Four day work week, page-3

I've often wondered about the first trading enterprises - how would they have developed and evolved?


Day one - some person makes a wonderful stone axe

Day one - some person finds they have fantastic hunting and gathering skills.


Week 2 --- the hunter finds that they are total crap at making stone axes and that the axe maker -they don't really like hunting and they are a dud at it.


End of week 2 - both people are sitting at the bar - munching peanuts and drinking a beer.


The hunter says - I've got an idea! How would you feel about - if I brought you a leg of rhinoceros, dressed and hung - and, you make me one axe?

The axe maker says - 'sounds good to me cobber' - what size axe?


So, the first trade agreement is done - at the bar, interestingly.

The best berry gatherer hears of this and their partner is a crap arrowhead maker, but, also a good hunter - and, they come to the axe maker and say ------- I've heard about the deal you have - how about 4 arrow heads for a possum skin of blueberries?

The axemaker says ----- na, they are little and take too much time - but, if you give me a skin of blueberries for each day for 2 days (fresh that day) - then, I'll be happy with that.

And, so - another deal is done.


Now - there will come some stages where things change ----------- the axemaker has an advantage - he can work in all weather - inside the cave, fire on, drinking beer and chipping away.

But, he has some limits --------- there's only 24 hours in a day - and, he can only use so much meat and so many blueberries.

what to do? - well, he's limited by time for his labour - only way about that one is to employ people cheaper than he can do deals or mechanize -

and, he can also trade the excess meat and berries - say, for clothing and firewood.



ok - I think we can continue the story from there - to walk through how we got to where we are now -

which - IMO - is rather stupid in comparison to the first deal the people in the bar with peanuts and beer did - their deals made sense - ours??? not so much.