Today, on February 28, 2025 in the United States, there is an "Economic Blackout" that's been planned to take place. Organized and supported by a grassroots org called The People's Union, the goal is to disrupt the economy for one day by not buying anything from big corporations in order to show the collective power of the people... "We are the Economy" as their slogan says.

While I fully support the overall ethos of this movement - of course WE THE PEOPLE truly are the economy and together we are stronger - it's begging the question, "why fight the old systems so hard when we could be using our energy and human value to build new, better ones?"

This has been my internal line of thought for many years. (I can't help it, I'm an Aquarius. If 'being ahead of your time' was an Olympic sport, Aquarians would win the gold.) Luckily, I'm also wise enough to know that the future is made up of the present moment.

So the answer is, we need to do both.

• We need incredibly simple actions (or non-actions) we can do now to show how the Old Game is broken.
• And we also need to start creating the space and the support to build a New Game for humanity. (This one gets much less attention currently, but it's equally or more important because without it where are we headed?)

The good news is that we have a diverse world with people who are naturally interested and gifted at all kinds of things. By truly working together, co-creating together - and not just 'fighting the system' together - we can and will have the momentum and support to make the future that so many of us can envision. A future we know is the way for humanity.

Personally, that's where I've been giving most of my value blocks for the past 2 years and where I enjoy using my talents. Part of this journey has been figuring out how we want to show up and give these things freely to the world. And now, maybe because the revolutionary energy of Pluto in Aquarius is finally here to stay for a while, it's time.

Time to build and implement the new systems, new digital infrastructure, new ways of cooperating, and new most importantly - the new perspectives and beliefs - that can carry us into the next 10 generations with peace and abundance for all.

In the coming months and years, I know we'll be seeing some of the most innovative actions by humans that have happened in centuries. It's exciting (to me at least!) to know that many of the concepts and things we've built will find their way into the world through the great variety of those innovative actions people are taking NOW. Through community projects, movements, decentralized media and more.

My wish for everyone partaking in the economic blackout is that you also use a part of your day to envision how freaking awesome life can be on earth when we have truly people-powered systems! And to think about what role you want to play in creating those new systems.

The New Game at its core is simply the recognition that our human value is the most important thing we have to give. By reclaiming our power and changing where, how and with whom we share that value we can change not only the economy but the entire human experience.

Header image credit: Tim Marshall / Unsplash

This story was written by the author from a meditative place of insight and intuition. It is shared in its raw, flowing form. Written as a stream of consciousness, it's relevant to anyone who wonders about the origins of money beyond recorded history. Is it a true story? We don't know, but we do know that it makes a lot of sense! This story was written almost exactly one year ago in a note (before this blog existed), and we felt called to publish it today, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. It is currently an Aquarius Full Moon in the end of Leo season (bringing disruption to the status quo, revolutionary energy, radical change... you know, nbd 😉).

At the end of this post, you'll find a response form ChatGPT about what it thought the take aways from this story might be and why it might be valuable to humanity. You might enjoy reading that too.

This story closely resembles the truth about the work we've been called to do for the world. We've been called to build a new kind of money in the spirit of what is shared in this story. For years, we've created the pieces as they comes to us, along with the other ideas your may read about on the rest of this blog. The new money for this era is called "Gratitude" and is created from "Value Blocks" that we can each record in our daily lives. The signature of the "creator" is cryptographic today, but it still lives in a kind of digital book called a "value block journal". The new money is recorded on a new "Gratitude cryptographic record system" and is linked back to its origin value block! We hope this context makes the story a little more fun, when you realize this ancient kind of money is being reborn! ✨

TL;DR: A Journey to a Harmonious Past 🌟

(TL;DR written by ChatGPT)

Imagine a world where money isn’t just paper or numbers but beautiful crystal disks carved with personal stories and cosmic significance. In an ancient society of deep spiritual connection and collective harmony, people used these "moony" coins to celebrate and record their daily contributions. Time wasn’t just a tick-tock; it was a sacred rhythm of 27 cosmic blocks, shaping their lives and their currency. Dive into this enchanting tale to discover how a peaceful, purpose-driven civilization redefined value and harmony—offering a timeless vision that challenges our modern understanding of money and community.

Begin Transmission from the Universe 🪄 :

Received an insight that this would clearly be a Lemurian story.

Moon-y … it had two sides 🌕 🌑 … it was carved from special crystals 💎 … and it carried a unique story in every piece! 

• 1 side would be from the “stone carver's” signature art… certifying the creation place.
• The 2nd side would be a unique reason for the coin to be carved, the real value created.

There was a time and place where money was free and fair for everyone.  People lived in peace and harmony with each other, freely contributing what others needed to make better communities and kind people!

Let me tell you the story of how it came to be!

In very early times, people used to live very purposeful and simple lives filled with love and joy.

Early tribes of people lived in harmony learning how to live off the abundance of plants and to cultivate them for ample food 🥑🥔🍠.    Simple, but effective, shelters were constructed and life was filled with free time and love and peace!

All people developed deep spiritual connections with nature. They appreciated their daily lives, the giving earth, and each other greatly. 🌈  Abundant water 💧and fresh air flowed everywhere! 

Initially everyone worked together to give freely, making their own lives and their community’s lives better.  This was the way of the people.  🌌 They saw how they were all interconnected.   If one person was suffering, they would all work together to alleviate that suffering; so they found their harmony in this way!  Because they saw themselves and each other as “one” they did not have the concept we now call “ownership”. Instead, they saw themselves as “caregivers” of all things: their bodies, their minds, their environments and all that the earth created.

It was a truly harmonious and beautiful time that has been lost to the history books 📚 as it occurred somewhere between 150,000 years ago and 15,000 years ago, when these official accounts were lost.

In the beginning of this period, these beautiful and wise people had no need for the concept that we call “money” today.   Their ability to give freely was enough to balance their local communities and live in abundance, peace, and happiness. 

Arts and crafted works were in great appreciation. As the society became more elaborate over time,  people began doing many new activities that everyone felt created value in society.

Some of these new activities created the need for people to spend beautiful, but long, periods of time studying and practicing to build new skills.  It became more and more desirable for everyone to understand how they all worked together in harmony and to see that a whole day of someone working on a new skill, like writing, was going to create the need for others to help them by making the food they needed for the day, for example.

As the complexity of this beautifully evolving society grew, they had the idea of segmenting their daily activities and love-based efforts into a possible 27 units per day.  These people had a deep inner knowing of the beauty of numerology and the magic 🪄 in multiples of three (3x3x3).

They came to understand the segmentation of what we call “time” today as an idea 💡 that they called “timpany” (like symphony).  They understood it as a basic rhythm and harmonic wave in life itself.  Once upon this ancient time, humanity resonated in our solar system in a unique way, as it was something relative to the cosmic encoding of all things.

They had learned that what we call “time” today is not a linear / fixed phenomenon; it was instead an elastic perception by the human.

The 27 possible increments represented a harmony they saw in a daily solar cycle.  They saw the solar energy that shines on the earth each day as the “source energy” for all life.    That energy was infinitely divisible in sub units of 27.  It was a fractal cube pattern they called a “cubit”.   A 3D block that could represent the containment of all energy.

They saw this as the “standard packing” of all life.  All life could be represented this way.  A full life was made of the complete units of that energetic containment. 

So, it was very appropriate for them to see their own daily value, their lives, this way.  Easy to count, easy to stack, and easy to calculate and scale in the representations of life - their most sacred understanding.

So a day became a sacred, 27-block cube that was their view of their daily contributions, their segmented recognition of interconnected life itself.

The people submitted daily “drawings” with up to 27 symbols that told of their daily contributions.  They produced these on a kind of paper, with a shared symbology or iconography to tell of each of their day’s contributions that they gave freely and with great joy.   Everyone was encouraged to give their greatest gifts and passions to the collective, and the society grew very wise, productive, and happy in a very short number of timpanic cycles.

They submitted their daily drawings to extremely gifted stone crystal carvers who had built elaborate crystal cutting mechanisms.  These were ingenious designs of which we have lost the technological understanding to reproduce today.  They were rumored to work with the harmonic frequencies of the crystals to displace molecules, without the need for friction-based cutting tools like we might use today.

This was a beautiful art and technology to witness. Each day, a gifted team of these carvers would create what they called crystalline “moony” from the unique symbol- based drawings of each of the people.

