Perhaps the final value of GreatCoin would reside not solely in its financial value, but in the cultural value it carries of signifying an individual who has sacrificed on behalf of the greater good. In this way GreatCoin acts like a piece of ownership in the life-affirming planetary economy we are working to birth.

A Priceless Task

The values and concepts of the financial industry provide the logic for today’s Industrial Growth Society. It is worth noting that all profits in the financial world that are paid out in the future are discounted to a reduced amount when an analyst is trying to determine the present day valuation of a company. That is because money paid today is worth at least the principle amount multiplied by the rate of risk-free interest as defined by US government treasure bills when compared to the value of that same amount of money being paid a year from now. The inverse is true for debt—in that paying a debt today is worth more than paying it a year from now, because the principle will be compounded by the rate of interest as defined by the contract.

Through this lens, nearly all of the activities that must occur for a successful Great Turning will have some sort of very real, financial cost associated with them. If we consider these costs as an inevitable expense if we are to avoid catastrophe, then by the logic of Wall Street, paying those expenses today is worth substantially more than paying them in the future. In addition, by paying them today, a multiplicity of positive externalities that have very positive financial benefits for the Earth community are realized including unforeseen R&D breakthroughs based on organic life, and the avoidance of mass trauma and instability associated with natural calamities.

Not every action required for the Great Turning can be captured as a user story. However, by dredging some percentage of the task at hand out of the unconscious unknown and expressing it in hopeful, solution-driven terms, there may be an opportunity to radically increase planetary engagement and accelerate positive transformation. The North won against the South in the American Civil War for economic reasons, as was the case with the Allies against the Axis in World War II. With extremely well capitalized big interests standing in the way of global change, it would be a meaningful step to continue to integrate a financial perspective into revolutionary efforts as is being done with impact investing and planet positive businesses such as Elon Musk's Tesla Motors.