by Raven
In a capitalist culture, money (which becomes the means to get what you want and need) is dependent on how much you work (unless you inherit money). Your survival in this culture generally depends on money and your acquisition of money depends on work. (Unless you are a “Moneyless Man“.)
If you live in an income-sharing community, however, your relationship to money changes. Since the community provides whatever you need (although usually not luxury items), money doesn’t mean much. (There is an oft quoted story that you can leave a $20 bill around Twin Oaks and find it just where you left it a week later. Don’t leave a candy bar around, though, and expect to find it again.)
Work is basically the currency in most income-sharing communities. Twin Oaks and Acorn Community have a requirement that most members work 42 hours a week. (Twin Oaks has a “pension plan” that allows long-time members to work one less hour a week for every year over 50.) East Wind requires 35 hours of work a week. Glomus Commune (and former communes Sandhill and Compersia) doesn’t (or didn’t) have a work hour requirement–but everyone is still expected to work, and at Glomus most folks work hard.
I’ve talked about income-sharing as a direct challenge to the idea that different people are worth different amounts. (The CEO of many corporations get six–or more–figure salaries. Many of their workers get minimum wage.) In an income-sharing community everyone (at least economically) is valued equally–regardless of race, gender, class background, or ability. Hierarchies are diminished, although there are still power dynamics. (The communes are working on that but human nature is stubborn.)
Money still exists within the communes because we are still embedded in a capitalist society. People get stipends/allowances to spend on “luxury items” (although it doesn’t work that way at Glomus where people can spend what they want on themselves–although they are encouraged not to spend too much). However, the stipend money is not dependent on how much someone works; basically everyone gets the same amount.
With the link between work and money broken, the communes are creating a very different economic culture, a culture where you don’t have to worry about where your next paycheck is coming from and how you will pay the rent, buy food, etc. We are creating places where people work and play and live together and enjoy life. We haven’t eliminated all worries–but the communes have practically eliminated most economic concerns.
commune life 