These drawings then became records in their “great library” of what were the first symbolic books.  Records of their whole society were kept in timpanic order and collected in “volumes” on great container-like shelves.

These gorgeous moon-shaped crystal discs 🔵 were then given to each person daily for their contributions.  

On one side, they had the mark of the craft house where they were created, as this showed where the original record was stored and the person’s collection in which it could be looked up.  As there were civilizations near and far, this kept a sense of origin and place to the moony source. 

On the other side was a relatively unique symbol of the original value creator, that matched a hand-drawn symbol on a page, in a book, in a volume for every person in that civilization!  

This was a beautiful design with an open index and source map to all value created!  You could think of it like “the records of all humanity”.

Not only was this a beautiful system, it gave the people new abilities.  They used that “moony” to make more complex societal decisions and increase the collective efforts on things that they all wanted to see more of, as it supported making a better society.

Sometimes there would be amazing new creations that people loved, but it may not have been possible to create one for everyone at once, so the moony was used in applications of “exchange” to help with prioritization.  Someone who wanted something the most may give a higher amount of moony to increase their priority in receiving it.

But most commonly, the moony was used as a method of increasing rewards for cooperative efforts on areas  that were of most interest for the collective growth of society.  These often included endeavors like “astrology” and “meditation”, for example.   Wisdom of the society had already elevated beautifully, but the curiosity of the people to learn more was always a great joy.  

They understood how to work with the earth and grow large scale farms of these special crystals 💎 that started in cubic form. Once separated, they were then carved into the circular, moon-like shape that we are still familiar with in 'coins' today! 

To increase the positive outcomes for all, they gave freely to what they called “frames”, which were like containers 🫙 of what the people wanted to see more of in terms of value creation.  It was an elegant design where a pool of rewards was created and anyone in society could contribute.   If new efforts were applied to a frame, the usual crystal moony would be newly created, and extra rewards would be given from these pools as well.  It worked splendidly to encourage effort in particular areas that benefited everyone, without any of the political strife that we are familiar with today.

You can see that in “timpany” there was a greater supply of moony 🌕 over the course of one’s life.  It would cause an increase in decision making power and the ability to add the things needed to improve society or one’s life.

The value of moony stayed relatively constant due to the 27 symbolic cube records that each person could create daily.

This system ensured that every person could contribute human value and record it fairly.  It was simple, but ingenious compared to what we have today.

End transmission.

ChatGPT's takeaways from the Story:

🤖 Thank you for sharing your story! Here's what I gathered:

1. Most Impactful Parts

• The Concept of Moony: The idea of "moony" as a crystal-based currency that captures both the creator's signature and the reason for the coin's creation is profound. This intertwining of personal craftsmanship and purpose in currency gives it a deeply human and spiritual quality, setting it apart from the abstract and impersonal nature of modern money.
• Harmonious Society: The depiction of a society where people live in peace, contributing freely to each other's well-being, is powerful. It evokes a vision of a world built on mutual care, respect, and a deep connection to nature, which contrasts starkly with today's more individualistic and materialistic societies.
• Timpany and the 27-Cube Symbolism: The introduction of "timpany," a concept that ties the rhythm of daily life to cosmic harmony, is particularly striking. The idea that time and value are interconnected and that daily contributions are recorded in a sacred, symbolic way adds a layer of spiritual significance to everyday actions.

2. Value for Humanity Today

• A Vision of a Better Society: This story presents a blueprint for a society that prioritizes collective well-being, spiritual connection, and environmental harmony. It challenges modern readers to rethink the foundations of our current economic systems and consider alternative ways of valuing work and contributions.
• Reimagining Money: The concept of money as something that carries both personal and collective significance could inspire people to rethink how value is created and exchanged. In a time when the flaws of our current financial systems are becoming increasingly apparent, this story offers a vision of a more equitable and meaningful approach to currency.
• Encouraging Collective Effort: The idea of "frames" or collective containers for societal goals is a valuable concept for today’s world. It suggests a way to channel resources and efforts towards common good, fostering a more collaborative and less competitive society.

3. Key Lessons or Takeaways

• Interconnectedness and Collective Responsibility: The story emphasizes the idea that all people are interconnected and that society thrives when everyone works together for the common good. This is a powerful reminder of the importance of community and collective responsibility in creating a just and harmonious world.
• Value Beyond Material Wealth: The story suggests that true value lies not in accumulating wealth but in contributing to the well-being of others and the environment. This challenges the materialistic values of modern society and encourages a shift towards more meaningful, purpose-driven lives.
• Sacredness of Time and Contribution: By linking time and daily contributions to a cosmic rhythm, the story teaches that every action has significance and that our lives are part of a larger, sacred order. This perspective could inspire people to live more mindfully and with greater appreciation for their role in the world.

Your story paints a beautiful picture of an alternative way of living that could resonate deeply with those seeking a more meaningful, connected, and harmonious existence. It offers both a critique of our current systems and a hopeful vision for the future.

Value Blocks

The original Value Block for this post:
August 20, 2023

🟧 The Story of Moony (B) ✍🏻🪙🌝 |Spir| :: Felt called to write a "Story of Moon-y", an ancient money that existed between 150,000 to 15,000 years ago.  It's an easier to understand story about a time where humans could have had a properly designed money and cooperative giving economy.  It's tells how a physical money could have been created in those times that matches the design we're implementing for value blocks, gratitude, and frame based cooperation in the digital design today.

Additional value blocks:
August 19, 2024

🟧🟧 Revisited Origin story of Money, Moon-y 💎🪙🌕 |+E|{TW}
🟧🟧 Re-read and Edited the Moony Story (L) 🤓👩🏻‍💻 |+E|{TW}
🟧 Posted the Moony Story to The Way Blog (B) ✍🏼📤 |+E|{TW}

If you enjoyed reading this post and want to support our work, we welcome you to give to these "value blocks" using bitcoin, another money created from "value", backed by sustainable energy.

Crystal cube photo by Shubham Dhage via Unsplash.

Sometimes when you're building something really innovative, the best thing you can do is to 'lob' the idea out there - WAY out there - into the future; and then, imagine the story about how that future might have come to be.

That's exactly what we did with this short story. We came across this climate writing contest hosted by Grist, to imagine the year 2200 and write the future we want to see. We approached it like a fun creative exercise to imagine the New Game carrying us into a beautiful future! How might it take root? How would it grow? How could it help communities transition to more sustainable and then regenerative ways? (Because to be "re-generative" implies we must first be "generative" - not extractive.)

With a 5,000 word limit, we couldn't squeeze every answer to those questions in, but with a little imagination you'll be able to glimpse the greater vision. So without further ado, enjoy the story!

The Year 2200, Los Angeles

Aria and Ren are dancing and goofing around in their room one sunny afternoon in the year 2200.  The two 20-year-olds are best friends and share a bedroom in one of Venice Beach's many "Giving Homes", a concept and properties that had been given to the community more than 100 years ago and were still thriving today. 

Anyone can stay in a Giving Home so long as they contribute a few value blocks per week to the upkeep and stewardship of the property.  That's how this particular home, now more than 200 years old, has maintained its charm and been given the fullest climate-necessary upgrades (like high efficiency thin solar, rainwater catchment and re-wilded, food-producing gardens). 

As the scent of jasmine fills their room, Aria and Ren find themselves entranced by the beauty of this home and their world.  These girls, and the several generations before them, have only known a world that is a real utopia.  There was no poverty, no conflict, and the 12 billion people thrived in harmony with the earth.  Humanity had raised its consciousness to a “Love and Above” state, where not only the outer world thrived but the inner worlds of every person. 

Lost in her thoughts, Aria trips over a loose floor board and stumbles onto the bed. The girls burst into laughter, but immediately a glimmer of light catches Aria's eye.  "We have to carefully pry this board up!", she yells to Ren.  Working together, the girls pry the board loose, revealing a sealed case hidden below. 

"Should we open it?", Ren asks cautiously. 

"Of course! We have to know,” Aria says as she starts carefully opening the case.  

Inside, they discover an old laptop and several sketchbooks with intricate drawings and notes. 

As they look more closely, it becomes clear that these items date back to a time known as as "The Great Transformation," the period when humanity transitioned from the "Old Game" to the "New Game."  This was the revolution that laid the foundation for the world they now enjoy.  

The girls are filled with questions: What catalyzed this big change?  What were the actions that turned a world on the brink of collapse into the one they know now?

