Time is a currency
One more step towards making the world a better place
Louisa, a bright and eager young economics student, hopped onto the bus with a spring in her step, heading to visit 87-year-old Marie Thomas. Winter was packing up and waving goodbye, while spring was peeking around the corner with promises of sunshine and blooms. Just last week, during one of her visits, Louisa and Marie had dreamed up big plans for Marie’s garden—a total makeover with weeding, planting, and a splash of color that would turn the lawn into a vibrant masterpiece. Naturally, Louisa had taken charge, picking up her favorite roses at the nursery earlier that morning.
Fast forward to today: mission accomplished! The garden was now weed-free, bursting with roses, and brimming with charm. Both Louisa and Marie were wiped out from their efforts but glowing with pride. It was tea time—a well-earned reward! As Louisa poured steaming cups of tea, Marie, fueled by caffeine and curiosity, peppered her with questions about her day and the all-important topic of her exams. These visits felt to Louisa like spending time with the grandmother she never had—except, funnily enough, Marie wasn’t her grandmother at all. They hadn’t met through family ties or childhood memories but through a quirky and wonderful concept called the “Time Bank.”
A few months earlier, Louisa had joined this clever system, a kind of trade network where people exchanged hours of help instead of money. Every hour Louisa spent tidying bookshelves, doing odd jobs, or channeling her inner gardener earned her a shiny “time credit” to use in the future. Marie, on the other hand, was cashing in the hours she had saved up during her younger days of helping others.
In Switzerland, the land of precision watches and delectable chocolate, the Time Bank has become quite the trend. The Swiss, it seems, have figured out something magical: a plan for the elderly that runs not on money, but on time with a generous sprinkling of kindness.
Every week, on The Lighter Side, I dive into a news story that catches my eye and sparks my imagination. With Christmas just around the corner, I was merrily browsing online for gifts for friends and family when I stumbled upon something truly delightful—a fascinating piece of research by an American scholar. This clever thinker proposed that society could explore other ways of paying for things beyond just money. Intriguing, right?
So, this week’s story isn’t about just one piece of news—it’s about the creative ways people have found to organize and support one another. It’s a tale of ingenuity, community, and a fresh perspective on what “value” really means. I hope it brings a little extra sparkle to your day!
The first big spark came from a man called Edgar Cahn
Let me tell you a story about a man named Dr. Edgar Cahn, who had a big heart and an even bigger idea to make the world a better place. Dr. Cahn wasn’t famous like movie stars or athletes, but when he passed away in 2022 at the age of 86, newspapers like The Washington Post and The New York Times wrote about his amazing life. That’s a rare honor, and he truly earned it!
Dr. Cahn and his wife, Jean Camper Cahn, were both lawyers. But they weren’t the kind of lawyers you see in movies arguing in court and making piles of money. No, they wanted to help people who couldn’t afford expensive lawyers. So, they started a law school where students could learn by helping those in need. Teachers and students would function pretty much the same way as they do in other law schools (which is to sit in classrooms and learn). But they would also spend a good share of their time practising law first-hand. This meant they would file cases in courts and argue them in front of judges (the teachers would do the arguing, while the students would help them with the research). Naturally, rich folks and large corporates would go to the large law firms to do their legal work. The underprivileged who lived in the neighbourhood of Cahn’s law school were the ones who came to them for help. This idea of teaching while helping others became so popular that now almost every law school in the U.S. does it!
Sadly, Jean passed away early in life from cancer. Dr. Cahn kept working hard to help others. Then, in 1980, something scary happened—he had a massive heart attack. The doctors told him he might not live more than two years and might only have two good hours a day. But Dr. Cahn wasn’t one to sit and mope. He thought, “If I only have two good hours a day, I’ll use them to make people see how valuable they are.”
And that’s when he came up with his brilliant idea: Time Banking!
Here’s how it works. Dr. Cahn believed that everyone has something valuable to offer. But he also noticed a big problem—when we only use money to measure value, we ignore many of the wonderful things people do, like a mom caring for her kids, someone planting trees for the good of the neighbourhood, or people standing up for what’s right. He thought, “What if we had a way to value everyone’s time equally, no matter what they’re doing?”
So, in a Time Bank, every hour is worth the same. Whether you spend an hour helping someone with their homework, cooking a meal, or fixing a leaky sink, it’s all equal. Here’s an example:
Let’s say you spend an hour helping your neighbor, Rahul, write an essay. You earn one Time Dollar.
