Thanks Mark.<div><br></div><div>Yes, Aesthetically I can find attractiveness in such item, independently from owning it.</div><div><br></div><div>Without wanting to discredit such potential,</div><div><br></div><div>I also realize that it may not be exaggerated to say that sadly a lot of the bright golden color may likely be tainted by blood ( judging by history ).</div>
<div><br></div><div>Unfortunately, it is so too with any tool of power, including current fiat currency.</div><div><br></div><div>Hence, if I could choose some "ideal", without taking into consideration many other aspects, I guess I'd prefer remaining within gift economics, </div>
<div>and better still, some forms of gift economics that do not stay attached to material value, with the awareness of supporting a holistic process, supporting commons.</div><div><br></div><div>I am not specifically primitivist, and like to use technological solutions,</div>
<div>yet I also feel attracted by certain cultures, including certain nomadic cultures,</div><div>and remember an excerpt from a movie called </div><div><br></div><div>"The Gods Must be Crazy" ( <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy</a> ) :</div>
<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCQIGiXf0JA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCQIGiXf0JA</a></div><div>"here is a thing that could not be shared..."</div><div><br></div><div>///</div><div>
<br></div><div>Anyway, back to (alternative?) currencies,</div><div>there is a proposal of a commodity backed basket currency, called "Terra"</div><div><a href="http://p2pfoundation.net/Terra">http://p2pfoundation.net/Terra</a></div>
<div><br></div><div>I can imagine a world where each of such approaches can have its usage,</div><div>while also hoping people will reduce their usage of the ones that concentrate power into the hands of a minority.</div>
<div><br></div><div><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 10:03 PM, Mark Janssen <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dreamingforward@gmail.com">dreamingforward@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div class="im">On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 4:48 AM, Dante-Gabryell Monson<br>
<<a href="mailto:dante.monson@gmail.com">dante.monson@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> As for gold, I am personally ok with gold backed currencies for certain<br>
> complementary currencies for those who choose to use them,<br>
> but on a large scale, I do not wish to go back to a gold standard,<br>
> because there is a very limited amount of gold in the world,<br>
> and this makes it easier to centralize control,<br>
> hence easy to control a monetary system backed by gold,<br>
> by buying ( or taking by force ) gold reserves.<br>
<br>
</div>Hmmm, personally I like the idea of a currency tied to the Earth -- it<br>
makes the system less abstract, and perhaps even self-organizing.<br>
Being able to reproduce currency easy doesn't necessarily make it<br>
better (that's one of the grives of the #occupy movement against the<br>
Fed). It's limitedness is what gives it value. As for the idea that<br>
its limitedness making it easier to control, I don't think in the<br>
history of the world that there has ever been a gold "resevoir" that<br>
made such a danger likely. As far as I know, most gold is extracted<br>
piecemeal from thousands of sources, probably because the way it<br>
originates from stars and gets distributed widely. But, to be sure,<br>
it does "stack the deck" in favor of those who find it, but it takes<br>
work -- there are few "gold tycoons".<br>
<br>
I would love to see gold coins in standardized weights used for a<br>
world currency, with each nation printing their unique traits on their<br>
own versions. How awesome would that be -- to be handed a gold coin<br>
from Namibia when you get your change from the laundromat and have it<br>
be perfectly legal tender?<br>
<br>
marcos<br>
</blockquote></div><br></div>