Living Unchained: Building a moneyless, post scarcity society

In this episode, Justin Fairchild explores real communities and movements around the world that are redefining wealth, work, and value. From time-banks to worker co-ops, from Auroville to open-source networks, these models show that life beyond money isn’t fantasy — it’s foundation. 💭  We don’t end the old world by fighting it. We outgrow it by living differently.

In nature, nothing hoards. Nothing takes more than it needs. So why do we? In this episode, Justin Fairchild explores what it means to live in balance — to find the quiet harmony between ambition and rest, giving and receiving, humanity and the natural world. Through reflection, ecology, and the principles of Contributionism, he reminds us that the cure for scarcity isn’t more wealth — it’s wisdom...

We grow up believing people get what they deserve — that success, suffering, and love are all earned. In this episode, Justin Fairchild dismantles that story, exploring how the idea of deservedness keeps us trapped in guilt, competition, and comparison. Through personal reflection and the lens of Contributionism, he offers a radical alternative: a world where worth is inherent, compassion is uncon...

They say time is money — but what if that’s the lie that keeps us running? In this episode, Justin explores how capitalism turned time into currency, how it fractured our sense of peace, and how reclaiming our hours through rest, slowness, and contribution can restore our humanity. Through story, reflection, and a touch of philosophy,  Reclaiming Time  invites us to live more deeply and intentiona...

After exploring money and mental health in the last episode, Justin turns outward to explore how communities heal together. From loneliness and burnout to the quiet strength of compassion, this episode reveals how cooperation, generosity, and shared purpose form the real wealth of a thriving society. Through personal stories and reflections on Contributionism, Justin shows how caring — freely, fea...

Money doesn’t just buy or sell — it shapes how we feel, how we think, and how we see ourselves. In this deeply personal episode, Justin Fairchild opens up about his own struggles with financial anxiety, burnout, and the quiet mental toll of living in a world where survival has a price tag. Through reflection and story, he explores how Contributionism — the practice of giving freely and living thro...

Raised in Christianity, Siddha Yoga, and Scientology, Justin shares how each tradition carried both truth and falsehood, yet never offered the connection he longed for. Money often shaped what was taught, faith filtered through the lens of the teacher. But through it all, God pulled him in another direction — toward contributionism as worship. In this episode, Justin explores how money has chained...

Throughout history, the wealthy have relied on one timeless strategy: keep people divided so they cannot rise together. From Rome’s “bread and circuses” to colonial America’s racial laws, from strike-breaking propaganda to today’s culture wars, division has always served the ruling class. In this episode, Justin traces the pattern across centuries, shares personal reflections on division and solid...

Crime, drug abuse, and family violence are often blamed on “bad people” or moral weakness. But what if they are predictable outcomes of a society where survival depends on money? In this episode, Justin examines how scarcity drives crime, profit fuels addiction, and financial stress magnifies abuse behind closed doors. Weaving in personal stories of his grandfather’s alcoholism, his time working i...

Money shapes our worth, faith directs our trust, and relationships define who we are. But under a money system, all three are distorted — money mediates love, faith is misplaced in failing institutions, and relationships are strained or commodified. In this episode, Justin reflects on how these forces have played out in his own life and community, explores the historical and cultural ways they’ve...

Capitalism tells us we owe wages to bosses, taxes to the state, and payments to banks — obligations measured in money and debt. But what do we truly owe each other as human beings? In this episode, Justin explores the history of obligation, from religion and philosophy to contracts and credit, and contrasts it with moments of solidarity like mutual aid and community care. He lays out contributioni...

Democracy is praised as “rule by the people,” but what happens when money speaks louder than votes? In this episode, Justin traces democracy’s roots from Athens to modern America, exposing how capitalism distorts politics through lobbying, campaign financing, media control, and voter suppression. He explores the myth of equal representation, highlights alternative democratic experiments, and shows...

We’re told justice is blind. Courthouses proclaim  “Equal Justice Under Law.”  But can justice truly exist in a system built on inequality? In this episode, Justin traces the history of justice from Hammurabi to modern capitalism, revealing how laws have often protected property and the powerful over people. He explores the myth of equal justice, alternative models like restorative and indigenous...

Whenever people hear about a moneyless society, the first question is often:  “Isn’t that just communism?”  In this episode, Justin unpacks communism’s ideals and its authoritarian realities, explores the Socialist Party of Great Britain’s long-standing vision of a moneyless, wageless, stateless world, and looks at real-world experiments in communal living — from monasteries to kibbutzim to modern...

Politicians and corporations praise “progress,” but what are we actually progressing toward? This episode challenges GDP, economic growth, and technological advancement as measures of success, and asks: is true progress about more stuff, or more life? Justin contrasts capitalism’s definition with contributionism’s vision of collective flourishing.

From houses to land to even intellectual property, ownership is treated as natural and absolute. But is it real — or just a fragile illusion enforced by law, debt, and power? Justin explores the history of ownership, indigenous and alternative perspectives, and the freedom found when we replace ownership with stewardship and contribution.

Work dominates modern identity — we ask people “What do you do?” as if labor is the whole of life. But does work free us, or does it confine us to survival at the expense of creativity and joy? This episode traces the history of work, the burnout of modern labor culture, and how contributionism reframes work as gift rather than burden.

The free market is often touted as the path to equality and fairness — but does it deliver? In this head-to-head comparison, Justin examines how free market capitalism functions in practice versus how contributionism reimagines survival, cooperation, and dignity.

During the pandemic, “essential workers” were praised yet poorly protected. What does “essential” really mean, and who gets to decide? This episode explores how capitalism defines essentials through profit, and how contributionism offers a radically different lens rooted in human need.

Capitalism prides itself on freedom of choice — from the marketplace to the workplace. But how free are our choices when they’re shaped by survival, wages, and manipulation? Justin unpacks the illusion of choice and invites listeners to reclaim decisions that feel authentically their own.

We often think of slavery as a thing of the past — but when survival depends on selling labor, taking on debt, and obeying the rules of profit, is capitalism just a softer form of bondage? This episode dives into the parallels and differences between slavery and wage labor, and what it means to be truly free.

The U.S. Declaration of Independence promises life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — but does capitalism deliver on that ideal, or stand in its way? In this episode, Justin explores how happiness was originally defined, how capitalism measures up in practice, and what alternatives could better support human flourishing.

As Ben peers into history, he sees the scaffolding of the old order: lies of scarcity, myths of competition, and the relentless story of money as necessity. To move forward, he must confront the illusions that built his world—and decide whether to keep believing them. For updates on all things "Waking Up" and or to purchase the book to tag along with this seasons BookCast visit www.wakin...

In the season finale, Peter undergoes reconciliation instead of punishment, facing those harmed by his actions and beginning a true transformation. Ben joins circles of dialogue and design, witnessing how a post-money world organizes itself through trust, participation, and shared imagination. And for the first time, he envisions a home—not just survival. Season 5 closes with a challenge: what sma...

At Peter’s Alaska base, the old world makes its last desperate move: hijacked robots, hostages, and a philosophy of control. But resistance doesn’t come with bigger guns—it comes with rhythm, resonance, and forgiveness. Amo is wounded, Ben subdues Peter, and the group chooses care over domination. In the end, the “sound of us” isn’t fear or force—it’s the harmony of people working together to prot...