¶ The 4+1 H.e.l.f.a. rules
The 4+1 rules help people, with all their differences, to organize themselves and to live, get along and work well together within our 4+1 group types.
Within these 4+1 basic rules, all people can contribute their skills and develop accordingly at their own pace.
¶ Synopsis
¶ Rule 1: Gift - Free or at cost price
¶ Summary:
- So it is a gift (legally relevant).
- The cost price is a pass on of costs that occur outside of H.e.l.f.a. can arise.
- The idea of giving shows our attitude with which we create our way of being together.
¶ What does it mean to give?
Giving means giving someone a gift for permanent possession in order to delight the other person with it - without asking for anything else in return.
Experience has shown that when we give a suitable gift, not only the recipient is happy about our gift, but also we as the giver. Giving from the heart triggers an intense feeling of joy and happiness on both sides. A feeling that connects us to the other person.
We also recognize that accepting a gift can make some people feel guilty and uncomfortable, with a simultaneous need to give something back in gratitude or compensation. At H.e.l.f.a. we leave these negative feelings behind. Let’s go and learn the ability to accept again, because every person on earth deserves to be given gifts.
Gifting is about responding holistically to people’s needs.
This is also a reason why swapping at H.e.l.f.a. is left out. In barter (things for things - material or immaterial), it can happen that someone wants to exchange a cupboard, for example, but it is useless for the exchange partner. Thus, bartering goods and services involves an imbalance and disadvantage if the needs of the exchange partners are different.
When exchanging, it is also common to weigh objects and actions against each other or to categorize them in certain numerical values. Many people find it difficult to define values in numbers because: how can an item that is valuable in itself, valuable knowledge or valuable experience be measured in numbers? The value for this is already full - valuable. We all know examples of humiliation through numbers and the resulting dissatisfaction, and we also recognize why it is difficult for us to define a value in numbers.
Within the H.e.l.f.a. project we give: freely - without judgment, pressure or expectations.
All help and support is offered free of charge or at maximum cost price.
What can be given as a gift is so incredibly diverse that a list could not reflect the possibilities, because a gift comes from the heart - creative and individual. Giving ourselves gifts is a path that we can learn and experience together, as creatively as we want and we can extend it as far as we want - and each and every one of us is valuable.
¶ “Everything in life has its price.” Is that really the case?
Everyone comes to a point in their life where they think about what is really important to them. For most people, these include family, friends, health, happiness, freedom and peace.
Could a price tag express how valuable family or freedom is? If so, then these examples are priceless, because how could we measure these examples in numbers - but our heart knows the true value of these “things” that are so important to us.
So love is priceless. And yet it is available to everyone free of charge in one form or another.
So what else is available to us for free?
They are things that we often take for granted, such as sun, flora and fauna, air, water, proximity to other people, faith and free will.
So if what is really important to us cannot be measured in money or numbers, then the things for which we need money can at least slide back in the priority list. And how we want to spend our time is becoming increasingly clear to us. Following these considerations, we see that we can give each other everything that really has meaning in life and what we need.
And for everything else that we need but cannot (yet) produce ourselves, there is the option of giving money as a gift or having the cost price reimbursed in order to have a bridge into a valuable society.
¶ What does the cost price mean?
In the case of repairs, in addition to human labor, there may also be costs for the procurement of spare parts. The donor can also give away these spare parts for, for example, a washing machine or a car. However, if this is not possible for certain reasons, the person receiving help can cover the costs in the form of cost price. This is one of many examples that we at H.e.l.f.a. what we mean by helping at cost price. This may also include covering travel costs in order to receive help.
The cost price is therefore an advance estimate of costs in situations outside of H.e.l.f.a., which will be reimbursed at another point in time. There is no buyer and seller, but rather one person who pays costs in advance and gets them reimbursed. The helper advances an amount and receives the same amount again.
Self-employed people and entrepreneurs can also use their talents at H.e.l.f.a. contribute by gifting people with their skills or helping at cost.
