43. Community B And The Back Rub

Community B and The Back Rub
Bob Komives
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Increased breadth in our community economy does not by itself make us feel more wealthy. However, increased depth and density can make us feel wealthier. To see this, imagine two isolated communities that have been stable, both in depth and breadth. Their populations hardly fluctuate; government and traditions are stable. They each have stable economies supported by the harvest of fruits from the forest, a few native crafts, and by entertainment that includes dance and dream interpretation. The two communities are identical, with one exception. Community B recently discovered the art of back rub. The back rub has become a desired service in Community B. Several skilled back rubbers stay busy.

While Community B harvests no more food or timber than before, some individuals do harvest extra so they can give it to the back rubbers in exchange for a rub. The back rubbers have been freed of their need to harvest. Having those needs satisfied and time to spare, they can be induced to give a back rub if others offer food, a dream interpretation, a dance, a party. Gradually, the interchange of all goods and services in the community has increased. Dream interpreters do more. There are more dances. More people get invited to more parties. To accommodate the newly desired good, the community has increased the density and speed of its distribution and recirculation. It has grown in depth and density.

While extraction has not increased, people have become more efficient in their use of the resources they extract. This is partially due to skill improvements that come with increased specialization. But it is mostly due to a new incentive to do more with less, to ephemeralize. Ephemeralization has occurred in the use of fruits of the forest. One way to get a back rub is for specialists to carve ten wooden bowls and leave less waste from a branch that would yield only eight using traditional methods. These two extra bowls might buy a back rub, or a dream interpretation, or a dance. Thus, while extraction has not increased, the amount of energy bound into the wealth system of the community at any one moment has increased.

Residents of Community B feel wealthier. To the residents of Community A they look wealthier. In real economic terms they are wealthier. Even by conventional measurement, the economic development is obvious. The gross community product shows a marked increase. How? Gross community product is calculated by counting the same energy several times as it appears in different places and forms. This redundant counting correctly reflects increased wealth in the community.

Of course, events did not have to come out this way. The back rub might instead have overburdened social and political systems. The resulting havoc or revolution might have made the community fall backward or apart. Such is the risk of change. Economic development must be imperfect or it will stop. Yet, the Community-B experience, economic development in depth and density, does happen.

:: Bob Komives, Fort Collins © 2006 :: Plum Local IV :: 43. Community B and the Back Rub ::
With attribution these words may be freely shared, but permission
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