The post below refers to YO-YO ethic (“you’re on your own”) or WITT (“we’re in this together”).

It reminded me of a time I was with the Community Chairman in Ago-Are. I explained that it had taken me some to time to understand his role as we did not have 'the Community" in the same sense where I live. I remember his question to me "So what happens in your country? Does the government provide everything or are You On Your Own?" (Well.. the government certainly doesn't provide everything....)

• Information Centre at Ago-Are         http://www.dadamac.net/projects/cross-cultural-collaboration/information-centre-ago-are

Also on the YOYO theme I was discussing insurance with a Nigerian friend - I discovered that in a situation where in my country we would all expect to rely on our insurance in his country he would expect to rely on family.

One of the down-sides of living in an individualistic, competitive, consumer society is that we are expected to "get one of our own". The post below suggests an alternative.

Discovering and inventing the commons as a way of life

At a recent meeting of a common security club in Boston—one of many groups around the U.S. where people come together to discuss ways to help each other get along in these insecure economic times—someone raised the idea of a tool exchange. Neighbors could take inventory of who owns a snow blower, jigsaw, wheelbarrow, extension ladder, hedge shearers, shop vacuum, various drills, shovels, rakes and other gear that folks could share.

(snip)

This represents a swing in the direction of commoning, and it reflects a broader shift in thinking from the prevailing YO-YO ethic (“you’re on your own”) to WITT (“we’re in this together”). At the center of this trend is people joining together to “co-creator” the world they want to see.

More at http://www.commonslearningalliance.org/content/discovering-and-inventing-commons-way-life