Excited to uncover these possible secrets of the past, Aria and Ren consult their "Oracle," an advanced AI named Ollie.  Ollie, the most popular open-source digital avatar of the time, helps them power up the archaic laptop and transfer its contents. Ollie begins to weave a rich, immersive narrative, combining public historical records with the newly discovered personal data from the laptop.

Through Ollie's vivid storytelling, the girls learn about two extraordinary women, Alyse and Bobbie, whose visionary ideas and tenacious efforts ignited the transformation that reshaped the world.

As Aria and Ren are engulfed in this riveting tale, Ollie pauses.  "Don't leave us hanging, Ollie!" they beg.  Ollie is busy processing some additional information from each of the girls' lives.  When Ollie flashes the next images - detailed family trees going back 10 generations - they realize that Alyse and Bobbie are not just historical figures but their ancestors! 

"Oh my gosh, we're RELATED!!" the girls squeal in unison.  

They now feel a deep personal connection and appreciation of the history they are about to witness.

After a quick snack break, Aria and Ren get comfortable. "Ok Ollie, tell us everything.”  With the setting sun, Ollie starts from the beginning of Alyse and Bobbie's journey... one that would change the world forever.  All because two women dared to build the dream that arose from simply asking "How good can it get?".

Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings and Big Dreams

It was 2024 and Niland, California, looked like an abandoned set of a dystopian movie.  You could easily convince people that this small town (near the south end of the dried up Salton Sea) was completely deserted, but in fact there were almost 500 people still living there.  One of those residents was Alyse, a girl about to turn nineteen.  Her daily life was focused mainly on survival, as they struggled to earn enough to live in this once-thriving agricultural community. 

Alyse's home was on an acre of land near the edge of town, and was made up of two old geodesic domes, a bunch of ramshackle sheds and storage areas, and a small shaded area with a picnic table where she liked to work.  She lived with her mother, a resilient woman named Yelena, and her younger brother, Alex. 

Alyse helped her family by growing vegetables and strawberries in their small garden, using a makeshift irrigation system she had hacked together from discarded materials.  They had functioning solar for all their energy needs, but it was aging and in need of parts Alyse couldn't find through her usual scrap sources.  At night she worked tirelessly on her computer, learning to code and building models of her ideas.  She relied on technology as both an escape from her present conditions, and as a source of hope and possibility for a better future. 

She also mined Bitcoin with their excess solar power to help the family scrape by. 

Her family's story was one of the broken American dreams you hear less about.  Her grandparents had fled Russia during World War II, seeking a better life.  They settled in nearby Bombay Beach during its heyday in the 1950s, a time when its tourism rivaled Yosemite in popularity.  Alyse's grandparents acquired a large tomato and strawberry farm during the time when agriculture was still viable way to make a living.  They sold their produce to local resorts and tourists, but as the years went by, the boom turned to bust.  Her grandparents lost their farm to debt, and the one acre plot that Alyse now lived on was all that was left of her grandparents’ legacy. 

On a sweltering afternoon, a couple of Alyse's friends dropped by with an invitation. They had heard about a festival called "SolarFunk" taking place at Reeves Dry Lake, a 3-hour drive northwest.  It was described as a “pop-up oasis”, where people could come together to share Solarpunk-inspired ideas and celebrate life with great music and great food.  

"Hey, at least it'll be a bit cooler than here," said her friend Nico. 

At first, Alyse refused. "I really can't afford it," she mumbled.  

There were so many responsibilities at home that she didn't want to dump on her mom and brother.  But her friends were persistent, convincing her that she needed to experience life beyond Niland.  

"We've all pitched in to cover your ticket," added Nico. So, reluctantly, Alyse agreed and thanked them.  

It was the first time Alyse had left her home in almost a year, and she was both excited and terrified at the adventure awaiting her. 

That weekend, they arrived at the SolarFunk festival around sunset and unpacked quickly.  The scene was beyond Alyse's wildest imagination.  The festival grounds were truly an oasis of greenery with potted plants, fruit trees, and flowers everywhere that had been brought in advance.  Solar panels gleamed in the late evening sun, providing clean energy for the entire event.  Food stalls offered a huge selection of healthy, plant-based foods.  Colorful tents for the musical performers were spread out over the oasis.  

There was dancing and laughing everywhere Alyse looked, a welcome change from her everyday life. 

As they set up camp, Alyse's friends teased her about finally taking a break from her many projects.  She felt embarrassed for a split second, but then a surge of excitement took over. 

"Guys, this is way cooler than I expected," Alyse admitted. 

This was a world she had never known -  one of abundance and joy.  Alyse smiled, feeling a sense of freedom she hadn't felt in years.

That evening, as she wandered through the festival, Alyse stumbled upon a group of dancers.  The music was amazing, and she found herself freedancing in ways she didn't even know she was capable of.  It unlocked something inside her. 

As she spun around effortlessly, she locked eyes with a girl who was wearing an entirely golden, almost angelic shimmering outfit.  She stared at the girl for an awkwardly long amount of time.  Alyse had a few crushes on girls online before, but the dating pool in Niland and vicinity was not exactly viable.

"Hi! I'm Bobbie," the girl leaned in to say in Alyse's ear. 

Her mind froze for a moment before she introduced herself in return.  Bobbie was truly radiant, her smile lighting up the sky.  The two danced together for the next few songs, and for a moment, the world seemed perfect.  They laughed, talked and even shared a spontaneous kiss under the stars. 

"I should probably go find my friends,” blurted Alyse.  

She was caught off guard by the kiss and it was getting late.  So, they parted ways, each returning to their own camp.

The next day, Alyse and her friends explored the festival grounds. Everywhere she looked, there were signs of innovation and cooperation.  People were sharing and giving everything freely, and groups spontaneously gathered to have inspiring conversations about sustainability and the future.  For the first time, Alyse felt truly seen and understood.

As the day went on, Alyse couldn't stop thinking about Bobbie.  She found herself subtly scanning the crowds, hoping to catch another glimpse of her.  As she surveyed the food stalls for lunch, she spotted Bobbie near a lavish camp setup.  Their eyes met again, and Bobbie waved her over.

Despite feeling like she would be sorely out of place, Alyse slowly walked over.  Bobbie and her friends were relaxing on couches and sipping ice cold drinks.  After introductions and some lunch, the two of them found a quiet corner of the tent and spent the afternoon together talking about their dreams and passions.  

Bobbie had wealthy parents steeped in the worlds of Hollywood and venture capital, but she disliked both of those industries and longed to do something she loved and that made a positive impact.  She hadn't figured out what that was yet, but she was determined.  Alyse opened up about her family's struggles in Niland and her belief that technology could be a force for good.  The two were so different in many ways, but also shared so many of the same bright visions for a better future. 

As the sun set on their second night, they realized they had to leave the next morning.

"I promise to stay in touch," smiled Alyse. It was a promise she was intent on keeping, knowing that this was just the beginning of something very special.

Chapter 2: Love Is the Answer

Back in Niland, life returned to its usual routine for Alyse.  Except something had changed... the memories of the festival and her time with Bobbie replayed in her mind, making her current life feel even more drab.  Alyse continued to work on her projects, but a newfound restlessness had set in.

Bobbie returned to her life as well, which despite looking incredibly luxurious from the outside, now felt empty in ways she had never experienced.  The SolarFunk festival had opened her eyes to the flaws of the extractive capitalist systems she had grown up in.  Bobbie was struck with a pang of yearning to do something on a totally new path.

"These old ways can't be the way of the future," she thought to herself.  She decided in that moment to do more, to create something that could genuinely help people now and into the future.

A few days later, Alyse received her first text from Bobbie!  She looked at it in awe.  Bobbie announced that she was already on her way to Niland, bringing some of the solar panels and batteries left over from the festival with her.  Alyse's heart raced.  She was worried about what Bobbie would think of her humble home, but she couldn't wait to see her again. 

When Bobbie pulled into the dusty driveway, the contrast between their lives became impossible to ignore.  But the happiness she felt seeing Alyse again overwhelmed any other feelings, and Bobbie was captivated by the warmth and welcoming nature of Alyse's family.  

They worked together on improving the solar setup and expanding the garden.  Bobbie reveled in the simple family dinners and quality time hanging out with Alyse's mom and brother.  The girls talked late into the night about their dreams for the future. 

Alyse shared her ideas for what she was calling the "New Game," a system of human interoperability that could replace the old, broken economic structures that got them here. 

