One For All

A Cabdriver’s Solution to the Recession

The economic crisis spurs a Vermont cabdriver to trust his customers to determine their fares. His leap of faith nears the altruistic Law of Nature and the real solution to the world crises.

Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a community, a town, a state, a country, or a world where everyone took care of each other’s needs? Think about it, all your needs for food, housing, income, education and transportation being given to you by members of the community in which you live! Sounds like a pipe dream, but this is exactly what Eric Hagen thought to do, by allowing patrons to decide the cost of his taxi service.

The sign on his taxi reading, “Pay What You Want!” surprised and delighted members of the Essex Vermont community where Hagen lives. In an article appearing in the Associated Press on August 3rd of this year, Hagen explains that he came up with the idea of a “Recession Ride Taxi” using the philosophy that his patrons would decide the price of their fares. He told the Associated Press that most of his clients paid in cash, but one woman paid with a gift card to a supermarket, and a musician once paid with a CD.

Eric Hagen took a leap of faith, trusting that if he took care of the needs of his community, his patrons would take care of him, and it paid off. When asked how this approach was working for him, Hagen said he has yet to be short changed.

One For All – The Operating System of Nature

When we look around us we see how beautifully this concept works to sustain every living organism in the world, from the tiniest particle, to the vast universe, a natural and automatic give and take. We can look at our own bodies as an example of how all the complex functions of every cell, organ and system work together to mutually benefit the health of the whole body. Each part of the body does its job to give what is needed to all the other parts and, in return, each organ or cell of the body is supplied with what it needs. Every independent element works for the benefit of the whole, and the entire body is sustained and thrives with this natural principle of giving and taking. In fact, every living organism comprises a combination of cells and organs that work together and complement each other in perfect harmony. This law of cell and organ integration works according to the altruistic principle of “one for all” and operates in every living structure.

Conversely, if one part of the body stops functioning properly, the affect is felt within the entire body, not just in the part that is “sick.” Every cell and organ is connected within the general system of the whole human body.

Nature’s law is true for humanity’s body as well. It is certain that in today’s global village, all of humanity is intertwined and connected on every level: economically, socially, environmentally and electronically, to name a few obvious connections. When one part of humanity’s body begins thinking of only itself, instead of for the whole, the negative affect ripples through every connection, and is felt as a sickness – a crisis. We see the manifestations of this illness in humanity as crises in the environment, the global economy, education, failing governmental systems, and terrorism; these are the “pains” felt by our collective whole.

Balancing Giving and Receiving

To cure the crises we can look to nature and its laws for the answer. The science of Kabbalah explains that there are two forces governing all of nature: giving and receiving. These forces comprise all the interconnected relationships found in the tiniest particle, in every cell, within a human body, and within humanity’s body. In nature, the giving and receiving are balanced. If the force of receiving becomes greater than the force of giving within any system, that system breaks down, becomes sick, and a crisis develops.

Kabbalah is the practical method of attaining balance and harmony with nature’s forces – the forces that influence and create our communities, our towns, our states, our countries, and our world. Like Eric Hagen and his “Recession Ride Taxi,” if each person feels himself as a part of the greater whole, takes part in the health and well being of each other, and consciously chooses to act as, “One for All,” there will be no more crises, and humanity will be healed.