It is important that helping is the focus and that we constantly think about it: How can we help without costs? Gift ideas can be used in a variety of ways. And this significantly reduces the profit motive.
¶ Why can it be important to maintain cost price?
If someone is self-employed, giving away spare parts, for example, could result in helping resulting in a financial loss for the helper. This means that the company may suffer economically and then no longer be able to help. Everyone is responsible for deciding when the cost price is appropriate.
All people at H.e.l.f.a. can feel comfortable and make the entry into a system of helping gentle and in the spirit of win-win situations for those involved.
Everything is voluntary and without expectations. In this way we can achieve that we permanently shed self-generating pressure or dependencies.
The principle that it always comes back to is: to give with pleasure from the heart.
¶ Rule 2: Get to know and get to know each other / deanonymize
¶ Summary:
- Trust is the basis for the success of a gift company. Trust is our currency.
- We find people we know and trust in our local group of max. 200 people. Each group is autonomous.
- Getting to know each other/deanonymizing serves to bring us all closer together so that we can trust each other again.
Who do we trust with our apartment key and who do we talk to about deep things? The answer is: someone we trust!
These are just two of many examples of where trust is important. These and other questions are for us at H.e.l.f.a. important in the basic considerations when it comes to our interaction and giving.
¶ Deanonymization because of dehumanization
Today, technical progress offers us tons of possibilities. The Internet, for example, is an ever-growing source of knowledge that we can share with just a few clicks. Within a few seconds we can network and exchange ideas with people on the other side of the world via various platforms. Through the Internet we gain many opportunities, which also bring dangers through the anonymity associated with it, because the currently prevailing progressive condition on earth is partly one of progressive alienation. Some people spend a lot of time online and live little in reality. In particular, media has had a massive impact on our interpersonal relationships. A long list of friends on social media is also an identification for many people. Do we know who is really behind a username or account and can trust be built on this basis? The increasing anonymization of us humans and the dangers associated with digitalization is fueling an expansion of control and the associated bureaucracy in which people are seen as data sets. In many places, decisions are made based on documented data sets. This can lead to injustices that can be traced back to this form of dehumanization. Where is the human being here? And who benefits from anonymization? With these comments, we realize that we have had little discussion about how we can best integrate technology for social interaction.
What can we learn from it?
Reflections have led us to the realization that we can use the Internet with all its advantages and, whenever possible, leave out the disadvantages. We want to use the Internet and its advantages for our communication and also integrate other Internet tools. At the same time, we know that personal contact is irreplaceable when it comes to building and strengthening trust.
¶ Getting to know each other personally
is therefore available from H.e.l.f.a. at the forefront and serves to build trust. At H.e.l.f.a. we call getting to know each other personally “de_anonymizing”. Get out of the anonymous internet and into real life. A personal, trusting relationship is needed again for a gift company to function. Giving gifts and getting to know and get to know each other are therefore closely linked and mutually dependent, because in direct contact we see the person and not just a quickly written post that fades the human element behind it. Knowing us has a completely different foundation. Appreciation and respect take on a real and authentic meaning.
Knowing each other doesn’t just mean knowing each other by name or having seen each other once, but also seeing each other regularly, for example to cook together, grow vegetables, celebrate and help each other across generations.
¶ Local groups and their group size in relation to trust
According to psychological and sociological findings, humans can maintain a maximum of 120 - 150 social contacts on a regular basis. This includes all contacts that are based on trust and mutual support. To ensure that we all actually know each other, group sizes are limited to a maximum of 200 members per local group.
This is how we handle the group sizes of the local groups at H.e.l.f.a. to provide a framework within which the capacity of the human brain to process social information is sufficient. And even at this size, it becomes difficult to keep an overview. As the group grows beyond the limit of 200 contacts, a new group will naturally be founded in order to maintain social interaction. If a local group exceeds this limit, another local group will be set up. Each group is active autonomously.