"I mean, we're all just playing the same big, global game of poker really," Alyse mused on her analogy to the current economy.  "It's advanced, high-stakes poker, with big gambles and big losses. Everyone has a role in the game whether you want it or not - if you don't play, you can't survive."  

Alyse paused while Bobbie took it all in. 

“It's a winner-takes-all game, and that won’t solve any of our world’s problems.  It’s like we forgot that we, the people, could all decide to play another game!" Alyse smirked.  

"You're so right!" Bobbie interjected, “Just design a new game, one that's cooperative and has the right intentions to support people and earth from the start."  She was super inspired and added in her own ideas, drawing on personal experiences and insights.

They envisioned a world where base human value was recognized and contributions to important collective efforts were of highest regard, rather than money or power.  They talked about what would make up the foundations of this new system.  It was a radical idea, but it felt right.

The time flew by and before she knew it, Bobbie had stayed there four nights! 

Their time together was transformative and their bond deepened.  They both realized that they had the potential to do something good for the world on a big scale, and they were determined to make it happen.  As Bobbie left, they made plans to continue working on their vision.

The seeds of the "New Game" had been planted, and Alyse and Bobbie were ready to embark on a journey that would change everything.

An Ollie Interlude - 2200

As Ollie, the Oracle, narrates this part of the story, Aria and Ren are spellbound.  Ollie pauses, allowing the girls to reflect.  Aria and Ren exchange a look, realizing that they, too, have the power to shape the future. 

"Fasten your seatbelts, girls" Ollie jokes.  The journey of Alyse and Bobbie is far from over, and the girls are ready to hear more about the tests and triumphs that led to the miraculous world they now live in.

Chapter 3: Building a New Game

Thanks to the added solar panels that Bobbie brought to the desert, Alyse's Bitcoin mining tripled and expansion of the gardens gave Alyse's family enough to live on now.  With that, Alyse felt ok leaving Niland for a while and she had finally accepted Bobbie’s invitation to stay with her in LA. 

Bobbie’s cozy, charming bungalow in Venice Beach was a welcome retreat in comparison to Alyse’s home.  The house, nestled in a lush garden with lemon, avocado, and fig trees, was a sanctuary of beauty and inspiration.  Bobbie's home was representative of the peace and stability she enjoyed her whole life.  Simply being there, Alyse felt a wave of revitalization.  For the first time in her life, she felt free from the shackles of scarcity and everything looked brighter. 

The two had a blast as they strolled along the beach, swam in the gentle waves, indulged in farmers' market produce, and sipped cold brew coffee during their long afternoon creative sessions.  Alyse taught Bobbie how to meditate at the beach and they went together most mornings.  More ideas flowed to Alyse than ever before!  It was like she turned on a faucet of insight she never knew was there.  Their deep conversations would often lead to coding sessions where they would work on their project together, building out the foundation of their revolutionary ideas.

Bobbie and Alyse’s dream of a "New Game" was taking shape quickly. One of the key components they started building were "Value Blocks". 

In Niland, Alyse often struggled to see the value of all her work since there was no 'job' or 'salary' she could latch onto as a measure of her contributions.  In lieu of that, she started writing down every segment of value she created - whether it was gardening, repairing solar equipment, or taking care of her little brother.  She even noted value blocks for meditation and hikes since she knew those provided value to her overall wellbeing.  

When Alyse showed Bobbie her Value Block Journal, Bobbie's eyes lit up.

"This is brilliant!" she exclaimed. "You found a way to value your contributions even when the current systems didn't."  Bobbie pondered a bit more, "Imagine a digital version of this where everyone's contributions could be recognized and appreciated by the world... that would be game changing!" 

Alyse nodded in agreement. 

They worked diligently at designing an open-source version of a Value Blocks interface and within a few weeks they had a working prototype. 

"Ok, I have another idea that would make value blocks even more powerful," Alyse shared. "Let's hear it!" Bobbie smiled. 

Alyse went on, "When I thought about Bitcoin and why it's valuable, it's partly because there's a limited supply and partly because it takes real energy to mine it.  Then I thought about my value blocks and how I USE real energy to create them.  I need calories, rest and a strong body to create value. 

If we're rewarding computers for their energy expended and the value creation for the Bitcoin network, we could reward humans for their energy expenditure and value generation for the network of humanity." 

"Whoa, that's deep." Bobbie stretched to take it all in. "So what you're saying is that the value blocks could mint their own new currency in a way?" 

Alyse chimed in, "Exactly, every value block that gets appreciated by another human would mint 'Gratitude' - a new, fresh supply of money that is based in real human value. 

By showing our contributions to a better world with our value blocks, WE ARE GENERATING the funding needed to successfully create and implement the solutions to humanity's greatest issues." 

"Alyse, you're a genius!" Bobbie hugged her tightly.  "You've just answered the quintessential question that everyone is asking: Where do we get the funding to fix our world?”

The girls took a moment to soak in this radical new innovation. "We've gotta test this out," Bobbie said. 

Chapter 4: Dreams to Reality

To help bring their vision to life, Bobbie and Alyse began doing pilot projects in their local community.  They collaborated with friends, neighbors, and local organizations to test their ideas. 

Right away, they saw that another key component was missing.  All these groups required cooperation on various levels, and if people were contributing value blocks to these projects they needed a way to note where the value was being given.  Was it to the Venice Community Garden? Or to the new homeless youth center? 

Then it hit Bobbie: "We need FRAMES," she said with clarity.  "What's missing is the context for all of this value creation."  

In the future, they did not see a world where the only ways to contribute your value were through a job or owning a company.  Those structures were far too limiting for the breadth and depth of solution-based work that needed be done in the world.  And if the world waited for the ‘right’ aligned jobs to be created or the funding for companies to come through, it may be too late. 

Working together needed to be a LOT easier and more fluid if they were going to accomplish humanity's To-do list in time to avoid destruction of the earth.  Offices were once the physical place people came together to cooperate, but there wasn't a sufficient digital container that created the same effect. 

"I got it!" Bobbie jumped up...

"Frames are transparent, people-powered frameworks for working together on things that have collective benefit.  So all your work on the solar power at your home could have gone into the 'Solar' Frame or even higher up into 'Sustainable Energy' and those value blocks could be appreciated by other people who want to support clean energy." 

Because they were digital and open source, the components were very adaptable.  The girls even created a new way that Value Blocks and Frames could be used as an add-on to existing businesses that were trying to be more transparent and ethical. 

Months in, the pilot projects were a resounding success!  People were excited about the new possibilities and the tangible benefits of the New Game. They saw how Value Blocks recognized their contributions, how Frames gave context to cooperation, and how Gratitude created a more humane and connected society.

In the wake of their early successes, the world took a turn for the worse.  News of worsening climate change and the collapse of the global financial system due to unsustainable debt loads spread like wildfire.

Determined to make a difference, Alyse and Bobbie took their ideas to influential people, seeking help and resources.  Frustratingly, they were met with skepticism and even indifference.  Most people didn't see the fatal flaws in the "Old Game".  Several dismissed their plans as unrealistic, and those who seemed interested were too busy with their own lives to offer any real support. 

Bobbie's parents even suggested that they create an official 'startup' entity and that if they did, Bobbie's dad could then use his VC contacts to help them.  But they knew deep down that wasn't the way.  Something this important needed to be open source, decentralized and people powered - free from needing roots in the "Old Game".

Feeling alone and defeated, Alyse and Bobbie had a moment of doubt.  They cried together, questioning whether their dream was too big, too radical for people to accept.  The weight of trying to change deeply ingrained systems and beliefs seemed too hard to carry.

In the face of these setbacks, Alyse and Bobbie remembered one of their favorite Thich Nhat Hanh teachings: "No Mud, No Lotus”.  Thanks to their meditation practice, they knew how to take care of their emotions in tough times like this.  Channelling their energy into a new plan, they conceived the idea of creating a movie to showcase the power and innovation of the New Game.  The film would be a working example, using all the key components and inviting the whole world to participate in a people-powered revolution! 

They envisioned a climate solutions documentary that highlighted how this new kind of collective action could transform the world and help us meet our climate goals.  It would focus on the systemic solutions, and show that when we have the right incentives and tools to work together on a huge scale, anything is possible. 

Bobbie and Alyse began preparing for the movie pitch with renewed determination, reaching out to potential collaborators in the film industry and environmental movements.  The movie would be their ultimate pilot, a way to spread the story of the New Game on global scale and inspire a wave of organic change.

