Yin and Yang Currency~

Bari here, writing my first blog post. Or rather, my first article. Yeah!  I do not have a current head shot of me so i thought i would include a recent family photo for my first blog article~

The first time I saw Bernard Lietaer's power point presentation on ‘The Role of Complementary Currencies',  I sat back in awe and utter excitement.

(Bernard is a Belgian Economist and Author, who created the the concept and implementation of the Euro- European currency system, among many other accomplishments)

 I was at the Nazrudin Retreat, which is a think tank of forward thinking Financial Planners, in Estes Park, CO.  It was March 2003 and I also was presenting my work for the first time. It was scary and exciting for me and I was so pleased that I was received so openly by this seasoned group.  (I even did a cartwheel in the opening introduction, for those of you that were there, and may remember)

Any way, back to Bernard and his work....

I was blown away by his vision and his research. Here it was, on a large projection screen, maps of Japan and China and pinpoints of all of the government created and grassroot-initiated complementary currency programs. One of the programs, I remember well, had been created by the Japanese government, called, ‘hearts'.  It was based on a point system and it was set up to compliment the health care system and elderly care.   For example, people were able to go grocery shopping for an elderly person and in exchange receive points to put towards their parents care (and the parents could receive grocery shopping or a massage, etc)

Here is a great description from Bernard:

"For example, there are about 300 or 400 private currency systems in
Japan to pay for any care for the elderly that isn't covered by the
national health insurance. They are called "fureai kippu" (caring
relationship tickets). Here's how they work: let's say that on my
street lives an elderly gentleman who is handicapped and cannot go
shopping for himself. I do the shopping for him. I help him with food
preparation. I help him with the ritual bath, which is very important
in Japan. For this help, I get credits. I put those credits in a
savings account, and when I'm sick, I can have other people provide
such services for me. Or I can electronically send my credits to my
mother, who lives on the other side of the country, and somebody
takes care of her."

"Here is an agreement within a community to use as medium of payment
something other than national currencies, to solve a social problem.
And it makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of people to stay
in their homes much longer than they otherwise could. Otherwise,
you'd have to put most of these people into a home for seniors, which
costs an arm and a leg to society, and they're unhappy there. So
nobody's winning. In contrast, Japan has created a currency for
elderly care."

Bernard then explains further how this complimentary currency program for elderly care  started to fulfill another need in the country, ‘how to pay for college tuition and/or how the youth could receive some assistance in paying for their college tuition'

"Many of these services that were using highly specialized complementary currencies are beginning to integrate into a single, local social-purpose currency. For example, youngsters who are taking care of the elderly in Japan using their credits in partial payment for tuition at the university, so we're solving two problems at the same time. It provides an additional way of making things happen that otherwise is not available when national currency is scarce. Remember, complementary currencies simply enable additional matches between unmet needs and unused resources."

I sat there, taking in Bernard's brilliant research, almost foaming at the mouth with excitement, thinking if Japan has created this much infrastructure for complimentary currencies (which they needed to following their economic crash in the 90's), then the U.S. can certainly follow, and needs to.

Creating complimentary currency programs are certainly happening in the U.S. and have been for some time, some examples are included in the further reading section and in a previous post by Caroline, although we have not seen them on a large national scale, yet, as in other countries....(And, we have a lot to learn over here at Conscious Bookkeeping, so please let us know more about current U.S. programs that are working that you know of or are involved with....)

During his presentation, Bernard went on to then introduce the concept of Yin and Yang Currencies, which endeared me even more to him. I was thrilled to be able to have words and a language around this that made sense to me.  He addressed how it is essential at this time to bring back and incorporate more of the Yin Currency in our current economic systems to balance out the exiting Yang Currencies. 

He say's Yang Currencies "promote competition among the participants and that they are created through patriarchal values and society." All of our current national monies are considered Yang Currency.

Yin Currency "promotes corporation among participants, tend to occur more ‘egalitarian' gift societies and is generated out of community needs and situations"

Bernard also shared historical research, showing one example after the next, of societies and cultures that had both Yin and Yang currency systems - a dual currency system, existing at the same time.  He said that these cultures with dual money systems thrived and supported the people, while societies that only have the Yang currency in place, eventually crumbled into their greed and competition.

One of the examples he offers of a current dual currency system is in Bali.

"Practically all Balinese participate in a dual currency system.  The first is the conventional national currency (the Indonesian Rupiah); the second is a time currency where the unit of account is a block of time of approximately three hours. This second currency is created and used within the "banjar." This is a community entity consisting of between 50 and 500 families. It is in each banjar that the decisions are made democratically to launch any big community project, they always make two complementary budgets: one in the national currency, and one in time. That second currency-called "narayan banjar" (meaning work for the common good of the community)is created by the people themselves. They don't have to compete in the outside world to obtain that second currency, and it fosters cooperation between the members of the community. I call it a national currency, which is a competitive currency and therefore of  yang, or masculine, nature.  project. It could be to put on a festival or build a school. For each yin currency-it's more feminine in nature. And it complements the national currency, which is a competitive currency and therefore of a yang, or masculine nature.

"Here's why it works: poor communities don't have a lot of national currency, but they tend to have a lot of time. In rich communities, the opposite tends to be the case-people have more national currency, but less time. In either case, each banjar is capable of creating extraordinary events just by budgeting and using more of the kind of currency-national or time-in which they are rich. This balance is a key contribution to the unusually strong community spirit that prevails in Bali."

Bernard has written a lot more about all of this research in his book, ‘Of Human Wealth - Beyond Greed and Scarcity'.  I am still trying to find my signed copy (did I loan it to you?) as it is not available for print in the U.S.  I hear old galley editions are going for $400.00 plus on Ebay these days!!!  As soon, as the title comes out in the U.S. the publisher will be contacting me. So, hopefully, very soon,  I will have access to copies for all of you :)

Lastly, I have always felt my role, and why I founded Conscious Bookkeeping 8 years ago, is to be a personal guide for all you, the individuals, couples, small business owners and the ‘smaller' communities, to navigate you through your own money stories and money initiations. I have been relying on Bernard and others, who think in a different way than my brain thinks, to make sense of the larger economic issues and to come up with the solutions to address us as a larger community.  And, in my free time, I research these larger economic thinkers to assist my understanding and to integrate the solutions into my teachings.

I have had the fun and privilege of having lunch with Bernard on a couple of occasions in Boulder, CO, when he was living here and teaching at Naropa University. He continually conveyed to me the theme below, which has been a source of comfort and an anchor to me, knowing that my role and work in the world is on the right track and a key ingredient to solving our larger economic issues.

Bernard Says,

"Currently, our biggest problem with money and currencies is unconsciousness. We are not aware of what we are doing around money.  We haven't really thought about what money does to us. We believe it's neutral, so it doesn't matter. But it's not neutral: it deeply shapes us and our societies. The first thing that has to happen before complementary currency systems can effect real change on a larger scale is a shift in consciousness and awareness."

If you are ready to address your money unconsciousness, please sign yourself up for my next 8 Evening TeleCourse, called, Conscious Bookkeeping's ‘Wake UP With Money'- Course, starting on Monday evening, July 20^th.  I always offer a Free Introductory TeleClass (next one on Wednesday July 8th)  before the longer course begins so you all can hear more about my philosophy, the journey I take participants on and also leave time for questions and answers.  To find out more about the introduction or to register for my longer course, go here

For Further Reading:

A portion of Bernard Lietaer's power point presentation!
Click Here

Bernard Lietaer interviewed in YES magazine
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=886

Crystal Arnolds article on Complimentary Currencies:
Click Here