I've been explaining gift economies to whoever will listen to me for a few years now. That means probably 3 or 4 people have actually heard me out. Maybe I'm not explaining it right? I'll try again!
So bottom line, it's about Trust. Trust exists in commerce already. We trust to get what we paid for. We often trust that if we return with a product and a receipt, we can get our monies back. We trust brands for their value, design, or convenience. We imagine it's safe to spend our cash in specific places, with specific companies, and that brand loyalty is a form of trust.
For whatever reason, the Average American is less trusting of other Average Americans than we are of businesses. It's a pretty popular philosophy that the average person will choose to take advantage of any system without regulations to hem in their treachery. Nobody wants to be taken advantage of. The hyper vigilance involved in avoiding all possible betrayals is exhausting! It's understandable when we look at what happens when someone does get slighted. Usually, the swindler makes off with the goods and then the swindled has to defend their lapse of judgement. The victim gets to feel the grief from their loss, the shame of their choice, and the penalty of public opinion. Bummer!
An alternative to this philosophy comes from Adlerian Psychology. I find it beautiful in its simplicity.
People will always do the best they can.
When we choose to make trust the bedrock of any interaction, we must always believe people are doing their best. When we start with the trust that people are peopling the best way they can, we can start to get curious instead of judgemental. Curiosity is a choice towards discovery. Judgement is a path towards punishment.
Most people I meet have a really hard time trusting that a cafe based on the exchange of gifts has any longterm viability. What if someone just comes in every day and never returns the gift?
I still struggle with trust, but when Bonus Room opens and I meet this hypothetical Gift Taker, I can imagine a few reasons and a few outcomes.
But here are the questions I would ask:
Who is this GT? When they leave Bonus Room, where do they go? How is this meal fueling their day? How do they feel about their community? How do they feel about their abilities? Do they struggle with hunger? Do they feel accepted as they are? What would they rather be doing? What strengths and weaknesses are they keeping from the world? Are they eating enough? Are they warm enough?
I can trust that people will do the best they can and I can imagine people's best being rooted in scarcity and self-preservation. When I say I'm planning to give freely, I do mean it. It will be a test of trust and compassion to give gifts free of judgement, but the test gets easier because I believe people deserve nourishing meals. People deserve a break from feeling tapped out. People deserve to feel like someone is thinking of them.
When Bonus Room opens, the community will have a responsibility when participating in the gift economy. People must give and other people must take. Each individual deserves to receive a meal, and whatever they are able to gift forward is not only valid, it is vital. The lower the barrier to participate in the exchange of gifts, the more value will be exchanged.
I already trust that the gift of my time will begin a meaningful exchange. I am able to give my time freely because I trust Bonus Roomies to support me in the best ways they can. I trust that my time is valuable, and my community deserves it.