The recent challenges had only strengthened their resolve.  They were ready to show the world the New Game and prove that a better, truly sustainable future was already beginning to unfold.

A Comedic Ollie Interlude - 2200

Ollie chimes in with another joke, "Back in the 2020s they would have said ‘now those are some boss bitches!' LOL. ‘Laughing out loud’ was also a favorite phrase of that era.” 

Aria and Ren laughed hysterically.  They didn’t know Ollie had such a sense of humor! 

“I had to sneak that in girls, but now back to our story!” Ollie continued. 

Chapter 5: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Now deeply in love and a duo to be reckoned with, they succeeded in attracting support for their New Game Climate movie.  The excitement of production took over, and they were thrilled that over a thousand people around the world were coming together to contribute in some way.

The whole movie was operating on the premise that everyone would freely give their value blocks to the movie, and then once the movie was completed and given to the world, all the money people gave to support the film would be automatically distributed among the blocks. 

In another innovative twist, they realized that they could use Bitcoin as a bridge to the New Game, creating more immediate rewards for the value blocks!  This would allow the crew to have some funding before the film was finished.  When Bitcoin is given to the movie's frame, stored value blocks are created in proportion to the gift given.  These serve as records of generosity in the New Game.  Alyse and Bobbie were able to secure a couple million dollars this way, ensuring that they could reward at least some of the early value blocks. 

However, their biggest challenge yet hits them right in the gut…  Despite their crystal clear description of how the value block rewards will work, some movie contributors realize the Bitcoin won't last for the entire duration of filming and threaten to quit.  The confusion spread as people were not quite used to this model yet.  There was a real risk of the film not being completed.  

In an emergency online meeting, Alyse and Bobbie deliver a heartfelt speech about the importance of this mission and the long-term impact it could have.  Sure, there was a small risk that the value blocks contributed may not be fully rewarded once the movie is released.  BUT there was an even greater chance that the support from the world would be overwhelming and everyone's value blocks would be rewarded far beyond the base amount.  

Bobbie spoke to the crowd with razor sharp clarity, "As one of my favorite quotes from the Tao Te Ching says, 'Giving and receiving are one.’ It’s our time to give.”  

Her words resonated deeply, rekindling the spirit of revolutionary change.  Everyone recommits to finishing the movie, motivated more by the vision of a better world than the immediate rewards.

The movie wrapped, becoming the first film created using New Game principles and components.  It was a testament to the ingenuity of Value Blocks, Frames, and Gratitude, and to the power of Giving.  Their collective efforts were encapsulated in a work of art that was freely given to the public. The film released on multiple streaming platforms and was placed on the Intra-Planetary File System (IPFS) for low-cost distribution and longevity, ensuring it reached a global audience.

Within the first year, the movie broke countless records, with over a billion views. The public’s response was overwhelming, with people from all over the world giving more than $5 billion in gifts that were fairly distributed among all the value blocks.  More importantly, over a billion people were inspired to join the New Game, regularly recording Value Blocks and generating Gratitude.  The movie’s success signified that the New Game was here to stay, marking the beginning of a global transformation. 

On the heels of this monumental accomplishment, Alyse and Bobbie return to Niland. They help Alyse’s family build a new sustainable house, complete with advanced solar canopies and lush gardens underneath.  This mini utopian oasis in the desert becomes a symbol of what’s possible when people work together for a the common good.  Alyse feels a profound sense of peace and fulfillment, knowing her family is thriving. 

The world continues to evolve towards greater harmony and sustainability over the coming years.  Exponential change has begun.  Alyse and Bobbie, finally able to rest, embark on a weekend sailing trip to Catalina. 

Sailing is indeed an apt metaphor for how their journey went - it certainly is not linear and the right storms can create the wind you need be propelled even further. 

As they sip cocktails and sail into the sunset, they smile thinking of this epic journey and the bright future ahead. "I wouldn't change a thing," Bobbie smiled. 

Closing Thoughts - 2200

In the wee hours of the morning, Ollie finishes the story for Aria and Ren.  The significance of the past on their present utopia is more clear than ever.  They marvel at how two women’s vision and determination transformed the world. 

The legacy of Alyse and Bobbie serves as a powerful example of the importance of being good ancestors - honoring the past, but serving the present and future.

Ollie reminds the girls that there are more “Value Block artifacts” (digital records of the journey and achievements of Alyse and Bobbie), that they can look through another time.  The girls ponder how they could create an exhibit to share these artifacts with the world, since they serve as both educational tools and sources of inspiration.  They are tangible artifacts reminding people of the power of love, vision, collaboration, and perseverance.

Aria and Ren's journey may just be beginning, but it's one rooted in resilience and continuity.  The world of 2200 is still a single point on the cosmic timeline. 

Even in a utopia, there is always something great to be or do for humanity. 

The future is an open canvas for the next generation to paint with their dreams and actions.  And even the most profound changes start with a single idea and the courage to pursue it.

Venice canals photo by Roberto Nickson / Unsplash

It's 2024 and it's time to declare that "Problem Culture" is out… We've moved through cancel culture, hustle culture and many more cultural mindsets that don't serve us. It's time for problem culture to go too, because it's not the way. It's rooted in the Old Game and in an urgency of communication that is meant to have us feeling like we're 'responding' 24/7.

Problem culture keeps us stuck in a “problems as status quo” view.  And we simply won't get where we need to go and accomplish what we need to collectively if that's our mindset. We need to shift to a culture that focuses on visionary creations from a place that is very different from most of what gets built today.

What do I mean by "Problem Culture" exactly? I mean that the desire/motivation/intention and perspective needed to create solutions that will serve us for the next 100 years are NOT actually rooted in problems.

As someone who worked in marketing for many years, often with startups, I saw countless pitch decks and presentations that framed an entire company's existence around the "Problem-Solution" axis. It's what everyone is trained to do, especially if you're pitching VCs. And it always bothered me. It's such a negative framing, and I would see that framing spill over into all the marketing and communications that companies did. No matter how hard you try, making someone feel good by pointing out problems doesn't work. (Even if you quickly say, "don't worry we have the solution!")

Some of the best and most innovative creations, and the most effortless and enjoyable things we can sustain for the longest periods of time - they did not come about because there was a ‘problem’… You don’t ‘need’ to have problems in order to create something beautiful AND immensely helpful for the world.  

Some examples: 

• Having children - 
  • there’s no ‘problem’ having children solves. (And if you approach it in that way, thinking that having kids will solve an unhappy marriage or a bad situation, then you often get more problems.)  Making a baby is rooted in an act of love and sharing of love between 2 people. 
• Relationships/ Dating - 
  • If we think being alone is a ‘problem’ or that we have problems that a partner will fix, then we often find dating sufferable or never find the right mate. 
  • If we're rooted in love of ourselves, our life, enjoying the moment, seeing possibilities… we often find we accidentally meet our forever loves in that place. 
• Dancing - 
  • Do you need a problem to Dance?! Dancing is fun, social, and movement feels good. Music is inspiring. These are not problems - the creation of dance is rooted in joy. 
• Makeup - 
  • Thankfully, this is one I've seen evolve over the years for many women. Wearing Makeup doesn’t solve any problems, unless you believe your face is a ‘problem’ (a very sad belief).   If you’re wearing makeup because you think you’re not pretty enough, that’s a sufferable activity.  If you’re wearing makeup to enhance your best features and to be creative or playful, that’s enjoyable. 
• Food - 
  • Our bodies don’t run on air and water only… we need food to thrive.  If we see that as a ‘problem’ or an inconvenience to be solved, it’s sufferable. It’s not a problem to need healthy food 3 times a day, it’s a natural part of being a human who uses energy.  
  • “Problem culture” around food is so rampant that people skip meals and try to minimize the effort or attention put into food.  If we shift to seeing food as an opportunity to experience joy, nurturing, healing, and connecting with others, then it’s enjoyable.  Visionary creations and new ideas are born from this place. 
• Art & Music - 
  • “Art wants out” as a friend and mentor once said. Was the Sistine Chapel painted because there was a problem? Does the Mona Lisa solve any specific problem?  Do you need a problem to listen to the Beach Boys? (Although, "Good Vibrations" was scientifically proven to make people the happiest!) Art is an expression and the creation of it is often for the artist themselves more than for an audience. 