¶ Psychological view regarding trust
Trust is a mix of instinctive and experiential knowing and not knowing. If we know all the relevant circumstances of a moment, trust is not necessary because we know. If we lack this all-encompassing knowledge, we need to trust.
Trust comes with a certain risk because we could be disappointed and suffer negative personal consequences. The other way around, we can just as easily be positively surprised. This risk in human interaction is part of life for each of us, although it would be disadvantageous to fundamentally protect ourselves from disappointments in life. This is like staying permanently in your own comfort zone, which may be comfortable for a while, but the other side of this coin means cutting yourself off from life and having fewer experiences that are important for our further development - or we have experiences , which we later remember as unforgettable moments and valuable lessons.
¶ What else does trust mean to us?
The basis for trust in a person is created with the first contact. However, building deep and stable trust takes time, frequent encounters, conversations and experiences. We need to give up power and control and we need a framework that offers individual opportunities for action through which we can grow.
The better we know each other, the stronger the trust we have in others and also in ourselves. The main aspects of our social interaction are therefore making reliable statements. This starts with keeping appointments promised or, if something comes up, canceling as early as possible. This not only expresses respect for the other person’s time, it is also an expression of one’s own reliability. This also strengthens our trust in ourselves and our perception. When we trust each other, we begin to use different criteria to choose how and with whom we want to implement ideas and work together. So let’s all get to know each other really and truly with all of our individual characteristics and potential, develop a good relationship with each other and be able to implement projects together and make lasting friendships.
With this in mind, we can stop charging for services and valuables, because stable trust in our fellow human beings is the best currency and insurance there is.
¶ Rule 3: Moderators, our contact persons
¶ Summary:
- Moderators maintain contact with other people and groups; local, regional, national and global.
- Moderators build, support and strengthen groups.
- Moderators are elected by their own group for one year.
- There should be several moderators in a group. (approx. 1 to 20 members)
- Moderators are only allowed to be moderators in 1 local group due to power limitations.
Definition, H.e.l.f.a. moderators
Moderators are members of a group who volunteer to be elected by their own group and subsequently promote communication within and outside the group.
¶ Networking interfaces
Important for us at H.e.l.f.a. is that people are brought together, have an equal relationship and feel comfortable in order to be able to work well together, and also: to have fun together.
In addition to dealing with each other, providing care for all areas of life in the local groups is also an important aspect. What if, for example, legal help, technical support or other know-how is needed, but this is not sufficiently available in the local group?
For these and other cases, there are contacts within each local group who take care of networking and communication across the group. In the event of a request for help, these contacts can establish contact with other groups, in other villages, cities and countries that have these resources.
In order to be able to reach people outside the group and also be reached by other people - without burdening the entire group, each group has one or more contact persons within a group.
We call these described contact persons at H.e.l.f.a. —> Moderators.
The group decides who the moderator(s) of the group are. Moderators volunteer to be elected by group members once a year.
H.e.l.f.a. recommends fellow moderators in a group = approx. 1 moderator based on 20 people. Ideally there should be at least 3 moderators in a group.
¶ The group leads, the moderator moderates
What counts is the will of the group. All options for how the group sets itself up and where it wants to develop are therefore also chosen by the group - Everyone is allowed to contribute, the moderator has equal rights, because he is also part of the group.
When decisions need to be made, not everyone always has to have a say. Decision makers should be aware of their competence and in cases of incompetence there is no need to participate in the decision. A more detailed description of this can be found in the Skills and Competencies chapter.
¶ Overview of properties of a moderator
- Be able to establish connections or access to people (emphathetic and sensitive)
- should know the H.e.l.f.a. concept well
- Organizational skills
- Sense of responsibility
- Willingness to learn
- Humility
- be more flexible
There are moderators in every group. If several groups join together, there will be at least 1 moderator per group in these mergers and will also be responsible for ensuring that information flows between the groups. Moderators can also be found at different levels in mergers in order to be able to maintain contact between the groups. A description of these levels for the flow of information can be found in the chapter: Function of information transfer.
