We’re all familiar with the expression, “Time is money.” For mathematic fanatics, you can calculate exactly how much your time is worth by using this formula: V=(W((100-t)/100))/C. Math is Greek to me, despite the fact that I managed to squeak by in Calculus, so don’t hold me accountable.

However, you don’t need to use the formula to know that the value of a doctor’s time is worth far more than a child care provider’s. The money a lawyer makes in two hours may take about two days for a carpenter to earn. The list of comparisons goes on and on, and one trend becomes apparent: Certain kind of jobs such as advocating for social change, caring for the vulnerable people such as children, elderly, and the frail, and even working to protect the environment are not considered on par with specialized work such as those in the legal, medical, and technology fields. A chasm is widening between the those who generally have “marketable” skills and those who do not. Is there a bridge to reconcile these two groups?

One possible solution is the concept of Time Banking, a social change movement. According to the website, “At its most basic level, Time Banking is simply about spending an hour doing something for somebody in your community. That hour goes into the Time Bank as a Time Dollar.” Keep in mind that the price of the Time Dollar is not calculated according to market value. Each hour of any service offered translates to exactly one Time Dollar, no more or no less. This isn’t to be confused with a barter system, where someone fixes your car, and then you return the favor by performing a service with similar monetary value. So cleaning a house from top to bottom, repairing a computer, drafting up legal documents, or simply spending time with someone are all on equal footing in terms of value in the Time Banking system.

The website then goes on to to explain that “…you have a Time dollar to spend on having someone doing something for you. It’s a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections.” Community connections which, in recent generations, have crumbled like crumbs from a freshly-baked cookie. Used to be a time when families ate at the dinner table every evening, elders were respected, and neighborhoods were relatively safe enough that children could play without adult supervision.

Nowadays, it’s more likely that people would not know their neighbors. Instead of family members taking turns caring for the infirm (remember a certain room where Grandma/Grandpa would take really long naps?), professionals provide hospice services. No one is willing to take responsibility for each other anymore. In short, there is no longer a village to raise a child. That sense of detachment within the communities is what Time Banking hopes to eradicate. The concept of earning one time dollar for each hour of service provided may be a simple idea, but one that they hope would generate a ripple effect within the communities and beyond. People would *gasp* take the time to know each other. Someone with a Jaguar in the garage could assist a person who happens to drive a beat-up hooptie, and vice versa. Maybe then, they could foster a bond that transcends beyond which tax bracket a person is in.

These are the five core values that Time Banking promotes:

Assets
We are all assets.
Every human being has something to contribute.

Redefining Work
Some work is beyond price.
Work has to be redefined to value whatever it takes to raise healthy children, build strong families, revitalize neighborhoods, make democracy work, advance social justice, make the planet sustainable. That kind of work needs to be honored, recorded and rewarded.

Reciprocity
Helping works better as a two-way street.
The question: “How can I help you?” needs to change so we ask: “How can we help each other build the world we both will live in?”

Social Networks
We need each other.
Networks are stronger than individuals. People helping each other reweave communities of support, strength & trust. Community is built upon sinking roots, building trust, creating networks. Special relationships are built on commitment.

Respect
Every human being matters.
Respect underlies freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and everything we value. Respect supplies the heart and soul of democracy. When respect is denied to anyone, we all are injured. We must respect where people are in the moment, not where we hope they will be at some future point.

Gradually, individuals help rebuild neighborhoods and strengthen communities, just like how it used to be. One person commented that he used to live in a small town when he was little, where everyone knew his name. “You felt like family. And that’s what I feel like with Time Banking…they’re my family.”

The gift of time is the best gift you can give someone. “Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time,” says Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, philosopher and entrepreneur. Time banking is an innovative approach, one that values giving as much as receiving. Eventually, Time Banking hopes to create “a large scale parallel economy of people taking care of each other,” according to Mark McDonough, current chief technology officer.

This may just be one bank that I would not mind making a deposit in. After all, there’s no time like the present. Gift-wrapped with pretty bows, of course.