If there was a mysterious flash, and suddenly there was no debt, and no money, all the actual physical stuff would still be here. The numbers are a way of counting, and a way of permitting activity. A coordination tool. If a group of people have no money, but they have skills, they can still help each other. This is why shadow economies work, but don't count. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) counts things you can count. So yes to paid childcare. No to stay at home parents. Yes to Zipcar. No to a friend giving you a lift. Money and Debt are trust tools. They help us do stuff without immediately getting compensated. They help us count things that can't really be counted by giving everything a price. Never forget that it is just a story to help us think. Money isn't a real thing.
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