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02 SEP 2004
Funny money
Chapter 6 emphasizes informality, an artistic and theatrical and spiritual exercise, before any game rules are applied. Then minimize the rules, so they don't distort this experience, but enhance enjoyment as the bottom line.
9811
03 SEP 2004
Missionary consciousness
Assumes our dual nature: divine and separated, saved and sinner. Which side controls our lives? Separation and sin have ruled for thousands of years, are ingrained like original sin. How to convert?Hard to do in isolation. The missionary converts him/herself by focusing on others. We are all sinners needing to be saved.
Missionary consciousness focuses on the divine in the other person and contrasts this with the hell and death of separation. It's a fervent desire to rescue a loved one.
It's the missionary who gets saved by this exercise, before anybody else. And it needs to be repeated because, like the alcoholic, sin is ingrained in our brains and culture, and must be overcome every day for the rest of our lives. The missionary never stops being a sinner.
9812
11 SEP 2004
Forced funny
The missionary act puts the listener into a box, their soul in peril, a prescribed course of salvation. Uncomfortable, they want to escape, to reject this position.The funny mission gives them an escape route: It's all a joke. They don't have to believe in it. It's false and funny.
The mission forces them to the funny conclusion. Now they can play in the box without believing it, a structure for fun.
9826
15 SEP 2004
Artistic rules
From 9811, funny money is informal and theatrical, not rule-bound. But game rules could take over. We can put something in the middle: artistic rules.This puts art first, and enjoyment and funniness. We create rules to generate these soft products, which have no rules and change all the time.
We take the word "rules" away from the games, which would make them law.
9832
16 SEP 2004
Funny mission funny enough?
Add funny elements. Structure is funny but short.Pursue comedy to continue. Learn, practice, perform.
This recognizes that the funny mission may not be funny enough full-time. Funny money will move us into comedy, practical funniness. And funny world is only 10% mission. Generic comedy is the main industry.
9819
16 SEP 2004
Virtual funny money
Ad-hoc funniness builds credit. It builds our identity as a funny person. Then our funny money is good.9806 pointed the way: Our identity and perception as a funny person supports our currency. This is a level higher than earning funny money for our comedy.
Whose money is good? Those we perceive as funny people. The basis of our currency moves up to the funniest, those who've spread their funniness freely. They don't need to earn funny money. They are funny. Then they can issue funny money. Their money is good.
This could be a critical status boundary. Are you funny or not funny? Is your money good or not?
9837
23 SEP 2004
Funny money inspiration
The funny mission is entertaining and incredible and finally dumps its followers out in the secular funny money marketplace. There we will find more general grassroots support for an alternative to the insane and cruel rule of serious money. Still incredible and of course funny, funny money will tap into widespread desires and resentments and hopes for a better way.Inspirational literature is all we have for the funny mission, but in the case of funny money it goes along with action. It accompanies the making and exchange of the funny money, and is written on the funny money. Inspiration and action are integrated.
9848
25 SEP 2004
Funny money myths
Distributing funnies is missionary activity, abundant, limited by how much people will accept. It can be further limited to $100/hr, or $1/minute with a $40 bonus after an hour. Some scarcity increases the value, but distribution is still liberal.That's really not much of a game or economy. It's an important grassroots activity, spreading the word. Why should people want to collect funny money? There have to be some myths about the money, printed on the funnies.
Build the funny economy/funny world: What you hold is capital, shares in a new world. At this stage it's only an idea, and the funnies aren't regulated. But they can get upgraded to game capital. Instead of throwing them away, give them to other players. That way you support the funny economy.
Break the serious money monopoly: Declare an alternative. Our funny money can do whatever we want.
Magic money: Symbolic of new age values, changing consciousness. To be revered as sacred objects. Giving and receiving funny money is a ritual transaction full of drama and significance.
9856
28 SEP 2004
Scarce resource
Money has to be based on something scarce to maintain its value. Humor is always in demand. There's never enough of it. It's sound economics to base funny money on the scarce value of humor.Of course all the serious currencies are based on nothing whatsoever. Now that's funny.
9864