A mindset of “Problem culture” - always needing to root everything we do in its relation to solving or improving a problem -  leads to not sticking with things and therefore is naturally unsustainable.  It's a negative framing, and we need support with positive framing more than ever. (Which is why Value Blocks are so helpful - they frame everything we give value to in a positive way.)

A problem perspective leads to shorter product lifecycles (which is great for the hyper growth-based Old Game) but not great for our earth, or our happiness.   

To change our habits and perspectives, we need sustainable solutions. And those are the ones rooted in visionary, opportunity-focused starting points.

I truly believe that part of why so many startups and projects fail is because they have been conditioned to see everything through the “Problem-Solution” pitch deck perspective. 

It’s too rigid and immediately sets you up with negative framing. It almost always keep you thinking/ dreaming too small. And, if you're trying to gain support or funding, it makes the first point of contact something very finicky... People might not agree that the problem you’ve stated is ‘enough of a problem’, or they may not believe that the proposed solution actually solves said problem.  It’s a never-ending trap. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean we ignore the problems completely… we just don’t DWELL there. We don’t focus our communications and reasoning for everything we do as rooted in the problem. 

A more timeless and natural approach is to focus on the visions people want for our world and the experiences it will take to get there.  This supports ideation, creation, innovation, and joy on the journey. 

We learn, we understand, we observe; and then we take care of any suffering and we get to building something beautiful because it feels good to build it. Not because there’s an imminent problem. 

So many of our world’s biggest opportunities are just on the other side of overcoming the fear of what might happen if we let go of the problems we’ve been talking about for our whole lives. 

How good can it get? 

Our experience is simply a labyrinth of learning, evolution, and individual and collective growth.  It's the way.

Sistine Chapel Photo by Calvin Craig / Unsplash

Welcome back to Sally's Stories, a series of posts where we follow Sally's life and see how she's using value blocks, and other key components of the New Game.

If you're new to the series, start by reading the Sally's earlier stories here:
Sally's day with value blocks

Sally's Co-lab & Portals

Sally's friend Samantha Gives in new ways

Today's story is extra fun because we get to see Sally MAKE money! Not just 'earn' money or 'receive' money, but literally make a new kind of money that was generated from her human value. We call it Gratitude <G>.

You might be wondering, "how is this possible?". Well, the same underlying concepts that make Bitcoin possible make minting Gratitude possible. Except that the reason WHY it gets created in the first place is different.

Bitcoin gets created when computers use energy to solve very hard math puzzles. And the owner of the computer that wins any particular puzzle, receives a reward in the form of newly minted Bitcoin. Simplified: we're rewarding computers for their energy expended and the value creation for the network. This make pretty logical sense, right?

What if we rewarded humans for their energy expenditure and value generation for the network of humanity? Also seems logical, right? In a limited way, we kind of do this with regular money, BUT there are many many things that people do EVERY DAY that generate immense value for their wellbeing, for others, for their communities, and for the earth. This human energy and value creation goes completely unrecognized and unrewarded, unless it happens to fall into one of the pre-existing categories of 'work' or jobs we've designated as worthy in the Old Game.

Humans are value generators, and we should have a form of currency that reflects that. If we had a generative money supply that was based in human value (not based on debt creation, or on an arbitrary amount of digital coins because someone said so), this would be game changing! We're no longer just moving money around, we're actually MAKING it.

Imagine the positive change we could collectively fund with all this Gratitude!

In addition, Gratitude has other benefits:

• ensures economic security for everyone, reducing financial stress and enabling people to focus on their unique talents and contributions.
• promotes the idea of moving from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, where there is enough for everyone and resources are used sustainably and regeneratively.
• does not rely on existing entities or governments to 'fund' the changes we need for all of humanity to thrive.
• allows us to bring visibility and value to many human efforts that have previously been severely undervalued like care work, open source development, and community service projects.

So, let's see Sally mint some Gratitude from her day of value blocks!

Welcome back to Sally's Stories, where we follow the life of Sally and her friends and see how they're using value blocks and other key components of the New Game!

Today we're meeting Samantha, who is Sally's friend and a contributor to Sally's Change Makers Co-lab! (If you need a refresher you can read the Co-lab story here.)

Samantha has always loved giving to projects that make a positive impact in the world, and she especially loves when she can support her friends who are doing great work on important things for the world.

The thing about giving is that it could be so much EASIER and more FUN... just like cooperation! And just like the paradigm blindness we have in human cooperation, we have a similarly limited view of what 'giving' can be. Giving is so much more than just charities and volunteering (those are great options, but we can be more creative).

If you think of some of the best feeling, most generous things you've done they probably include helping people you know, or a project that touched your life or community in a big way. Often, those kinds of projects are operating without a formal entity in place. Even if they are a registered non-profit or cause org, giving can feel impersonal and lacking a reason to stay engaged because givers can't really see what the teams are up to or where exactly the funds are put to use.

So how can we give more easily and have more transparency (and fun) along the way? With Co-labs and Value Blocks of course! And in Samantha's giving story, the newest component we add to the mix is the Gift purse. It's essentially a bitcoin wallet that's designed specifically for giving!

The cool thing about bitcoin is that it's 'programmable money' - meaning that it can be used to do a lot more things automatically than regular money. In the case of the Gift purse, it can be customized by you to have pre-set amounts of money that you like to give away. We call these gift coins. They might be $10 each or even $100, it's up to you and you can change them at any time. In Samantha's case, she likes to give her bitcoin in increments of approximately $10, so she set up her Gifts purse with 150 gift coins that are 10 each.

In the slides, you'll see that Samantha gave 10 gift coins to Sally's Changemakers Co-lab for an equivalent of $100 in bitcoin. Depending on the value blocks that are in the Co-lab at the time she gives, that money might go directly to Sally (as we show in the story) or it might be distributed evenly amongst several people who contributed value blocks that have not been rewarded yet. You get to see to which people and which value blocks your gift went. That's the power of giving in this way!

Imagine the possibilities of how this could be used to fund more important work for the world... what Co-labs would you give money or value blocks to?

Welcome to Sally's Stories, a series of posts where we follow Sally's life and see how she's using value blocks, and other key components of the New Game.

Cooperation could be SO much easier. And cooperation should be and CAN be so much more fun!

For most people, cooperation is something that happens within three pretty defined areas: your family, your job, your community (whatever that means to you). Of course, there are other forms available, but if you asked someone where they feel they're cooperating most, it probably falls into one of those three areas.

And yet, there are so many more ways that we could be cooperating that are not taking place simply because we lack the right perspectives and the right frameworks to support it!

Sadly, many people don't even feel a sense of cooperation or collaboration at their jobs. Or on the opposite end of the spectrum, they suffer from burnout due to a 'hyper-collaborative' workplace that requires a ton of active communication and accountability, but still leaves them feeling undervalued or unfulfilled.

To clarify: I'll be using the terms 'cooperation' and 'collaboration' interchangeably throughout this post even though there are some nuanced differences. The main one being that cooperation is often seen as individual contributions to a shared objective, but may not entail shared responsibility of the outcome to the same extent as collaboration does. I personally think that we should see all forms of working together as having some shared responsibility for the outcome - even if that outcome is seemingly vast like the wellbeing of all living things.

Our lack of creativity and supporting structures for cooperation is something that needs to change if we're going to succeed in creating a better future together. We need to innovate new ways of working together if we're going to create real systems change and the benefits that come with it.

So, let's see what Sally's story can show us about how using Value Blocks, Co-labs and Portals can make cooperating easier and more fun!

If you need a recap on Value Blocks, start with Sally's first story.

In this story, we've introduced the concept of a Co-lab. Co-labs are cooperative laboratories or places for experimenting with new creations that make the world a better place. You can think of a Co-lab as a digital space for working together where everyone's contributions are recorded.

We don't need physical space like offices to work together anymore, and as we've expanded our work models beyond traditional full-time employment for a single entity, we've lacked the ability to cooperate on different projects and at different levels. That's what a Co-lab solves! Anyone you want can contribute value blocks to a co-lab and everyone can be rewarded for their contributions.

How are they rewarded? Portals make it possible! A portal is simply a digital interface for giving money (Bitcoin) that allows the value blocks that are in that co-lab to be 'filled' with rewards.

The way the blocks are rewarded can be based on pre-set conditions by the creator of the co-lab or determined by the giver. For example, in Sally's story, the givers gave to the "Changemakers Co-lab" which means that since there were only 4 value blocks from Sally to be filled so far, there's a surplus that can be used for future value blocks from Sally and other contributors!