¶ Overview of a moderator’s areas of responsibility
- Contact person and contact person for your own group and for the groups outside
- Moderators are the first point of contact when it comes to learning about, helping, getting to know another group, and more.
- The moderator has a public presence. By email, telephone or other contact options so that people outside your group can contact you. He is somehow approachable in public.
- The moderator is the access to a group.
- Moderators are the first point of contact for potential new members.
- A moderator, after consultation with the entire group, gives a potential member an invitation for a personal conversation or for a meeting to get to know the group.
- The moderator ensures that the group has a decent presence.
- Moderators are elected companions who support the group, maintain its cohesion and lay the foundation for a culture of equal cooperation.
Moderators help us build a humane and helping society together. Moderators bring us people closer together again and promote our independence through mutual support.
¶ Rule 4: Rules
¶ Summary:
- Additional rules can be created autonomously by a group.
- All groups can, in addition to those provided by H.e.l.f.a. Given basic rules, define your own principles or boundaries for their concerns.
- Own rules can respect and take into account group-specific, regional and cultural peculiarities.
- Additional rules serve to promote individuality and freedom of interaction within each group.
In every country in the world there are so many laws, regulations and standards that not even judges and lawyers know them all. What’s more, these laws leave so much room for interpretation that case law often depends on the respective judge’s understanding of the law. In addition, laws are complicated. How is a person supposed to fully grasp and understand this mass of laws and their scope?
Anyone who has taken a closer look at individual areas of law will find that many of the laws they contain tend to restrict us rather than serve us, and not always just to protect other people and their living space. So who does these many laws serve and why do outdated, meaningless regulations from the last century still apply? Why are they written so complicated and how free are we as humans?
¶ Rules are meant to serve people
We at H.e.l.f.a. are of the opinion that, in principle, every rule should serve people, including nature, and not the other way around.
There are so many different people in the world and so many regional and cultural differences that in addition to the H.e.l.f.a. rules, each group should define its own rules. This makes it possible to take these differences into account when creating the rules and thus create the basis for the members to feel comfortable in the group.
Rules should also apply to all members of the group and should not privilege or take advantage of certain people. We want a peaceful society in which all people have equal rights and are allowed to use their talents and abilities for the benefit of the community.
The freedom of one always requires the freedom of the other. Or to put it another way: “Don’t do to anyone else what you don’t want someone to do to you.”
The fourth rule therefore includes how we want to deal with rules and how they are created and decided.
¶ Rules: as simple and clear as possible
Rules are based on a topic for which they are intended. The members are encouraged to deal with the rule and formulate it in such a way that everyone can understand it. A rule explains why the group needs it and sets it up. This makes the rules detailed on the one hand and simple and comprehensible for the entire group on the other.
So that all group members know how and why rules are created and so that the number of rules remains within a manageable range, the following help is available for developing rules. So when rules are created, the following should be included:
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Clarity - Rules are best written as simply, clearly and concisely as possible so that everyone can understand them.
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A positive and a negative example is given for each rule, to ensure that each rule is understandable. It shows what the rule is intended to achieve and what it does not mean. So the reason why the rule is made is spelled out.
• “Why was this rule created?” (positive explanation)
• “What does this rule not mean?” (negative explanation) -
Period - Each rule has a start and end date.
• “When does the rule apply?”
• “Until when does the rule apply?”
If the end date is exceeded, we think again about whether the rule still makes sense, whether we need it or not.
• If no, the rule will be deleted without replacement.
• If yes, it will be updated if necessary and given a new end date.
¶ Why rules?
Rules are the boundaries within which we move. The more people there are in a group, the more useful binding rules can become that provide guidance for how we interact with one another. This is particularly helpful when very different characters come together and there is a risk that the interests or behavior of one person will come at the expense of the rights of another.
In general, rules are intended to create peaceful and pleasant coexistence in which the rights of all members are protected and respected. Each group can decide individually and autonomously what this cooperation should look like.
