YENOM* - An Economic Parable

But then it happened that someone dug up bright glowing stones that were so beautiful that everybody wanted some. They called it yenom. So the villagers began baking bread, fixing things, sewing in exchange for yenom. And then they would trade yenom for what they wanted. Instead of continuing to live simply in the present like the plants, birds.and animals who relied on the natural flow of energy and give-and-take in nature, the villagers began to store and hoard a supply of yenom. Now life became more complicated and it was necessary to store the yenom and print paper that stood for it and account for yenom that was borrowed and lent. And now people began to do things for yenom they did not freely choose to do. Work separated from play. Doing boring, unpleasant and meaningless things earned more yenom than doing fun, imaginative, creative and playful things. So people began to choose between work and play. Those who choose to follow their hearts and create and play had fun but very little yenom. Those who worked earned great stores of yenom and had beautiful dwellings and possessions but lost touch with joy and purpose and had little time to appreciate what they earned. People built great buildings and institutions based on the exchange of yenom. Some starved because they did not have yenom while others had too much. Bad times came and no more yenom could be found anywhere. All digging stopped. Some say the rich hoarded it and since there was no more they would not share it. Because there was no more yenom there were no more jobs because what could reward work if there was no yenom? Everything stopped. People were hungry, bored, unfulfilled and miserable, all because there was no more yenom.

But then a surprising thing happened. A woman who liked to bake had enough flour to bake a dozen loaves of bread. She kept one loaf and gave 11 loaves to her neighbors. Each neighbor was delighted and gave her something in return. She got back tomatoes, blueberry preserves, gardening help, firewood, a hand-me-down sweater, babysitting, a massage and other useful gifts.

The idea spread wildly. Instead of being poor and bored, each person began to do what they loved for someone who needed it. Each who received offered something they loved to make or do in return. More and more energy was mobilized because people who were getting the attention and nurturing they needed had more energy to give! They began to realize they did not need yenom to live! Yenom was just a substitute for energy. And energy 'is something that we all have to exchange!

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