"The Gift That Will Never Be Re-gifted"

Last month, I had the serendipitous privilege of sharing a flight with long-time Stanford professor Linda Hess and UC Berkeley professor Michael Nagler.

After participating in a non-violence conference, all of us were sharing humorous stories -- including my re-gifted smelly shirt -- from the weekend and having a grand time.  Inevitably our conversations veered into the provocative direction of gift-economy, as we nuanced various elements of it.  Right then, the airline attendant comes for our drink order and hands us an unforgettable paper napkin. :)

Here's a closer look, at the polar opposite of the gift-economy: