But money itself is a slippery concept, clouded in priestly mystery. Working out an effective strategy to control it rather than let it control us is a formidable challenge. But it is a prerequisite to economic liberation, social justice and environmental sustainability. Compelling everyone to use the same currency reflects the impulse to centralize power, and there are strong economic and political arguments against it. 3 Rural local economies suffer too.
Unemployment then rises, land and other resources are underused, and local needs are unmet.
Economists like Milton Friedman have seen this lack of flexibility as a convincing argument against the single European currency. But he and other mainstream economists and politicians seem not to recognize that it applies to single national currencies too. You have to look to the grassroots for pointers to the future in this respect. It would give people and organizations a range of appropriate currencies to use for different purposes. Computerized banking systems can easily handle customers' accounts in more than one currency.