Why Don’t We Ask?

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

— Mahatma Gandhi 

Once it became self-evident to me that the best way in which to affect positive change in the world was to change yourself, I began an investigation into the most effective ways to do so. I want to emphasize that from my own personal, direct experience, this idea is so obvious to me that it has become much more than some ‘nice thought’.

Taking responsibility for my actions and their impact on the world around me, while developing an awareness of my inner guidance (intuition, gut feeling, etc.), creates an exponential feedback loop of inspiration when similar efforts are mirrored by the people around me. This loop propels me and those I connect with through the evolutionary waves of change with an ever increasing speed. We learn best and evolve most cohesively through an open and constructive sharing of ideas. Communication is the key to unlocking the true potential of this exponential loop of evolution.

One topic of exploration that has really been resonating with me, one that I have written about before, is emerging information on alternative economic systems. It seems so obvious that the way we have agreed to set up our economy is killing us, killing the planet, and plain simply failing us – you don’t have to go far to see the evidence. We are extremely intelligent beings, and frankly I know we can do better and deserve better than what we have. This is not some complicated puzzle that you have to pay a large sum of money or study for years to understand. Let’s start from the ground up.

What is an economy?

I think we can all agree on one obvious aspect: the economy is our creation. We made up the rules to this game and we are responsible for (em)powering it. The easiest way to illustrate this is to imagine if everyone went home and stayed in for a week without communicating to anyone else, the economy would cease to function, at least during that time.

I am aware that there may be some disagreement to the definitions, ideas, and perceptions I am about to present. I honor and respect your window and would love to question each other so that we can arrive at the highest truth together.

My definition for an economy: the stories, or collective agreements, made between the members of a community that are designed to connect gifts with needs.

A community must function as a single unit if it is to thrive and discover its fullest potential. If that is true, then it would make sense for said community to value the FLOW of resources; making sure that there is no stagnation if any one community members’ needs are not being met. If I have a surplus of food, I would happily give it to you since it not only feeds you and prevents waste, but the act is also in alignment with my values, spirit of giving, and compassion for my family. Simply put, the new value of flow needs to replace our current value of accumulation.

{The topic of how we align our economy with our values, specifically the ecology of this planet, is a much larger one that I will not be getting into here at this moment. If you wish to pursue some personal research on this topic, I highly recommend the work of Charles Eisenstein}

If I truly believe in being the change, and I want to live in a world that openly shares this planet’s abundance, no one being excluded, I need to envision what that would look like and then be the change. Living this new economic story of valuing the flow and gifting has required ongoing reflection and open feedback in order to develop it to its fullest potential. What I am intending to bring awareness to within the evolution of our collective’s story of gifting and new economies is the idea of asking.

If an economy is the stories, or collective agreements, made between the members of a community that are designed to connect gifts with needs, then there needs to be some sort of medium of connection, some avenue for communication that highlights where the flow is needed throughout the community. This communication would ultimately need to be created and maintained for both directions of flow; our surplus must be communicated just as much as our needs.

The first step to initiating the flow of surplus in your life would be to make an inventory of anything you are willing to lend out or gift into your community. Then that list would need to be communicated in whatever way you feel is most effective – facebook group, web posting, box in the basement, list posted in your living room. You could even develop an awareness exercise by paying attention to any conversation you are in where someone might say “oh I really need …”

With that being said, it appears to me that the communication of needs – both tangible and intangible – may be a larger cultural habit to break than the expression of our surplus. From a very young age we are told to be independent, to hide our weaknesses, and to “suck it up”. Yet if we are to live in a world where all needs are met, which I know we can, then those needs have to be communicated to the other community members – otherwise how will we know the best way to direct the flow?

My emerging message is this: if you feel that you need something, please ASK! Ask your community for help; we are born to help each other! We get charged up, fulfilled, and really truly thrive when we help each other! Our bodies, our minds, and our hearts are all designed and evolutionarily wired for us to empathize with, and feel compassion for one another. From the bottom of my heart I would be honoured if you asked for my help. You are not alone. We are in this together. <3

My message to you is really a message to myself.

We are one community, one family, one tribe – it is time to start acting like one.

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

Peace,

Mat Rix <3