That transaction between plant and aphid and lady beetle is not mysterious. It make sense to us in terms of our own place in the food web. But consider how the sum of all transactions in a food web creates this thing that we call ecosystem, or environment, or each unique place on earth. It is truly a case of the whole being more than the sum of the parts.

We generally do not, however, carry the understandings we gain from nature into the interactions between humans. If you ever ran a business you will understand parts of this. In each economic transaction there is that same sort relationships – except is not about predator and prey. When you are trying to sell a product or service to a customer, your primary concern is not about what the business gets out of it. It is about what value you can deliver to the customer. Unless you can deliver that value you will lose the customer, and all the referrals that a happy customer might make. If you lose enough customers, then you can't pay your bills, and the economy contracts. On the other hand if you can deliver that value, you will attract more customers, possibly expand, buy more supplies and the economy expands.

Living in place does not stop at the relationships in your garden. My place also includes other people. And other people have things and skills and needs. And this thing we call economy is the sum of the transactions between people that occur in this place – in the same way that an ecosystem is the sum of the transactions between plants and creatures in a place. We can enhance the economy by participating in it. We can diminish the economy by preventing the transfer of value. No one of us is in control but living in place means understanding that we create the economy as we are created by it.