Is There A World Beyond Money?

With the Occupy movement in full swing, there has been a lot of criticism aimed at those who would stand up against what they feel is an unjust economic system. Although the Occupiers range drastically in age, race, and social class, comprising what they so affectionately call “the 99%,” they are often dismissed as simply being “hippies.” While many among them would deny the correlation, I definitely see more than a bit of the hippie groove in the movement, and I feel that this particular revolution offers me the incredible opportunity to become the hippie that I really want to be.

There were many factors that went into establishing the foundation of the first hippie movement’s revolution. While environmental stewardship, consciousness expansion, and non-violence were integral parts of the mix, there was also an understanding of community that inspired them to transcend the limitations that property ownership often brings.

Frequently dismissed as communism, the hippie ideology of sharing was more than a militaristic notion of forced allocation of wealth. It was a realization of the abundance of nature, a deconstruction of limiting belief systems, and learning to peaceably living with one another that allowed them the ability to exact some very worthwhile experiments beyond the mainstream monetary system.

Granted, as with any experimentation or attempts at alternative operations, there were quite a few failures as well. And for any of us who have ever tried anything new, we can attest to the fact that we often have to fall a few times before we gain the balance we need to fly. Nevertheless, I have fallen enough times in my own lifestyle experiments that I have a good understanding of how to catch the drifts that will carry me to my goals. And although I may still have some pockets of very heavy gravity to deal with from time to time, even in the times when I find myself unable to fly, I still manage to float pretty well.

Given my own particular journey and how I see it blending in with the journey of those whose voices most resonate with mine in our present cultural climate, I am prepared to try my next experiment. As I recently stated in a post at InkenSoul.com, I’ve decided to live without the use of money until 12/12.

This has actually been building for quite some time. I first started to see visions of it when I was living in Los Angeles several years ago, but it hasn’t been until recently, with the measures of freedom that I have taken and had thrust upon me, that I’ve been able to realize it as an actual possibility.  The first phase that started in July and launched me into homelessness was kind of a soft start, but it’s allowed me to realize the potential, and I’m ready to commit to seeing it through.

I don’t think my journey has ever been about making money for myself. Sure, I’ve been tempted with the concept of unabashed wealth pretty much every time I’ve seen it on television, but more often than not, my greater hope is simply for a world that realizes the greater abundance.

When I wrote the Rucksack Manifesto over ten years ago, I was addressing the discrepancies I saw in the Judeo/Christian/ Capitalist/Consumerist paradigm. I’ve come to a very healthy place with the Judeo/Christian aspect of my initial quandaries, having burnt through the dross to allow a more purified faith to rise from the ashes. But based upon the current economic climate and the chill it brings to the air, I feel that it’s time to start another fire.

I realize that any fire I start will only blaze my own trail. Whether others follow me or not is completely up to them, but I don’t necessarily think that everyone should just stop using money. I do not offer my lifestyle experiment as a universal solution, but simply as an example of what is possible when we start realizing the true value of life instead of giving so much attention to its representation.

I also fully realize that many will dismiss my actions as simply idealism run amok, and for that I cannot offer any argument. As Henry Ford said, “An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous.” In the hope that it will make others more aware of their own prosperity, I will continue to offer updates on my experiment here, at InkenSoul, and through my YouTube channel, and I welcome both constructive and destructive feedback.

Mostly, I’d like to know… How would your world be different if money didn’t exist?

Steve McAllister, newly appointed “Lifestyle Guru” of Modern Hippie Mag, describes himself as a Renaissance Man. An author, filmmaker, songwriter, and perpetual artistic experimenter, he has recently re-released his second book The Rucksack Letters into paperback to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the journey. His latest book, a comical foray into philosophical science fiction, is How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld. His latest artistic project is The Labyrinth of the Unbroken Path. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube.

Is There A World Beyond Money? is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

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