CHAPTER ONE

 

INTRODUCTION

Imagine a small band of our ancestors back in the earliest days of humankind. They are huddled and frightened in a small cave as an intense thunderstorm pounds the land outside. The lightning and thunder this night is more violent than they have ever experienced. Storms have become more frequent and powerful than anyone can remember. Out of fear and desperation, one of our ancestors grabs a leg of an antelope that is to be their food the next day and throws it outside into the raging storm. Shortly after, the storm subsides ---and when morning comes, the leg of antelope is nowhere to be found.

Animals trade. Plants trade. Insects trade. Humans trade. Trading for air, water, food, safety and sex is done by all living organisms. But when our ancestor threw that leg of antelope out into the storm, the human family took a different path from all the others. We began to trade with the Unknown. We began to bargain with the Divine.

In addition to being traders, we humans are storytellers. And one of the earliest stories ---one that many scholars say predates the Hebrews--- is the story of a man who by all accounts was the perfect trader with the Divine. We know it as the story of Job. This Divine trading story carries a lesson for us all, which I will explore later on. And it may possibly give insight into why and how we should have a sustainable currency.

Charles Darwin, the son of a clergyman, pointed out 150 years ago that we are not separate from the environment--an understanding that at the time was considered blasphemous by the prevailing religious authorities. In fact it has always been risky for scientists to mix spirituality and evolution/ecology. Fortunately, in recent years, this has changed. More scientists are embracing the spiritual aspect of their work--deep ecology and Gaia theorists are examples. Meanwhile, religious groups, including evangelicals, are exploring and promoting good earth stewardship practices.

Darwin showed clearly how we are very much a part of this wonderful adventure of nature. Perhaps in our era, his realization would have been seen as a statement endorsing the sacredness of all life. So standing in the 150 year-old shadow of this great naturalist, I will proceed to make my case for a new currency.

Nearly all spiritual traditions in some way teach that the original "fall" of humankind was our separation from the Divine. The claim is that our suffering began when we shifted our focus and thoughts to ourselves, away from the Divine. This first fall has been identified by many esoteric (mystic) traditions to be a false sense of separation of the individual from God. Some see it in the story of Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Some refer to it as the separation of the mind and the heart. Others see it as a separation of self from Self. In Andean indigenous lore, it is the separation of Eagle and Condor. They all teach that this apparent separation is an illusion.

It is said that when we truly understand and really See, we will know that there is no separation. Only then will the Eagle and the Condor fly in the same sky. Only then will we discover the Divine within that has always been there.

I will leave it to our spiritual leaders to make us aware of this false sense of separation from the Divine within. It is my purpose to make us aware of what I call the "second fall" ---our false sense of separation from the Divine without (our natural environment)--and to show how it has led us to where we are today.

After our "second fall" (to be detailed in Chapter 5), trading with the Divine involved sacrifices to gods and spirits of the unseen world for better, and safer, environmental conditions: more rain, rain at the right time, quiet volcanoes, calm earthquakes, abundant game, fertile crops, many healthy offspring. Sacrifices evolved into offerings of food, flowers, money and/or promises. Most of us are still trading and bartering with the Divine in various ways for a good life and for a safe, healthy and abundant environment. And of course, many of us trade for a better environment on the other side of death’s door.

When we humans began trading with the Divine, we had hopes that the Divine would intervene and control the physical environment, allowing us to live safely and prosper. We wanted, and still want, an assured abundant supply of shelter as well as healthy air, water and food. Shelter includes raw materials for dwellings, clothing and heat. (I like to include beauty as well ---beauty that exists throughout Nature.)

These necessities of life are now commonly called ecosystem services. I choose to call them Gifts of the Divine.

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"Once we were all tomatoes, potatoes, onions or zucchini."

--Hafiz