Value

Real value is not money. Real value is fulfilment. Fulfilment is from realising potential, achieving understanding, having ideas, contributing and producing, learning and growing, from living.

Fulfilment is a factor of realisation, understanding, ideas, contribution and productivity, learning and growth. All of this is enabled by freedom from harm.

A good economy enables us all to contribute. It is sustainable, not sabotaged by speculation. Its reward is not a steady rate of return (or wild riches), but fulfilment through the realisation of potential, through best contribution.

In the same vein, real costs are not financial in the real economy, they are human. These are the hidden but also often blatant costs we pay now when we are unable to realise our potential, find fulfilment and contribute. This is the real cost. Financial cost is not the factor of importance; harm to our ability to realise our potential and find fulfilment is the real cost.

The real economy is not only politically democratic, but also organisationally, in corporates and bureaucracies. It is an economy with equal opportunity to contribute, where financial inequities are reduced so they do not constrict opportunities.

We do not measure real value in dollars, we measure it in fulfilment. For this we have to ask ourselves, “Are we fulfilled?”, “Are we unharmed?”.

[Excerpt from The Common Purpose Manifesto]