Human beings live and work in a network of transactions, by which they define themselves.  Money is not always a factor, as is becoming more apparent observing social networking proliferate.  Promises - tangible and intangible - are key.  And dignity and identity are important elements - positive or negative.

This is as important for post-moderns as it was for ancient hunters and gatherers. EG, a New Guinea hunter gives his mother-in-law a prime piece of his game. This transaction is crucial to his understanding of his world and who he is. The knowledge worker who knows who to go to access something she needs, or the manager who awards a subordinate, are affirming a set of relationships that are fundamental to their interpretation of their roles: those networks of identity are powerful currencies.  My husband was a volunteer fireman for 17 years.  This participation in community, together with the skills, challenges, and triumphs involved, substanitally shapes the meaning of his life.