Us at H.e.l.f.a. It is important that we meet each other with respect and love again and live this in the groups. This basic idea should be reflected in the rules we set ourselves.
In addition to the 4+1 rules, there are also our principles to provide basic guidance.
¶ Rule +1: Kefi (Greek for fun, having joy)
¶ Summary:
- Have “Kefi” (is Greek and means something like: fun, heartfelt joy, happiness of the heart)
- Have fun with what you do! We’re all doing ourselves a favor.
This rule is one of the most important that we have because:
We should generally have fun doing what we do.
Have “Kefi” (is Greek and means something like: fun, heartfelt joy, happiness of the heart)
We can’t always have fun, but we can focus on the good, on what brings us joy. This is a conscious act of will that we can all do.
This is how we manage to live out our full potential.
And when we enjoy what we do, we fulfill ourselves.
- What do I like to do?
- What do I like to spend my time with?
If we spend our time doing what is good for us, positive surprises will come our way. When we do something for joy, we are given joy.
¶ Life can be fun
In all the topics we deal with, there can be fun, even if there are difficulties. Or we create a balance for ourselves when difficulties predominate. These can be, for example, activities with other people. Human interaction can fulfill us. We can spend a good time with those around us and recharge our batteries with positive feelings, recharge ourselves with more energy. A group also grows together through shared activities. This allows the group to get to know each other well and is more stable, as knowing each other is not just superficial, but becomes more and more profound. We can make every day a beautiful day. The important thing is to see the abundance as often as we want.
¶ Having fun is individual for each person
Everyone understands fun differently. But it’s always about experiencing beautiful moments, depending on what is important to each of us. For example, partying is important for someone, while someone else likes to be around animals. The range is wide. For someone an activity can be stressful, for someone else the same activity can be relaxing. We can be different and we can have fun with other topics - individually.
¶ Compassion, inspiration and self-assurance
Our compassion is also important in our joyful coexistence. A human aspect that we can use by encouraging and strengthening each other.
Inspiration from others also gives us many opportunities, because when we inspire each other together, creativity arises. Inspirations help us see who we are and what we can contribute. That’s why it’s important to share information with each other so that we can gain more and more strength and become more independent in spirit. When we are confident, when we are sure that we enjoy what we do, we can share - we can communicate.
- How confident am I?
- What can I?
- How can we observe and train our skills?
- How can I monitor my abilities and become more confident?
- How can I come into my strength?
- Where am I already in my strength?
We can talk to those around us about our abilities. If we are not yet confident, we can also ask someone to help us. This way we can get reassurance from the outside that we are okay.
- How do I get in touch with others? How do I get in touch with myself?
We can be open and present and take action. If we act with joy for a cause, it will be successful in the long term. Distributing orders from top to bottom no longer applies. Nobody tells us what to do, but we study ourselves, think, research and form our own opinions. We create a space of connection and creativity with each other. We now build bridges with other people, discuss our interactions and find new solutions - together. It’s about our collaborations, our longing for commonality and connection, which is our very own.
- What do we design?
- How do we design it?
¶ When we feel our joy, it is real.
We can be brave, share with others, share inventions together and support each other. We can trust others and the whole thing and create something new together. Through our courage we gain trust. Trust in life, in others and in ourselves. If we can live and feel our trust, others can too. Then the fear is no longer there, then we are in our strength. Then we no longer have to be courageous, then we are in certainty - in this strength - in this connection.
Each one of us takes the first steps ourselves.
So it’s important to be happy, stay open and ask yourself:
- What touches me?
- What brings joy?
- Who can I share my joy with?
- When do I feel joy?
When we are in our power we can have a say, be creative and get involved.
We are more or less breaking new ground with our H.e.l.f.a. concept. That’s why we can just get started and start working together on projects that we enjoy. This brings us together. If someone has a good idea, there will definitely be someone who wants to make it happen. Our ideas are valuable.
We look forward to the many projects, ideas and inventions that we create out of joy.