If you’re here because of a particular $20 bill, Yay!
Maybe you earned it, or someone gave it to you, or you found it. How ever you got it, did you wonder who had it before? Or who will have it after you? What did it buy or do for others? Does it matter? YES!
According to Charles Eisenstein in Sacred Economics, our monetary system has gotten in the way of our ability to connect to people. “…of all the things that deny uniqueness and relatedness, money is foremost…Moreover, as a universal and abstract medium of exchange…a dollar is the same dollar no matter who gave it to you…This sameness deadens the soul and cheapens life.”(p. 8) He argues for making our relationship to money more sacred by making it more personal. So this blog post is an experiment.
My students have been learning about money as a result of studying the ancient practice of Shmita and Jubilee. These biblical injunctions include the cancellation of debts every seven years. So we looked at how money has changed over time, its economic functions, and more. We wondered if money could be used in a way to create more connection and less separation. Therefore, I am giving each student a PARTICULAR $20 bill as a gift. The circulation of each student’s twenty dollars has the potential to tell a story of which you might be a part. So read on!
Each bill has the following note temporarily attached to it.
STUDENT X’s TWENTY DOLLAR BILL
CAN WE MAKE $ MORE PERSONAL?
Spend this Money meaningfully!
Then GO TO the Blog (BELOW):
(1) Tell us how you got [STUDENT]’s $20.
(2) Tell us how you spent it.
(3) Read about how others spent it.
(4) How does it feel compared to spending any other $20 bill?
You only have 20 HOURS to do this!
THIS $20 gift was given to STUDENT X
by his/her teacher in honor of his/her
Coming of Age and our studies
on money and the gift economy.
IF you receive one of these gifts, please answer the questions below by commenting on this blog.
- How did you get the bill and from which student?
- How did you spend it? Tell us about this choice.
- Read about how others spent the same $20 and tell us how it makes you feel.
- Did spending THIS $20 feel any different from spending others? Tell us how and why.
IF you do NOT receive one of these bills, please share any relevant thoughts. Visit over the next 20 days to see if/how a single bill brings people together. We hope.
For more ideas on how to bring social justice awareness to your children or students, visit the Resources page on this website.