In the book, “A Private Conversation with Money,” Joe and the character that claims to be “Money” argue until they agree on a core set of rules about monetary transactions. What if everyone in the world woke up tomorrow with this agreement?
The rules that Joe and Money settled on are as follows:
- All monetary transactions are voluntary and exclude the use or threat of force.
- All transactions are transparent and honest.
- Each individual determines the value of every transaction for themselves.
Imagine, just imagine, that everyone on the planet internalized these rules.
Exercise: Create an imaginary world where all its citizens internalize and operate under these rules.
- How would the government shift?
- What would happen to the economy?
- How would the time frame for planning, investing, and thinking change?
- What would happen to military conflicts?
- How would international trade be affected?
Imagine how this would impact every aspect of your own life, your family’s well-being, and the communities that matter to you.
What can we as individuals do to promote this ethical belief and behavior?
This is a trick question and you already know the answer. Start with yourself. The experience of engaging in honest voluntary transactions that respect the integrity of your client, your employer, your employees and your customers is actually invigorating!
