The Gift Economy
Dear friends,
Today was sweet a sweet day at the Stoa.
We had our second Stoic Hustle session today and we kicked some serious ass. Our boy Erik Davis came in afterward and spoke about all that high weirdness we have been experiencing since COVID came online.
Tomorrow’s events:
The Stoic Hustle Prototype #3. June 11th. Starting time: 10:00 AM ET. RSVP here.
Sensing the New Myth: Saving Beauty w/ Andrew Sweeny. June 11th @ 12:00 PM ET. RSVP here.
Relational Exegesis w/ Freyja. Every Thursday @ 4:00 PM ET. RSVP here.* 60 mins.
Shame Breakthrough Bootcamp w/ A.J. Bond. Every Thursday @ 6:00 PM ET. RSVP here. 60 mins.
***
June 10, 2020
I received this letter last week:
When I gave money I didn't hear back from The Stoa, even a form letter so it felt incomplete and made me noticeably less willing to do it again. Send money, experience small rejection . . .
Oh man. I feel really bad and stupid about this. One of the best things about giving a gift is feeling the appreciation somebody gets when receiving it. The notifications I get when receiving gift money have been delivered via email and my email inbox feels more like a wasteland at the moment more than a place of communication.
I have been so behind in correspondence that I desire to declare email bankruptcy, but I will be pushing through and I am aiming for the coveted inbox zero. I am concerned that not acknowledging the gifts I receive may have caused people to feel rejection towards The Stoa and myself. Andrew told me that a “thank you” is one of the most important aspects because it contributes to the relationship building that defines gift economies.
I feel like a fool who made an obvious mistake which could hurt The Stoa. Once I achieve inbox zero, which I hope to do during today's Stoic Hustle session, I will be reaching out to past gift givers to provide them my appreciation.
I have been receiving Andrew's consultation on the gift economy and the plan is for me to revamp the gift economy page and add two parts: a definition of the gift economy and a series of questions to ensure the gift giver is giving from the right place.
For the definition part I am just going to take Andrew's definition: A gift economy is a flow of givings and receivings. The gifts the giver offers are of the kind that they are meant to meet the other’s material needs; the receivings are acts of gratitude to the one in virtue of his having offered the right kind of thing.
The idea behind the questions is for the gift givers to personally reflect on them before they gift money, to ensure they are giving money in the right way. There will be three questions, borrowed and modified from Andrew.
The first question: How much are you willing to give in order to meet some of the material needs of The Stoa and the people who are keeping it alive?
This question is designed to encourage the gift giver to reflect on the relationship between themselves and The Stoa, and view The Stoa as a commodity in the market economy, with all of the conditioned biases and felt-senses that are associated with it.
The second question: Would giving this much make it difficult if not impossible for you to care properly about what matters most?
This question is designed for the gift giver to reflect on their own material needs, and what the “good life” is for them. If giving a financial gift will compromise their chance at achieving their good life, then it is the wrong gift.
The third question: Is this gift coming from a desire for communitas and a love of beauty?
This question is designed for the gift giver to reflect on their intentions for giving the gift. The Stoa is a ProtoB project that is meant to rediscover communitas, and communitas is where beauty will be found.
The aim is to launch the gift economy page this week and start taking this alternative to the market economy seriously. Yeah, I am crazy enough to think we can pull off something new here and I am crazy enough to think we can pull off something beautiful.
***
Gift Economy / The Stoa currently operates through a gift economy. We are offering the Stoa as a gift, for people to freely use during these troubled times. If you are inspired to provide a gift to The Stoa, email thestoa at protonmail dot com. Your gift can take the form of money, support, services or ideas. If you wish to gift money, you can do so here or here for ongoing gifts. If you would like to gift directly to our lovely facilitators visit this page.