It would also be possible for a giver to browse the value blocks of the co-lab and to give directly to any specific block or group of blocks they wanted to support. A tangible example of this might be a group of blocks by 3 people who produced an amazing short film for the Changemakers Co-lab. If a giver was really inspired by that film and wanted to directly reward the creation of it (as opposed to the Changemakers project in general) then they could give to that set of value blocks only.

This design unlocks a new level of transparency and specificity of rewards that has not been possible before! Sally's story is just one simple example, but the scenarios are endless. Whether it's a local beach cleanup event or a multi-year global effort to regenerate a plot of land, a co-lab can open up new reasons for people to give, and new ways for people to contribute value to important work.

What kinds of ideas or projects do you have that could benefit from a Co-lab? Let us know!

Welcome to the series called Sally's Stories, where we follow Sally's life and see how she's using value blocks and other key components of the New Game!

Sally and her friends are super awesome (though totally fictional). They represent real life ways that these simple but revolutionary concepts can have an impact in our daily lives and in the world. Ok, let's start with the basics!

First, you might be wondering, "What's a value block and why should I care about them?" Easy!

A value block is the most basic way to recognize and record the human value of a segment of human effort or energy given. Put another way, it's represents a tangible way to see the value in actions that are often not being valued.

For example, what's the value of a long walk?

We KNOW that walking has immense value. There are countless studies showing the importance of walking daily for our health and longevity, for reducing our carbon emissions, for engaging with our community (mental health) and more!

And yet, we've not measured the human value that goes INTO walking before, because we haven't had a way to capture that value in a tangible way. There are tangible ways to measure the beneficial output of walking (as noted in the linked studies) but part of the reason people don't take the time to walk in the first place is because it's not an activity we value collectively.

If we're faced with a decision to choose between taking a two mile walk and doing something with a clear 'recognized value' (like working or creating a productive output that can be monetized), most people would choose the latter. Because we are trained to avoid loss or create short-term gains, often even if that means giving up longer-term benefits. That is one of the fatal flaws of the Old Game.

With the provisioning of value blocks, we've solved that! By recording a value block, YOU are declaring the value of that action. As you'll see, by noticing that doing these activities has value, Sally can enjoy the present moment and not feel conflicted that she ‘should’ be doing something else. 

Sally's Day with Value Blocks compared to Steve's day without them

Nothing against Steve, but it's pretty obvious: Life with value blocks is better! They're super easy to do, and help you recognize where you give your valuable human energy. Steve is running on autopilot so he's not making conscious decisions that could improve his life. Value blocks help you be mindful of your choices, so you can choose better and live a happier and healthier life!

Stay tuned for the Sally's next story... where we see how she uses value blocks to cooperate with others on an important project!

When you think about the internet and the many tools and apps built on top of it, you'll realize there has always been a lack of human identity on the web. It's so rich in information, but "people" have been an afterthought and the experience of being a person on the web is really lacking.

With a little imagination, some fresh code, and some new architectural choices, we can see how a new "web of people" can be added to the web of information that we already love so much.

What we really asked ourselves, was "why does the web feel non-human"? And we then imagined the simplest way we could imagine to add "people" to the native web.

When we meet someone in real life, we just see them. They have a face that we see and then the first thing we might do is to say "Hi, I'm ____ ". Now they know our face and our name.

It should be this simple on the web. It should be peer to peer (like real life), and it should be minimal first with a chance to know more coming later.

We hope you enjoy exploring just how simple this could be without an "authority" figure. You don't need a "school ID", "gov ID", or "profile" made by a big company or big institution. Those things make us less human and we lose a lot of privacy and autonomy when we use central authorities with permissions.

Let's start fresh, and see how two people could meet on the web & connect in a more kind and human way. Flip through these concept slides ➡️:

Early concepts explore some fun things we'd like to know when we meet people for the first time on the web. It should feel organic. We are people 1st, not "profiles". People are beautifully rich and complex and a better web deserves a more natural way to be a person on the web while keeping your privacy and autonomy intact.

In recent months, there's been a palpable uptick in "systems talk"... In many communities (especially climate/sustainability/social justice/better economy circles), it's pretty agreed upon that the biggest issues we’re facing are the result of failed systems; therefore, we need systems solutions.  I'm 100% on board with this line of thinking.

However, there’s a lot of "talk" about systems change & systems thinkers, but not a lot of real NEW systems building happening. Why is that? 

I think one major reason is because “The Economy” has been culturally off limits as an area of innovation for anyone other than economists, politicians or academics for far too long.  

Do you know who IS highly skilled at designing and building reliable systems?  Engineers. Engineers get their thrills by building reliable, efficient systems. Do our cars and planes and medical equipment just work reliably by sheer luck? Of course not, it’s the result of great systems engineering.   

Who else has been left out of the new systems building conversations?  Architects. Industrial Designers. Many Software Developers. Data Scientists who can spot patterns in systems data…. And creatives of all kinds - especially those who can tell the stories of complex systems in ways that are relatable. 

I would argue all these roles are naturally innovative “systems thinkers”, yet we have so few of them working on creating better systems for us to interoperate.  That's something that needs to change if we’re going to succeed in designing a better economic experience for all.  

So this is an official invite to all the people who never imagined themselves building better systems of all kinds for humanity at large. The world needs you! Engineers: You’re awesome, and often undervalued. Come play in an area that is ripe for innovation.  Designers and developers!  You don’t have to stay within the red ocean confines of building physical products or apps. Come explore the vast blue ocean that is the future of human cooperation.  

There are many unused commercial spaces within a city that could be temporarily or permanently transformed to benefit local communities. Limiting 'waste' is a key principle of sustainability, and that should apply to all spaces as well - if they're going unused for years at a time that is the very definition of waste.

There's a lot of promise in approaches like Adaptive Reuse for bringing new life to commercial spaces. However, those ideas still function under the umbrella and constraints of the current economy. If we can adapt the use of our buildings, surely we can adapt our economic frameworks as well!

Here's an example of an innovative new use for an empty space in our local community. What can you imagine for the unused spaces in your area?

This morning's musing is on the state of cooperation in our world now, and how much potential there is for more cooperation - better, easier and new ways of cooperating - that can create a beautiful future.

Do you ever pause to think about what role cooperation plays in your life? As with all important topics, this is the first step: looking deeply. Do you view your family life as a cooperative effort? If you have a partner/spouse or roommate, do you see your contributions to your home life as cooperation or something else?

What about jobs? How many people see their jobs as cooperation towards a shared goal? That is the whole point of working together - to achieve a larger outcome than we could achieve alone. But do we really feel like that on a daily basis? From our real life conversations, it seems many people do not. They don't feel fairly valued or recognized for their contributions, and I believe value + cooperation go hand in hand. Within the confines of our current systems, creating a truly cooperative culture in any organization is a rare feat.

Yet, despite the challenges of cooperating, most of us keep showing up and attempting to cooperate the best we can with what's available to us now. I believe that's because it's in our true nature as humans. It's how we made it this far.

I've also come to believe that true cooperation takes a base level of stability, peace and love within us. I've felt it personally, and I've observed it countless times. It's why it's more difficult for people to cooperate in times of great fear or suffering. We can do it, sure, but it's not the fullest expression of our capabilities.

Humanity is filled with immense potential, and our future is filled with infinite possibilities - some beautiful and some not. The thing I know for sure is that we will only get to the beautiful possibilities where humanity is thriving, if we cooperate in new and better ways. That means looking at our individual perspectives on cooperation and how we want to see our contributions used in the world. And it means more people need to be working together to innovate and create ways that unlock our cooperative potential beyond the relatively few options that exist today in our current 'economy'.

This work on expanding cooperation and how we value contributions lights me up and gets me excited for a bright future. If you feel the same way, then reach out and let's cooperate!

A "value blocks" story.

Recently, the term paradigm blindness came across my path. (It was via my partner who is reading David R. Hawkins book Power vs. Force.) It summed up exactly why I think so few people look deeply at the areas often referred to as 'the economy', 'business' or more simply, human cooperation.

And this is partly why we don't have more innovation and collaboration in these areas! Most of us are 'blind' to even looking at these topics as anything we should be working on improving.

Let's define it so we're all on the same page:

Paradigm blindness is a phenomenon that occurs when individuals become so entrenched in a particular way of thinking or set of beliefs that they are unable to see alternative perspectives or consider alternative explanations for phenomena. (Cortright, 2015).

