Community

GIFT ECON OM Y
The Gift Economy is a modern day label for the
ancient ideas of Nishkama Karma and Karma Yoga -
that marries living, working and playing into a unified
By Vinod Sreedhar
whole.

Life is best enjoyed when Practice of Gift Economy:

lived fully, when we participate Creating Value: The Gift
wholeheartedly in it, when the Economy recognizes a simple but
inevitable passage of time is filled profoundly important idea: creating
with daily doses of fun and joy; value by being of service to people
and life becomes enjoyable when and others around us may create
relationships are rooted in trust value in some form for us as well.
and love, and when the income- Here is where our existing economy
generating work that we choose to falters.
engage in makes play look contrived Our deep-rooted belief in a
in comparison. competitive world kicks into action
I know, I know… utopian, here and we make value-creation
most would say, with a shake of totally subservient to earning profits.
their heads. George Bernard Shaw Profit is not at all a bad thing, but
anticipated early on - exactly what I when it takes precedence over value-
feel today - when he said, “Everyone creation, we have to admit there
dies, but not everyone fully lives. is something missing. Despite this
Too many people are having a near- distorted focus, some value does get
life experience.” created but it seems almost incidental
I truly feel that it doesn’t have to the act of earning profits.
to be this way. While our concerns Having first decided that our
about financial security make this glance, a closer look at Nature should primary purpose in life is to pay the
vision seem unattainable, can we allow clear your doubts. The sun shines its obligatory bills, we create artificial needs
ourselves to imagine a world that is life-affirming light on us all the time. in peoples’ minds through aggressive
gentler and less insistent, where time is The winds swoop across oceans and and often misleading advertising. Our
not simply a platform for soulless activity continents without restraint, carrying sub-standard goods and lacking-in-heart
that helps pay the bills, where life-work- seeds and rainclouds. The rivers and services are then offered to the world at
play becomes a single unified process, the oceans move water tirelessly around exorbitant prices with the intention of
their limbs intertwined intimately and the planet, transforming atmospheric making as much profit as we can. And
inextricably with each other? moisture into rainclouds, into rain, back then we do something incredible - we
If you have wondered about these into the rivers and oceans in a cycle that believe others’ false advertising and end
questions, then you have been pondering we have barely begun to understand. up paying money to buy their goods,
over an idea called the Gift Economy. Is Plants and trees never stop converting even as they too are caught up in the
this even possible or is it some incurable carbon dioxide into life-giving oxygen. same game! I sometimes wonder if the
romantic’s dream? There are also hurricanes and animal world is on the forest floor right
Inspired by stories of some volcanoes and destruction in Nature. But now, having a big guffaw.
early pioneers, I set out on a similar out of these arise new forms and new Wouldn’t instead, a genuine offering
exploration some time ago. And it is life and these endless cycles of giving of our time, energy and talents, wrapped
the insights gleaned on this exciting and and transforming have kept Earth and in affection and concern for the well-
fulfilling journey that I would like to its denizens alive for millions of years. being of our fellow Earthlings, make for
share here with you. Essentially however, nature offers a far kinder and better world?
There isn’t much to it really: all that herself freely, without fear of being There are two other radical departures
is required, is to give in ever-increasing diminished. The very nature of Nature is that the Gift Economy makes from the
ways of what one has, what one knows to give. And each one of these elements existing economic system:
and what one is. And to give without in turn is enriched by the abundant giving
expectation of profit or return. of everything else around it. When One: Transactional vs.
The Gift Economy is just a modern we learn to give without expectation, Paying it forward
day label for the ancient idea (Nishkama like all of Nature does, we will have
Karma or Karma Yoga) that marries transitioned into the Gift Economy. A Our existing economic system is
living, working and playing into a unified closer look at how we can make this based on the premise that we derive value
whole. If you find the idea absurd at first transition is in order here. largely from transactional relationships.

