Domestic Trade of goods and services
With solidary trade, our society will be required to provide needs for others without the need for immediate fair trade. If I solidarily provide a service or product to someone else in a non-monetary system, I am contributing to a system from which I too can freely benefit. Many basic functions of society (perhaps not in all countries) actually work in this manner today. The main difference in a solidaristic society is that no one would be able to acquire so much added value that any one person could win unequivocal influence over another, yet no one would be left without fulfilment of their own needs.
In our current, modern capitalistic society, we see solidary behaviour all the time. All might not be aware of it though. But consider this when you see the local sports coach for kids at a non-profit sports club. If the coach is getting any payment at all, it is definitively not enough to say it is a real wage. He or she is not teaching the kids a sport for the sake of making money. You can also see the solidary behaviour in everyday life;. people will try to help others in their community – not for money – but to feel that they are making a difference and because they feel connected. Helping someone that has been involved in an accident is also solidary behaviour – because you will not see anyone asking a car crash victim how much they can pay you to help save their life – instead people instinctively act. Paying taxes is also a solidary behaviour, paying taxes that go to schools, so other kids can get an education, or so that parks are kept tidy from garbage and park lawns are mowed etc.
With monetary transactions having been the main source for all forms of trade, it would appear reasonable to assume that there would be more challenges in conducting trade without monetary tools than not. My own studies have shown that trust is a major issue of concern. Even though people see themselves contributing as obvious, they do not necessarily accept that others would do the same.
Even though one easily can assume that the biggest challenges would be to demand solidarity among peers, one must remember that people also have a general need to contribute. Not doing anything can even have adverse health effects. People do not only need to consume – they need to feel they were given a purpose in life, to have some meaningful contribution.
The act of requiring a fair exchange is also assuming a lack of solidary behaviour. Putting it in a different context – the fulfilment of a fair exchange has a modern cultural requirement for the transaction to be fully completed in an act of direct equal trade. In a trade situation such as that – it is often required that one part provides their act of trade first and having to trust that the other part will fulfil their obligation of the same. By trading goods and services in such a manner, one only gives value to what is within the boundaries of a consequential transaction. For example – I need my hair cut, for this I provide a monetary trade with a hairdresser. After my hair has been cut, I complete the trade by providing the agreed monetary equivalent. But how do I value other things in life that gives my time experiencing them added value. If I walk along an empty beach seeing the waves come to shore, compared to walking along a lively beach with peoples and activities, seeing surfers control the power of the ocean. Surely this too gives value and provides moments in life that I can retell to others, giving added value to the time I spend with them. The surfers know you watch them, and they let you watch them for free. They provide you with a moment where you can dream of being able to do the same. But this latter is not given monetary value and is not part of the monetary system. Yet it is part of what gives one’s life added value. Perhaps this example does not speak well to all readers, but I am sure there are other examples that fit the same. But this is part of what solidarity is. It is not always doing something for someone with intent, but selflessly providing for someone without intent for an equal return. In a Solidaristic system, perhaps surfing is all the surfers will ever do, but they will be there for you to watch and admire – and perhaps to learn from as well; so too would the hairdresser who cuts my hair, be there to help give me better self-esteem.
