In terms of the history of money it very much relates to the paying for something like goods and services. What would occur however, if we were to move towards a system of bartering - like what happened in the past, where I could exchange an item and offer a service?

Simple answer. In this day and age we, in Australia and other well off countries seem desperate for cash, in my view more than ever. Why though? Money is something that comes out like a piece of paper from an ATM, a pressed piece of metal or some typed numbers on a computer screen. A system like mentioned before, however would see all people worldwide have to re-evaluate their lives.

To get a cash free policy introduced worldwide would be difficult. A lot of people living in Australia are obsessed with expensive brand name items, so giving up money would be difficult. When will people give back to their local community - no cash required? When will people be willing to help a neighbour and exchange or give something for nothing - and not always focus on the dollar sign?

Personally I am offended by money. When I see someone pay $200 for a piece of expensive plastic sunglasses and I think of people in third world countries - I feel how long will we stay obsessed in this lifelong grab for cash - and are we willing to move to very different and alternative economic systems?

All good questions, NathanJ.

>>What would occur however, if we were to move towards a system of bartering<<

There is of course no reason whatsoever why you could not operate a bartering system unilaterally. If you have something to offer, and that something is acceptable to another person, who in turn has something that you are happy to receive, then there is nothing at all to stop you making that trade.

This will bring you immediately up against your first problem: how do the two of you meet?

To do this efficiently, you will need some form of Exchange - a central point where you can place your offer on the table, and see what others are offering at the same time. To an extent, this already exists in numerous online marketplaces, except that a monetary value is attributed to each offer.

There may be some side-effects, even if you are able to establish a barter-only value exchange. What do you do if no-one wants what you have to offer? How do the elderly, without the means to create anything of significant value, eat?

On a broader front again, you mention international trade:

>>When I see someone pay $200 for a piece of expensive plastic sunglasses and I think of people in third world countries<<

Given that those sunglasses might just be manufactured in that third-world country, how would you manage the value chain that converts their labour into your sunnies? What would you be able to offer those workers in the Luxottica factories in Dongguan and Gaobu , for example, that is an improvement over what they can get today? If you were able to harness their capabilities and reach agreement on an exchange, how would you effect the transfer...?

Sadly (or not) the reality is that money has been gradually developed and adopted over the years and an extremely efficient replacement for barter. Returning to that mode of living would require nothing short of an apocalyptic event.

Which is of course not at all out of the question...

Money is an efficient means of exchange and simplifies the process. However there is room within the system for barter particularly at a local level. Programs like LETS enable people to barter food, services or goods.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_exchange_trading_system

Some of the postings over time have been similar to: "Will do weeding in exchange for babysitting" or similar. There are also at a local level markets where people can swap vegetables they grow for ones they don't. Groups like WWOOF allow travellers to stay for free on farms in exchange for labour.

In the sunglasses example, they most likely cost little to manufacture in less than satisfactory working conditions with barely a living wage. The final value of the glasses may not be fairly distributed throughout the chain which makes the purchase seem unpalatable.

Your post reminds me of Bitcoin which in effect is another form of money (which I don't quite understand).

Trading systems exist and they are very good - but limited. We must move beyond that - to a different free market system. That means if I want something I need to have - like food, I get it for free - meaning all people who need food get it. It also means people need to reconsider what they do in their lives as a result - so no more $2.00 shops. These shops limit a persons ability to contribute to our society. Why? Because they have to work for cash - education is better. As for the elderly, people will need to contribute, even work with the elderly (as professionals) as they will one day be elderly. Also the elderly have a lot to offer - more than people think. Money and how it is used at present creates so many social and ethical problems worldwide and we need to reconsider our attitude at present. Governments and economic experts won't like it - but what about our world, all of its people and the environment in which we live?

It's not money that's the problem IMHO, It's how currency is created.

Giving a privileged few the power to create currency at will, out of thin air is what's causing all the problems and having a system of banking where the few get to manipulate the many with their privilege.

The Biggest Scam In The History Of Mankind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFDe5kUUyT0

If you're interested, Pelican...

>>Your post reminds me of Bitcoin which in effect is another form of money (which I don't quite understand)<<

...here's the skinny on Bitcoin...

http://brokenlibrarian.org/bitcoin/

"Short Version

1) Should I buy Bitcoins?

No.

2) But I keep seeing all this stuff in the news about them and how

No. Tech journalism is uniformly terrible, always remember this.

3) How does this sh!t work? It doesn't make any sense!

No, it really doesn't. It's impossible to accurately explain Bitcoin in anything less than mind-numbingly boring technical terms so you should probably just not worry about it. Go do something useful instead."

To borrow a phrase from the Hitchhiker, the style settles down after a while. But it is highly entertaining, and I recommend it to everyone.

Here's another snippet...

"Bitcoin was discovered by three types of people. First, there were the internet libertarian types who liked the idea of a currency that was not controlled by a government. For them, Bitcoin represented an ideology. Second, there were people who wanted to use Bitcoin as a semi-anonymous international currency for illegal transactions, such as drugs, weapons, or illicit pornography, as well as a possible method for laundering money. For them, Bitcoin represented safety from the law. Third, there were people who viewed Bitcoin as a method to get rich by getting in on the ground floor of a new kind of money. These people saw Bitcoin as an investment.

The history of Bitcoin is too complicated to go into detail here, but these three groups shaped the Bitcoin network and community into what it is today, which is a gigantic goddamn mess of idiocy, greed, and bad decisions."

Barter is much, much easier...