Village Wealth Consulting
Adam smith wrote the paradigm setting book Wealth of Nations and with it defined the core concepts of the science ‘Economics’.
Adam wrote from his observations of Scotland and England, the central hub of a global empire. Adam did not observe or did not acknowledge the military force necessary to create the economic environment he lived in. Adam did not observe or did not acknowledge the destruction and poverty caused by the extraction in the colonies he did not live in. Adam observed the boon of material well being that occurred in the central hub of a global military empire.
He wrote a book about it. And that book is considered foundational to the science and practice of economics.
It is still to be determined how the science changes if we remove either the military enforcement of commerce or if we remove the focus on the extraction of materials and labor. The science does change! We just don’t have agreement in the academic space about how it changes. Economies that move away from violence and extraction will look different. We can agree on that. And they may be as varied as the many bio-regions that make up the world economy. Or there may be - as originally proposed - some underlying principles of human nature that make economic exchange similar across peoples.
The opposite of debt and consumption
A debt based economy puts you in debt for education, for health care, for fun.
Encouraging consumption, the cultural drive to put you in debt is a strategy of oppression. It works.
The opposite of debt and consumption is slack and value add. Slack is the loosening of the rope, the accommodation you need to grow. Providing slack is a task of the village. Providing slack requires we focus on value-add projects - instead of consumption. Providing slack is working together in beloved community acknowledging our connection.
The great part is - you don’t have to change the whole economy in order to change your economy. You can build slack into your community without asking permission. You don’t even need a license.
It’s a choice. A choice you make about who matters about how to manage your assets.
The Village
The village is that network of mutual commitments between individuals, families, groups, and society. It is that sense of reciprocity that you experience between people you engage with regularly.
The Treasury
The treasury is a name for the structure of the wealth that is held as slack for the village. The village is embedded in the broader economy - active and engaged with the life of the city. The treasury is the defensive and coordinating structure that holds village wealth.