Most people think of money as something as universal and permanent as matter or energy. It is often said that “money is energy” — that without it, everything stops. We are told that without money, society would grind to a halt just as surely as a car without fuel. This belief is so deeply ingrained that the idea of a world without money seems almost unthinkable.

But money is not energy, nor is it a natural law. Matter and energy are fundamental to the universe — what scientists call top-level concepts. They have no higher cause and cannot be reduced to anything else. Money, by contrast, is a human invention — a tool created to manage one specific aspect of life: exchange.

Exchange: The Real Foundation

Exchange is a property of all living systems. Every organism exchanges matter, energy, or information with others. Plants exchange gases with the atmosphere; animals exchange nutrients within ecosystems; people exchange ideas, skills, and resources. Exchange is life itself — a flow that connects and sustains all things.

Money, however, is only one way of facilitating exchange, and a relatively recent one at that. Humans differ from other species because we can consciously organise how we exchange with each other. Over time we have developed exchange systems — sets of tools, methods, and rules that make trade and cooperation easier. These systems have taken many forms throughout history: gifting, sharing, bartering, time exchange, mutual credit, and, eventually, money.

Money: A Narrow Definition of Exchange

Today, we are taught to think of money as the only valid medium of exchange. Governments declare their currencies to be “legal tender,” businesses are structured around it, and social status is measured by how much of it we have. Anything outside the monetary system is labelled “informal,” “black market,” or “economic underground.”

This binary view — money or barter — is both misleading and limiting. It makes us forget that there are many other ways to trade, collaborate, and share value. The result is that our thinking, relationships, and creativity become trapped within the logic of money. We start to believe that unless an activity generates income, it has no value.

Beyond Money and Barter

The Community Exchange System (CES) challenges this assumption. It is an exchange system that allows people and communities to trade without money, yet it is not barter. Instead of relying on tokens or coins, CES uses information — simple accounting of what participants give and receive — to keep exchange flowing fairly and transparently.

In the CES, there is no need for a physical or digital currency to “exist” before trade can happen. Every transaction creates its own value record. The giver’s account is credited; the receiver’s account is debited. Balances move, but no money changes hands. The result is an exchange network that functions efficiently, locally, and globally — without banks, interest, or scarcity.

Many Ways to Trade

The CES demonstrates that there is no single correct way to trade. Humans have always used multiple exchange methods, often at the same time. Here are just a few:

  • Gifting: Giving freely without expecting immediate return — the foundation of social trust.
  • Swapping: Exchanging goods or services directly when mutual needs align.
  • Time exchange: Trading hours of work instead of monetary value.
  • Mutual credit: Recording what each person gives and receives to balance exchange over time.
  • Sharing and pooling: Contributing resources to a common pool for collective use.
  • Community currencies: Local units of account that keep wealth circulating within communities.

Each of these methods serves different purposes and suits different situations. Together, they form a rich ecosystem of exchange that is far more flexible and humane than a single, monopoly system of money.

Why Limiting Exchange to Money Creates Problems

When money becomes the only recognised medium of exchange, it concentrates power in the hands of those who control its creation and flow. Governments and banks gain the authority to decide who can trade, when, and on what terms. Communities that lack money — no matter how rich in skills, labour, or resources — are left unable to meet their needs.

This monetary straitjacket distorts our priorities. Instead of focusing on meeting real needs, we chase profit and accumulation. People hoard wealth rather than circulate it, fearing scarcity in a system that thrives on artificial shortage. The world becomes energised by money rather than by cooperation and trust.

Rethinking What It Means to Trade

Imagine a world where trading is not confined to financial transactions but flows through many interconnected forms of exchange. Where neighbours swap help, communities share resources, and global networks link people who give and receive across borders. This is not a utopian dream — it is already happening in hundreds of CES exchanges around the world.

By opening our minds to multiple ways of trading, we rediscover what money has obscured: that human value cannot be captured in numbers alone. Every act of giving, helping, or sharing contributes to the collective wealth of a community. When exchange becomes free and varied again, people form deeper connections and society becomes more resilient.

Freedom to Trade Differently

Money has dominated human life for so long that it is hard to imagine alternatives. Yet alternatives not only exist — they are essential. A system based solely on money cannot meet the needs of the 21st century. It divides people, destroys ecosystems, and reduces human relationships to transactions. To build a sustainable future, we must liberate exchange from money’s monopoly.

The Community Exchange System is one of many tools showing how this can be done. It invites us to experiment, to explore the many, many ways of trading that money has displaced. By doing so, we can reconnect exchange with its original purpose: to strengthen relationships, meet needs, and keep the flow of life moving.

In Summary

Money is not energy; exchange is. Money is not the foundation of life; it is a human invention — one possible way to organise exchange. By mistaking money for the essence of exchange, we have limited our freedom and distorted our priorities. The time has come to take off the monetary straitjacket and rediscover the vast landscape of possibilities beyond it.

There are many, many ways to trade — and through them, to build the kind of world we truly want.