Tit-for-Tat
It goes back to the basic idea of fair trade. Have you ever had that odd experience of looking at a dollar bill or even a penny and wondering, “What the heck is this supposed to mean?” An objective symbol that we call “money” is strange, if you think about it. Why should that particular object have an inherent value? And who sets that value?
No, there is a real value to “stuff.” Remember when you had a Barlow jackknife and you wanted your best friend’s really cool hat? Fair swap. He got the knife (which he’d wanted forever, or at least since last month) and you got the hat (which you’ve always wanted, at least until you saw him wear it last week). Desires achieved, and everybody involved felt that they’d made ahead of the deal.
There is a basic, almost emotional, value in the concept of exchanging one object for another. It doesn’t even have to be an object: An act for an act, or an object for a service serves just as well. Everyone has gift, whether it’s an ability to repair small two-stroke engines or grow roses. Perhaps it’s that old length of chain that’s been quietly rusting in the corner of your basement or the set of china dishes that has been packed away since your grand-aunt Nancy died 20 years ago. Something you have does involve inherent value, and someone, somewhere wants it.
So, how do you begin? Oddly enough, it’s easy.
- Use Your Contacts
You already have neighbors, friends, relatives. Get the word out and let them know that you are willing to swap this for that. “Hey, Frank. Heard you got a nice, big elk this year. How about I fix that chainsaw in exchange for a few pounds of meat?” - Be Creative
Plumbing is one of those great mysteries to you, but fine carpentry is a snap. You love the challenge of making the wood work. So, your neighbor’s brother’s friend has a back doorstep that needs repairing and, hey, he just happens to know how to fix that hot water heater. - Be fair
Tit-for-tat must first, last and always be satisfying for all concerned. If anybody involved in the deal thinks they’ve been taken advantage of, then it’s not a good deal. It’s not only good trade, it’s good ethics. Make sure that everyone is happy at the end of the day. Negotiate? Sure. But remember that the next trade could happen next month.
So, at the end of the day, sit on the grapevine chair you traded for an hour’s work cleaning out Susan’s garage and hauling the stuff to the county dump (except for the screen door you installed at George’s house in exchange for that croquette set your kids are playing with right now). Life is good. Life is simple. Stuff is stuff and fair trade is tit for tat.
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