Bernard Lietaer - The Future of Money - Full Book

A California ‘Really Big One’ In comparison with the monetary breakdown, a significant earthquake in California may appear parochial. It is also one of the most studied risks around. According to the US Geological Survey study released in July 1990, there is a 670/0 chance that an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 or greater (Richter scale) will occur in the San Francisco Bay Area within 30 years. It may happen today or 20 years from now.

Consequence of a combination This example of the 'Really Big One' is used in 'Careful Communities' not to pile up disaster upon disaster gratuitously, but to illustrate how - if the monetary breakdown is serious enough central governments could become quite incapable of dealing with local breakdowns. People would have to reorganize their lives to be more local and self-sustaining, and very different forms of governance - like the ones reflected in this scenario - could become plausible.

The forces feeding ‘Careful Communities’ The Careful Communities scenario is driven by a collective reaction of retreating to safety. It makes a priority of the local security and community concerns that are already evident in today's society.

When money breaks down, all outstanding financial agreements such as salaries or rents - become meaningless. Life savings are wiped away in days, leaving people suddenly exposed to a future more uncertain than they ever thought possible. In these circumstances, collective fears and shadows can surge up powerfully.

But in several parts of the world, even more extreme forms of what is described here have already happened. In Yugoslavia, what started