to the Gift Economy while on a course in 2015. Brian Smyth, a wonderfully warm human being from Ireland told me how he had deployed it for his work. I was intrigued. Since then I have experienced it in action a few times and love the spirit of it and so have decided to offer it as part of Still Waters. But what exactly is the Gift Economy?

The Gift Economy is both a new and an ancient way of being, earning a living and working with others. It looks like an alien in our consumer culture and yet it is woven into our fibres as generous, sociable humans with special gifts to offer the world.

Wikipedia comes into its own for a topic like this; “A gift economy or gift culture is a mode of exchange where valuables are not sold, but rather given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards”. The site goes on to provide a deep and rich exploration of the many forms the Gift Economy can take.

For me the Gift Economy can mean different things in different contexts. For example, when I used to run mindfulness meditation retreats we used to charge people at cost for food and lodgings and then ask for ‘dana’ contributions for the teaching they received. Dana is a Pali word that means “generosity” or “giving freely,” and has played a central role throughout Buddhism's history. And so the teaching was given without monetisation of its worth or assessing how much attendees could afford. People were asked to make a contribution of whatever they wanted, without judgement, based on what they could afford and what they felt was a fair contribution. This was a mindfulness practice in and of itself. And it was an example of the Gift Economy.

As you can imagine, some people found this a difficult thing to deal with. Money is quite a taboo subject and is intrinsically linked with notions of judgement and worth. People mostly prefer to know the price of something so they can choose whether to buy it or not. It is wat the consumerist ideal is built on. The Gift Economy is built in a different way. It is an ancient system that recognises we all have gifts to offer and that if we offer them wholeheartedly then we will be looked after in return. As usual, Charles Eisenstein puts it more eloquently than I can:

So that’s the theory, but how can it work in practice. The teaching example I’ve described is just one way. In some communities people exchange skills without involving money at all. “You fixed my roof; I’ll babysit for your kids for two months”. “I’ll give you a pot of my jam as a thank you for those lovely eggs”. Most of us have probably taken part in the Gift Economy without even realising it. “Thanks for taking me to the cinema, I’ll get the popcorn”.

What it means in the context of Still Waters is this: If you have a need for my help then please ask. We can discuss whether I’m ready willing and able to help you and agree how we intend to collaborate in meeting your needs (knowing that it might evolve or change as we proceed). We engage in the activity fully and wholeheartedly. Then when we are done you can decide whether to pay me and how much. It’s as simple as that. There is no catch. Just pay whatever you like, based on what you think my help was worth to you and what you can afford. There will be no judgement from me.