I'll confess to not listening to the interview either, but having spent many hours in conversation with Kenny in my living room, my office, and most of all my kitchen, I've learned a lot about his vision. Nevertheless, I had a similar thought to Monica's when I first read Erika's article.

But that thought doesn't just apply to Kenny. It applies to any "gift economy." Even on as grand a scale as Burning Man, it's only possible because so much capital flows in from the outside that this amazing, seemingly money-less event is even remotely possible.

Rainbow Gatherings are not dissimilar. The equipment; the coordination; the supplies -- these are all sourced by money. Even when the food comes from dumpster-diving, it was available to be thrown away because it was originally purchased into inventory, and it's even in the dumpster because the financial calculation of its revenue vs. liability is now in the negative.

The difference isn't whether money is involved. It's whether it's counted. There are no human interactions in the world that aren't made possible through the medium of exchange. My wife can only breast-feed our newborn daughter because she's able to eat enough calories to produce milk from the groceries that I buy. But can you think of a less economically-driven interaction than a mother with her newborn child?

Not counting money is a strategy often executed by the extremely wealthy. The cliched line from the billionaire is "money is no object" or "we spared no expense." When you are pursuing highly materialistic goals (including noble ones like private space flight or creating truly free markets,) these mean you paid the price without counting the cost. But Kenny pursues relationships, experiences, and communities. And in this, he can say like the billionaire "I don't care how much it costs" and find a way to reach his goals with little or no money.

It's the same concept; it just works in reverse.

Sure, I helped finance Kenny's time in Acapulco. I didn't do it because he laid out a fee schedule and a per-diem expense requirement that I found satisfactory. I simply said "I want you here to support my family as we prepare for the conference and our new child and I'll cover your expenses in order to have that." And he said "well, then that will make it possible and I look forward to being there."

We didn't agree on rates or expense limits. I just knew that Kenny would offer whatever I needed and he knew that I would make sure he was comfortable and neither of us ran a spreadsheet for it.

Interestingly enough, we DID run a spreadsheet for part of his stay, and that is the group house he set up to help Anarchapulco attendees be able to afford the conference. I fronted the money for it and he maintained meticulous books to ensure that I received that money back. Thus ensuring that we can do the same thing again next year.

But he didn't give the guests in the house fixed rates. He simply asked them to support the house in what they thought was fair, and they did, even paying out a bit more than what I'd put up allowing Kenny to walk away with some extra money to help him move on to his next goal.

So that's the strategy -- not to eschew money but to avoid counting it and maximizing it and focusing on the numeric outcome rather than the human relationships and experiences that result.

Now... ALL THIS being said, I wouldn't choose the same lifestyle for myself. In my case, it's because I have a family. I choose to count very carefully in order to ensure that my wife and children are comfortable and happy. I count carefully in order to make sure that the Anarchapulco conference can continue to take place year-to-year. I count carefully to make my customers successful in my consulting business and get everyone on my staff paid in order to support their families as well.

That's the path I've chosen, but it demands no diminishing of Kenny's choices. I admire his path and will continue supporting it long into the future.