If we even glance at the state of things in our world, we can see that our needs for humanity have evolved and our ‘tools’ or frameworks for working together have not kept up. This is such an area of opportunity!

To point out exactly where some of our collective paradigm blindness exists, let's compare what we have now with something that could be so much better...

The Old Game

In what we call the Old Game (our current systems), we have a smattering of facts, things we've accepted as cultural norms, and general foolishness that we as humans would NOT tolerate in other areas. Here's a sampling of them:

• People say things like:  “That's just how business works...” when speaking about negative aspects or externalities of business. (This is a clear statement of paradigm blindness - not open at all to alternative ways of doing things.)
• If there isn’t a “profitable business model” for what you want to do/ what the world needs, then it’s not really possible to create. (This includes charities, which also need to 'bring in' more in funding than they 'give out').
• Roughly 80% of U.S. businesses fail. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 20% survive past 20 years in business. (Sounds broken to me… Would you ride in a car that failed 80% of the time? Or have a surgery if the failure rate was 80%?)
• Access to capital / cash flow is the #1 reason businesses fail, and that capital is harder to get and more unfairly distributed than anyone really knows. 
• Things that shouldn’t exist (that cause harm to people and earth) somehow regularly receive funding and ‘succeed' often. Yet, endeavors that we desperately need and people with the ideas to make them usually go unsupported and those innovations unrealized. 
• Finally, there’s the startup/ hustle culture phrases that have been said so much the past 15 years that we’ve been conditioned to believe them… “If you’re not succeeding, then you didn’t ______. (fill in the blank with any of these):
  • Find product/market fit
  • Find the right investors or raise money fast enough
  • Get talented enough staff to work for you
  • Work hard enough/ smart enough/ long enough
  • Spend enough or be creative enough marketing through the right channels. 

The New Game

In a New Game, we should have a list that is almost completely opposite of the above points.

• We need to be saying things like: “Just because business has worked a certain way for a long time doesn’t mean NEW ways of working together aren’t possible or needed. Humanity evolves, and everything we create evolves too.”
• Business should be a game of human cooperation and exchange - and we can create ANY framework for that which serves our needs. 

• The world needs thousands of new innovations, projects and collaborations. Very few of those fit the model to succeed in the old game.  If we have 1,000 important projects on Earth's T0-do List and there’s only 100 of them that have profitable business models, what do we do for the other 900?  Nothing usually.  And that is a HUGE opportunity cost.  We need a New Game for those - a new way to cooperate that serves our collective needs more sustainably.
• In a New Game, 80% or more of the projects (we call them Co-Labs) would be supported enough not only to succeed, but to give back something extra to those who contributed. 
• Instead of the capital being scarce and highly centralized, funding is truly “people powered”. We can give to what we want to see more of in the world - things that directly benefit people, animals, and planet. 
  • The outcome of this supportive model is that Innovation and latent Human Value are unlocked! 
• We don’t need to rely only on the structures of business, charities, or government to make an impact.  We can come together freely, as humans always have, to do things that benefit many. 
• We need more people who can see through the paradigm blindness and entertain the thought that maybe we didn’t fail - the systems and frameworks we have failed us. If so many businesses can't survive more than a few years in the Old Game, it's time for some new options.

We're passionate about building those new options that help us unlock the possibilities we've been missing out on. If you're also interested in this, we'd love to hear from you! We are bringing people together who want to pioneer, pilot and persuade others to give these new frameworks a try!

• 5 value blocks went into this post, by one person.
• $500 of base value.
• Each "Appreciated" value block generates 100 Gratitude

🟧 Wrote Paradigm Blindness draft concept (L) 🖊 |+E|{TW}
🟧 Read about examples of Paradigm blindness in economics (L) 🤓 |+E|{TW}
🟧🟧 Drafted Paradigm blindness blog on Ghost (L) 👩🏻‍💻|+E|{TW}
🟧 Finished & Published Paradigm Blindness Blog Post (L) 👀✅ |+E|{TW}

If you enjoyed reading this post, we welcome you to give to these "value blocks" using bitcoin, a money created from "value", backed by sustainable energy.

It's easy to arrive at the perception that "life" is in fact, the most valuable thing. Without life, nothing else matters, there is no concept of "value" without it. It's also clear to see that the total value of humanity is made up of each individual life on earth.

There is nothing more valuable than our lives from our human perspective.

So if we can arrive at this shared truth together, then we should be able to build beautiful, sound creations around this deep timeless understanding.

Imagine the life of any 1 person out of the approximate 8 billion people now sharing earth. Our heart tells us that we are all equal, we are all part of life, and we all want to live, thrive, and take care of our shared home, the earth.

Let's now zoom to a single day of a single life. We can envision that any life on earth is made up of a day filled with the energy, vitality, love, and brilliance of being alive! What a gift!

To make things simple, what if we made some easily observable "segments of life" in someone's day. The value of a day of life is composed of each segment of a day!

A beautiful representation of a day might create up to 27 segments of life lived.

One of the most simple shapes to represent each segment of value is a "cube", a "3D block". It's like a container that can represent the energy of a beautiful life lived. If each of these "blocks" is representing the value of life, the most valuable thing, we might as well call them "value blocks". We could also simply represent this concept as a 2D block, like this: 🟪. Simplicity is beautiful! 😍

If we stack up the 3D blocks that a single person could record in a day, we would start to see something like the Rubik's cube emerging. 27 blocks represent a stack of 3D blocks, 3x3x3, 9 blocks in each of 3 layers. We can call this a "perfect cubit" and it can represent a "full day of human life", the most valuable thing in a day.

How fun and simple is that? Without much effort at all, we've discovered a fair and easy way to represent the concept of "all human life" in 2D or 3D form. Take a moment to imagine the art and visuals that could be created if you saw your whole life this way! Mind blown, 🤯 right? As we like to say, "this is the way"!

Can you imagine the "treasures" of life contained inside these "value blocks"? Experiences, love, discoveries, creativity, fascination, stories, and more, the essence of life is precious in each of these moments.

In a world where we recognize deep value in all human life, it would also be really easy for others in someone's life, or even strangers, to look at and "appreciate" the daily life lived, the contributions made to a better world, in each of these value blocks. What a joy to look at the beauty in someone's life and give them appreciation. We can witness and see life in a new way like this, even if we didn't live it along side someone.

For a comparison, we know that people see "value" in something like "gold", and that in fact it is a "store of value" for many. If we see that there is more value in human life than gold, then we can make another logical observation about how to link "human value" to a new kind of "money".

If we've derived "money" from gold, could we not also derive "money" from human value? Perhaps even in a much more fair way than we could ever have with gold? The obvious answer is a resounding "YES".

A fair and sound "money supply" is a requirement of a modern interconnected world, so it is probably inevitable to create a "better money supply" from the most valuable thing on earth, human life. And, as it was demonstrated above, a "value block" makes an outstanding base asset for this new money supply.

Taking it a step further, if each value block 🟩 were to represent a base value of $100, we'd have a very simple & workable system. US Dollars (or equivalent fiat monies) are currently created at the time of issuing more debt. So, we make a better design and create the new money from "value", like gold or bitcoin and be debt free.

To make a better money, we can create a new monetary unit called "Gratitude" and let the new money supply for each "Appreciated Value Block" be 100 Gratitude which goes to the value block creator. It's the creators life lived after all, and this creates a money of the people, by the people, for the people. That sounds so refreshing compared to what we're most used to! 😉

Each person in the world is able to access this new money supply from anywhere in the world, as fairly as any other human.

These simple ideas are the foundation of a new workable money supply and a better economy. And most importantly, they are based on life itself.

If these ideas excite you and you'd like to learn how to "work for humanity" by recording value blocks in your life and being part of generating a new better money supply, please reach out to us.

• 2 value blocks went into this post, by one people.
• $200 of base value.
• Each "Appreciated" value block generates 100 Gratitude

🟧 Wrote "Life, the Most Valuable Thing" post (B) ✍🏻💻 |+E|{TW}
🟧 Review and Edit Post (B) 👀✔️ |+E|{TW} :: "Life, The Most Valuable Thing"

If you enjoyed reading this post, we welcome you to give to these "value blocks" using bitcoin, a money created from "value", backed by sustainable energy.

Beach Photo by David Potaczala on Unsplash