環(huán)球英語—862：Living Without Money

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Welcome to Spotlight, I'm Adam Navis.
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And I'm Marina Santee. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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"I feel free. My heart is my home now."
Voice 1
Today's Spotlight is on Heidemarie Schwermer. Heidemarie believes that people today have a problem. We place too much value on money and things. She believes that we have started to define ourselves by what we own. To fight against this, she has been living without money for over thirteen years.
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In most places in the world, Heidemarie is unusual. Most people use money for everything. It is the way to get what we need. But it is not the only way. There are many situations that can force a person to live without money - situations like war, or natural disasters. And all of these situations are troubling. The people facing this extreme poverty and difficulty need help.
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But Heidemarie Shwermer had money. She had a job and a home. She chose to give it all away. She chose to live without money.
Heidemarie stopped using money because she wanted to help people. She had moved to a new town in Germany. She saw that there were many people living on the streets. Many people did not have jobs or homes. So she started a group that she hoped would help.
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It was called Gib und Nimm. In English this means Give and Take. It was a place where people from the city could bring goods and services to trade. So, for example, if you were good at fixing electricity you would offer that service. Another person may be good at cutting hair. So you would trade services. People could also trade goods. If you had books you were finished reading, you could bring them in. Another person may have extra clothes. You could trade books for clothes.
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This is not a new idea. Before money existed, this is how society worked. Everyone would trade goods and services with each other. And this is the way life still works in places where people have very little money.
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Heidemarie hoped that the people living on the streets would come to her Give and Take. But they did not. They did not think that she could understand them. They did not think her new idea would help. But this did not stop Heidemarie. She still wanted to make a difference.
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So she started giving away everything she owned. She decided that she was not going to buy anything. She would only give away or trade. People did not always understand her. But Heidemarie says that the more she gave away, the better she felt.
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So how did Heidemarie survive without using money? Heidemarie was trained as a therapist. She would listen to people talk and try to help them with their problems. She was able to give this service for many things she needed, like eye glasses. She believed that all work had value. She did not think that having more education made her better than other people. So she also started doing other jobs, like cleaning and washing.
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Finally, in 1996, Heidemarie made a big decision. She decided to give up her job and her house and live without any money for one year. She would move from house to house offering services for a place to sleep. She would get food and clothing by trading. She only carried around a few things.
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She loved this way of life so much that she is still doing it today, over thirteen years later! Here is how she explained her new life to the British newspaper The Times,
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"Life became much more exciting and beautiful. I had everything I needed. I knew I could not go back to my old life. I had much joy. My body felt better than it ever had. But, living without money was just a first step. I knew that I wanted to change the world. But, I could not change the world just by giving my services for a place to stay. I knew I had to do more."
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This is why Heidemarie now travels to many places to talk to people about her life. She wrote a book about her life. And soon there will be a film about her, too. She hopes that people will see her story and think about their own lives. Heidemarie knows that the divide between rich people and poor people is growing. And she hopes that she can plant a seed in people's hearts. She hopes people will ask themselves "What do I need? How do I want to live?"
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Heidemarie also believes that money can get in the way of happiness. She says that all people have value and worth and skills to share. This is more important than money and things. But she also knows that the people who have money feel safe. They do not want to give it up. And she knows that there are many people without money who need food, homes, and health. This is not an easy problem to solve.
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The problem of rich and poor has been around a long time. The Bible talks about this problem a lot. Christians believe that God cares about the poor. God also warns people about being rich. He says that being rich in money and wealth can cause many problems. One Bible verse says,
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"The love of money is the cause of all kinds of evil. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith. They cause themselves a lot of pain."
1 Timothy 6: 10
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Sometimes, people use this saying incorrectly. They say that "money is the cause of all evil." But the Bible is saying that the love of money is the problem. The problem with money is that people start to value it more than anything else. But the Bible teaches that God wants us to value people and relationships and service.
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Heidemarie believes this, too. She knows that people need money to survive. But she also knows that too many people believe that money is the most important thing. She hopes that her life choices can get people thinking about how they value money. She wants people to feel free.