Were you surprised at what you learned? I did not know that the U.S. and global economies are based on debt and scarcity nor understand beforehand that our perceptions of scarcity and separation from one another are only illusions. While the majority of economists say that money is an exchange, Bernard Lietaer, author of The Future of Money, states, that is what money does but not what it is. Fundamentally, money is a human agreement—a form of currency via an artifact designed, engineered and built by humans. This is something we have forgotten and it’s hurting us.


How did you approach the universally sensitive subject of money? The fi lm is purely a starting place and a tool that individuals can use to educate themselves and spark conversations. I kept the tone of the fi lm as non-polarizing as possible so that conservative family members could cull compelling concepts that inspire further exploration, rather than walk away feeling a need to defend their beliefs. Awareness and knowledge breeds empowerment and innovative perspectives so that we all can better participate in whatever is emerging.


Will a new economy replace or parallel the existing one? A new economy is emerging and operating in parallel. Beyond being based on gifting, alternative money, barter or other buzzwords, it’s coming online from a previously unknown place. This is one of the reasons I term the fi lm emergent- oriented, rather than solution-oriented. A quote by Richard Buckminster Fuller, systems theorist, architect and inventor, eloquently applies: “You never change things by fi ghting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” The fact is that the old economy, based on debt and scarcity, is designed to collapse. The more innovative we can be in participating in the emerging economy, the more conscious awareness we can bring to bear, improving the chances for increasingly positive impacts.


Linda Sechrist is a Natural Awakenings senior staff writer. Visit ItsAllAboutWe. com for recorded interviews.


January 2014 27


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