Is TGE a barter exchange system?
No! All gifting and sharing on TGE is done voluntarily and without any expectation of reciprocity from the beneficiary of my gift. TGE is based on the scientific concept of a Gifting Tensegrity or GIFTegrity.
As economist Wayne F. Perg, Ph. D explains:
“My ... understanding of the GIFTegrity is one of a radical move away from trade-oriented or materialistic sort of exchange.
“In the GIFTegrity there is no accounting, there are no prices, there is no barter (no tit for tat), and there is no medium of exchange! For me, it is the road to a post-monetary, post-barter economy.
“Barter and monetary economies both tie together giving and receiving. One cannot be done in the absence of the other. It is this “tying together” that is the ultimate source of “dead resources” and unemployment.
“The GIFTegrity frees giving from receiving and receiving from giving and will, as it is implemented, bring all resources to life and eliminate unemployment.
“The GIFTegrity does this by creating transparency, i.e., by creating good information on the SEPARATE giving and receiving actions of all members of the gifting tensegrity. Because there is no trading, only gifts given with no requirement of payment, there are no market prices and no accounting of trades. What there is is an open exchange of information on needs and resources available to fill those needs and ongoing individual negotiations around actions that will meet those needs."
There are no exchanges on TGE. Members freely gift and share with other members unconditionally without compensation of any kind. Members help other members just because they want to.
Can you offer a Gift of Money or request a Need for Money on TGE?
No! The GIFTing of Money is prohibited on The Gifting Earth. The function of money is to facilitate the Buying and Selling of products in Market. The Gifting Earth is a prototype for Co-Operation — in fact, the primary mission of TGE is the creation and institutionalization of Co-Operation, which is about Gifting and Sharing facilitated by Generosity and Gratitude.
Nor can you engage in any selling activity or any other activity that results in the exchange of funds, currencies, securities or other forms of financial compensation for the GIFT, or as part of any transaction, including but not limited to advertising items for sale, linking to a Web site that's sole purpose is to sell or advertise items for sale, and offering payment for any item posted on TGE.
Nor can you obtain a GIFT through TGE with the sole purpose and/or intent of reselling it.
However, one can offer GIFTs with financial conditions. As example, if a GIFTee is unable to pick up their GIFT in person, the GIFTor could ship the GIFT to them, but ask for reimbursement for the costs of shipping. Shipping services are provided by Market, the payment is simply passed through the GIFTor to the shipper: UPS, FEDEX, or the USPS.
You can also Share a Gift with the condition that the borrower pay the operational expense. I might loan you a car with the condition that your pay for gas, oil, and maintenance during the period that you use it.
Two members of TGE might also deside to Share a house in common with the condition that they will also Share in the financial expenses related to Market. If they were both living in the house, then they could split the rent and utility bills. Conditional Gifting and Sharing is OK within The Gifting Earth.
ONLY EXCEPTION: Members of The Gifting Earth may engage in Market exchanges with each other, if those exchanges do not occur on TGE.
As example, let's say you had previously been GIFTed a counseling session by a community psychologist. Later, you decide you would like another session.
Within TGE: If the psychologist has an active Gift offer for a another counseling session on TGE, you could request it. It would then be the psychologist's decision whether to Gift you with an additional session or not.
Outside of TGE: If the psychologist practices in the community, and offers counseling sessions for sale, you have every right to buy her products, and she has every right to sell them to you.
How does TGE make money?
It doesn't make money, it just makes sense. In our INTERdependent world sometimes you will need my help and sometimes I will need yours. TGE is a new system that allows members of community to help each other freely with no need for financial compensation. This is a move from Market to Co-Operation. There are no sellers or buyers, just GIFTors and GIFTees.
What about the start up expenses for the TGE? Doesn't TGE still have to make some purchases in Market?
The start up and continiuing expenses for the TGE were paid for with cash gifts from the founding members of the TGE. In the future, TGE will begin admitting organizational members. Some of these organizational members may gift those services that are now paid for by the cash gifts of our founding members.
We may also seek support from Crowd Funding.
Do I have to give a Gift for every Need I have met in TGE?
Within The Gifting Earth, the total number of Gifts offered by all members should equal the total number of Needs requested by all members. If there are more Gifts offered then Needs being requested, then the excess Gifts are being wasted. If there are more Needs being requested than Gifts being offered, then some Needs are going unmet.
Ideally, within The Gifting Earth, every member will find themselves both helping others and being helped by others. Over the life of one's membership, each member could expect to be helped by others as often as they helped others. The number of their needs being met by others would roughly equal the number of gifts that they give to others. So as a guideline, we recommend that you try to post equal numbers of gifts and needs. This is made easier by our recognition of the four classes of gifts and needs: Goods, Services, Knowledge and Compassion.
However within any real community, not all of us are equally blessed. Some of us have more and some of us have less. Jesus of Nazareth said, "That to those who much is given, much will be expected." Those that are giving more will gain the respect and gratitude of their community. Those that are given more will be helped by the caring and generosity of their community. That which makes any part of community better makes the whole community better. When we realize that we are INTERdependent, we need each other. If I need you, whatever I do that makes you stronger is of benefit to me.
Also there will be times when I have more to give to others than I need to get from others. And, there will be times when I need to get more from others than I have to give to others. These variations within the individual patterns of giving and receiving are also normal. We each need to strive to do the best that we can.
To improve your Gifts to Needs ratio, you will need to gift more. Also, you will want to accept others gifts carefully, and only when you truly value and need them. In co-Operation, we are working together to make all of our lives better. The accumulation of things, you really don't need or want, is best left in the world of Market.
Why can't I be an anonymous member at TGE?
The simple answer is that TGE is itself a gift. Like all gifts offered on TGE, it can be offered with conditions. As a GIFTor on TGE, I can offer to share the use of my lawn mower with the condition that you return it clean and full of gas.
Since membership in TGE is provided as a gift, we are entitled to gift with conditions. And, since all gifting relationships at TGE are voluntary, if you don't like the conditions, then don't accept the gift.
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The scientific answer is that free gifting and receiving in Co-Operation is personal and caring. For us to help each other, we need to know each other's names. We may need to talk and meet with each other. Most often, we will relate to each other as friends.
The selling and buying in Market is often anonymous and indifferent. If I pay cash, the seller may never know my name. If the sellers are not wearing nametags, I may never know their names. Most often we relate to each other as polite strangers.
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For both of these reasons, The Gifting Earth requires that members use their real-names, home-towns, home-states, and postal zip codes as part of their membership profile. My name is Timothy Wilken and I live in Carmel, CA 93923.
The only information that The Gifting Earth makes public about you is your real-name, home-town, home-state, and zip code. Our system will never display your telephone number, email address, or postal mailing address.
You are the exclusive author of all information that appears in the about me field of your membership profile, as well as your posts of offered gifts or requested needs, and your public comments in forums or about the gifting events you participate in. You are always in full control of what you choose to share with other members.
Why should I invite my friends and family to become members of TGE?
TGE is powered by a powerful tool called GIFTegrity or gifting tensegrity. Tensegrity is Nature's most powerul organizing strategy. The larger a tensegrity is, the more powerful it is.
As TGE increases in size, the number and variety of gifts being offered and needs being met will increase dramatically. So every new member increases the benefit of being a member in TGE.