Sacred Economics Money

Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity; destroyed community; and necessitated endless growth. Today, these trends have reached their extreme - but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great opportunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sustainable way of being.

Disruptive events have the power to alter even the most basic assumptions we have about our lives and profoundly change the way we live them. To many, such dramatic and sudden shifts can create chaos, confusion, and fear. However, Garrett asserts that disruption—while sometimes painful in its abruptness—can also be a time rife with opportunity for incredible growth and transformation by allowing it to shake us out of what he calls a “losing game”. When disruption happens, we create a space to play a new game, a “winning game”.

Before Columbus's fateful voyage in 1492, no European had ever seen, much less tasted, tobacco or chocolate. Initially dismissed as dry leaves and an odd Indian drink, these two commodities came to conquer Europe on a scale unsurpassed by any other American resource or product. A fascinating story of contact, exploration, and exchange in the Atlantic world, Sacred Gifts, Profane Pleasures traces the ways in which these two goods of the Americas both changed and were changed by Europe.