The Angel Story
Told by: Pete Kaminski | Depth: Medium thread (a parable within the Regenerative Economics and Currencies discussion)
Pete's vivid parable illustrating why time-based currency measurement fails and why a new economy needs fundamentally different valuation.
The Story
Pete invented a character to make his point:
Pete: "A 42-year-old, disabled, mentally deficient person who has some particular magic skill about her. Her IQ is 75. But when people come and she puts her hand on their chest, and they put their hand on her chest, in 3 minutes, they're healed."
The Problem
How do you value 3 minutes of healing against 4 hours at a hardware store? Time-based currency can't handle this.
Proof of Worthiness
Pete described what it takes to access Angel:
Pete: "You have to work 4 hours at the hardware store. You have to spend two weeks at a dojo, being assistant dojo leader. You have to cross these valleys and rivers, and tell the bard story... and you've accumulated 3 different currencies."
You bring these varied proofs to a currency exchange where Angel lives. Maybe the evaluator says you need more. Maybe they say you're ready.
The Billionaire Fails
Pete: "The people who come with 'I have accumulated a billion dollars in this system called capitalism, I am the best person in the world, I need to speak to Angel' — the evaluator's gonna go, you have the most worthless currency of all the currencies I have seen in three of my lifetimes."
The Nameless One's Extension
The Nameless One: "Those of us who can heal on touch aren't ever allowed to take monetary remuneration for doing so. So the idea is that you're showing yourself worthy. And the worthiness creates something like access to domains which have what you need."
Angel doesn't trade her gift. She recognizes worthiness and grants access.
Jessie's Name for It
Jessie: "In my mind, it's life force. You're tracking life force."
Related
- Regenerative Economics and Currencies — the broader discussion this story illustrates
- Circulation as a Metric — Jessie's complementary framework
- Pete Kaminski — storyteller