A Vision for a Gift Economy

Today's Vision is a bit different than our typical Visions. It was sent in by Kathryn Crosta, and she asks us, What would happen if everyone constantly gave to their neighbors? Kathryn says: A gift economy flourishes in Mali, Africa one of the poorest nations on Earth, in materialistic terms. Theirs is a culture of constantly giving to their neighbor, with no immediate expectation of return. Their cultural belief is that by giving, you will also be given to and be taken care of. Hoarding is frowned upon, so people avoid it. It works in the small villages that dot this vast, mostly arid land. Medical care, education, Social Security and other things that many Westerners think are supposed to be provided by the government are handled on a personal basis and somehow, everybody gets what they need. What would happen if everyone on earth lived this way? It would be heavenly - and can easily work in any country, whether the people are rich or poor, in a wet climate or dry, etc. Giving, on all levels, is our collective next step. Thank you for the reminder, Kathryn.