Then, you can use that Time Dollar to ask another Time Bank member, Ranjan, to fix your bike.
Now, Ranjan has a Time Dollar, and he might use it to take a Hindi lesson from Radha.
Dr. Cahn’s idea became a modest success. Today, there are more than 500 Time Bank communities in the U.S. with over 40,000 members! People offer all sorts of skills, like cooking, gardening, babysitting, teaching yoga, organizing events, or even tutoring kids. When he first came up with Time Banking, he had a big question on his mind: Would the U.S. government tax this time-based income?
To make sure his system wouldn’t run into trouble, Dr. Cahn created some simple but important rules:
All hours are equal. It doesn’t matter if someone is tutoring math or giving a neighbor a ride to the doctor—every hour is worth the same.
Time credits are not for sale and cannot be turned into money.
They cannot be inherited. If you have unused time credits when you pass away, they can’t be given to someone else.
No legal obligation. If you earn time credits by helping someone, they don’t have to pay you back, though it’s encouraged. Since these credits are not enforceable by law, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service decided they don’t count as taxable income.
If you visited a small town in California called Sebastopol, where the Time Bank idea is alive and thriving, you are likely to bump into Gill, Ned, and Elaine. They help manage the local time bank and are neighbours. Gill is a computer programmer. He’s the guy everyone calls when their computer acts up. Ned loves tinkering in his garage and has fixed Gill’s car more times than he can count. Elaine is a carpenter and artist who creates stunning furniture pieces. While they exchange services through their Time Bank, they never pay for the time spent. If Elaine builds a chair for Gill, he’ll reimburse her for the cost of the wood, but her time is free. If Ned repairs Elaine’s car, she might offer him some homemade bread or Time Bank hours in return.
For Gill, Elaine, and Ned, the Time Bank is more than just a way to save money—it’s a way to make friends and build a strong community. “I’ve made wonderful friends I wouldn’t have met otherwise,” says Gill. “Now, we even invite each other to garden parties! It’s not just about exchanging services; it’s about being part of something bigger. You can’t put a price on that.”
Switzerland decided to build on Cahn’s plans
So far, Cahn’s time bank had modest successes at local community levels without any major push from governments. But the idea’s big moment came when local officials in a city called St Gallen in Switzerland was faced with a problem in 2011. On a chilly morning some officials in the Swiss town of St. Gallen were scratching their heads over a big problem: there just wasn’t enough money to provide all the services the elderly needed. Inspired by Edgar Cahn’s Time Bank concept, they thought, Why not use time instead of money?
And so, with a spark of ingenuity, St. Gallen launched a heartwarming initiative called Foundation Time Care. Volunteers could “deposit” hours by helping elderly people in their community. These hours were then “saved” in their account, and later, when the volunteers grew older and needed care themselves, they could “withdraw” their deposited hours to receive help. It was a win-win for everyone! Seniors in St.Gallen now stay in their cozy homes and live independently for longer, while the government saved money—because without this program, many seniors would have needed to move into government-run care facilities.
But the benefits didn’t stop there! The younger volunteers also found themselves feeling more secure and hopeful about their own futures. Knowing they would receive the same kind of care someday gave them peace of mind.
With Foundation Time Care, St. Gallen wasn’t just solving a financial problem—it was rekindling a beautiful, age-old spirit of togetherness, reminding everyone that caring for each other is what makes a community strong.
Today, there are over time banks across 48 countries with nearly half a million members, according to TimeBanks.org
The Lighter Side magazine ‘Bag of Tales - 2024’ is out!
If stories like this make your heart happy and you love the feeling of curling up with a book, the smell of fresh paper in your hands, then you’re in for a treat! I’ve handpicked 12 amazing real-world stories and turned them into a delightful book. It’s our special end-of-year magazine for kids—a magazine that feels just like reading one of your favorite storybooks. The book has 12 real world stories that tell us that all news stories don’t have to be negative and scary. There is much positivity and good cheer to go around. After each story, I’ve curated an interesting activity that will be fun to do (puzzles, sketch work, games and more). Early birds - grab this book for INR 399/.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab your copy today! And if you know friends aged 7+ who adore reading, this makes the perfect gift to brighten their day. Let’s make storytime extra special this year! 🌟📚