April - June 2010 42

We do things for others only on the For years now, people have More importantly, offering my time
promise of receiving something that is of and experience as a gift to the world
demonstrated that the
equal or greater value, from the people has allowed me to adopt completely
to whom we offer our time, products and services people need can be new parameters to figure out just what
services to. offered for free. Websites like I would like to work on. Since my time
The Gift Economy on the other hand Couchsurfing and Freecycle and knowledge are offered for free,
is based on the idea that communities have been hugely successful money is no longer a part of the equation
are strengthened through our gifts of in connecting people who for me. Enjoying what I do or being able
time and talents, being paid forward. want to give with those who to learn from my work has become far
The gift economy is therefore not the more important to me.
want to receive.
barter system. Here, we do not expect to I no longer feel limited to doing one
receive a certain value from someone in or two activities that would normally
return for what we do for them. Our time Meditation Centres across the world define one’s ‘profession’. My interests
and talents are offered freely with the which have succeeded in convincing span many different activities including
knowledge that when the time comes, their patrons to pay-it-forward. Visitors music composing, workshop design and
our needs will be well met by others in at both places are offered the choice to facilitation, organizing learning visits
our communities who happen to have make a voluntary contribution that will across India, photography, writing and
what we need. help pay for people coming after them, print design. Every one of these activities
just as they are able to enjoy a service has now become an exciting medium
Two: Money as a medium that others before them have paid for. for me to share my gifts with the world,
Charity Focus, a US based non-profit, while being supported completely. My
The Gift Economy also discards is another excellent example of how to work is now about who I am rather than
the assumption that money is needed make the Gift Economy a fun and happy about what I do.
to access resources. We need to realize place to be. They are responsible for
that money is just a medium. Resources several exciting initiatives such as Smile A Way of Life
are freely available, but we are taught Cards, helpothers.org, dailygood.org and
that without money, we just cannot get karmatube.org that have been bringing in If I believe that people and the world
what we need. a much needed dose of positivity across are an extension of me, then trusting
However, for years now people have the world over the last few years. people and believing in their goodness
demonstrated that the services people Where does this kind of trust and becomes easier. In choosing this way
need can be offered for free. Websites like faith come from to live one’s life? of life, certain questions naturally arise.
Couchsurfing and Freecycle have been How can we be free of the diseases of Would my offers of gifts be rejected
hugely successful in connecting people fear, scarcity and mistrust? This is the outright? Would people misunderstand
who want to give, with those who want question I set out to answer for myself my motives? The answer for me lay in
to receive. According to Couchsurfing, in early 2008. starting small. Practicing ‘Random Acts
there have been 1,793,958 experiences of Kindness’ every day were really useful
(as of January 2010) of hosting people and ‘Living’ Gift Economy not only in helping me figure out the
of being hosted for free across the world! blocks in my mind, but also in expanding
Freecycle and Freegle allow Since early 2008, my life has been a the comfort zones I had built up.
people across the world to give away happy, ongoing experiment. Following Another pillar of the Gift Economy
things they no longer need to others the call of my heart, I completely is that giving precedes receiving. When
who could make use of them. This stopped charging people for the services everybody gives, a large enough pool of
also encourages a more efficient use that I provide. My time, skills and resources is made available from which
of available resources. Freecycle has experience are now offered freely to the people can meet their needs. In waiting
more than 6,951,000 members across world as a gift. And what stands out for for the other to give first, we would
the globe. These are stupendously high me is this: worry is a totally misplaced simply be perpetuating the values of the
numbers by any standards and are just emotion in the gift economy world. You existing economic system.
two examples. are completely taken care of. What I love most about the Gift
The huge success of these websites Each and every unconditional gift Economy is this: it can only work if you
depends largely on growing numbers of of my time has brought in a generous are happy! To give without expectation
people participating in this process of inflow of money, thoughtful gifts and of return, there must be a genuine
paying-it-forward. What is admirable is a whole lot of heartwarming goodwill contentment with one’s life and deep
that all of it is based entirely on trust. that just cannot be purchased for any gratitude for being able to experience
There is no monitoring to see if members amount. Events of the last two years the sheer magic of Life.
are contributing to the process or not. have only reinforced my belief that “For it is in giving that we receive.”
And yet the contributions keep pouring giving always begets receiving, even if – St. Francis of Assisi
in. Somehow, receiving useful services this receiving sometimes happens over
from others inspires the realization in a period of time and occasionally from Vinod Sreedhar makes music, facilitates
people that giving can be a whole lot of people other than who you may have workshops and indulges in photography. He
organizes learning visits to Ladakh, Srinagar
fun too. created value for. An anonymous gift of and organic farms around India. His website
There are other inspiring examples money, and not an insubstantial amount www.signposts.co.in is dedicated to helping
such as the Seva Café in Ahmedabad, at that, has also found its way into my people grow self aware and practice earth
India, and the numerous Vipassana hands through friends. friendly living.

Community 43 Eternal Bhoomi