Wealth accumulation today is far too limiting. We are all dependent on a Federal dollar monetary system.  And as we saw in 2008, when that single system crashes and the money disappears, life seems to stop. Millions joined the ranks of the unemployed, banks stop lending, foreclosures skyrocketed and the economy tanked.

But life didn’t stop–it just got jolted and put on the sidelines simply because Federal dollars as a medium of exchange disappeared. But this limitation is no longer necessary.  By expanding the ways we can accumulate and share wealth, we can prevent this abundance for some, scarcity for most dilemma that results in a mono-culture financial system.

Actually, one of the bright outcomes of the 2008 Great Recession is that we are already beginning to see the rise of new wealth accumulation options.  The sharing economy (shareable.net) has arisen. Things like Airbnb, Zipcar and lots of other groups are coordinating ways to share what we have with each other with the result of a better quality of life for people and the planet.

New lending methods like the Lending Club allows people to directly lend to each other without using banks. These various groups are now circulating over $9 billion dollars (Lending Club is $2 billion in loans). New currencies like ‘bitcoins’ which is an internet currency are beginning to emerge.  There are calls for new public banks using the model of the Bank of North Dakota–a successful public bank since 1919.

And to this, we think things like a National Volunteer Service registry will enable us to share our time and use it for future trade for our own needs over the course of our lifetime.  Imagine volunteering when you are in your 20s and 30s and accumulating volunteer hours that you could trade for services you might need in your 70s or 80s. This exchange is backed by the full faith and credit of each other in creating a world of exchanged based on real time needs and sharing.

The Federal dollar system isn’t going to go away. Nor should it. But we don’t need to stay 100% dependent on it as the only way to accumulate wealth that we can then use to exchange for our livelihoods.  When we let go of this old perception and embrace new wealth options, the possibilities for our lives are tremendous. It will take a lot effort on our parts to disconnect ourself from the old system as we begin building our lives using a multiple source of wealth accumulation options.  But as more and more people do this, it will become as normal to live this way as our current obsession with accumulating dollars as the primary source for our livelihood!  As part of a vibrant Integrative Economy, it will make the quality of our lives much better overall.