Two Economies

There are at least two types of giving: obligation and desire. These are not mutually exclusive, but the latter is less duty orientated than the former. On the one hand, when we go to the store and buy something, we are obliged to give in order to receive - this is exchange. On the other hand, when we desire to give, we do so without receiving - this is gift. I'd wager therefore that there are two economies - the economy of exchange and the economy of gift. Life generally, and relationships specifically, amount to a radical negotiation between the two.