This reminds me of a personal policy I have with friends and acquaintances. Nobody ever “owes” me a beer. If I buy them one that’s the end of it. We are always “even”.
I don’t assume others work the same way so I also attempt to return favors. I think it’s a healthier frame of mind to not keep track of all the ways people potentially owe me something. Especially when it is trivial.
If I am keeping track I think it’s worth reevaluating the relationship entirely.
Or said another way I can see this policy working for Buy Nothing because it requires a healthy community. If the community is unhealthy the system breaks down. This reverts to any number of other perfectly good money/barter based alternatives like Craigslist and clones.
This reminds me of a personal policy I have with friends and acquaintances. Nobody ever “owes” me a beer. If I buy them one that’s the end of it. We are always “even”.
I don’t assume others work the same way so I also attempt to return favors. I think it’s a healthier frame of mind to not keep track of all the ways people potentially owe me something. Especially when it is trivial.
If I am keeping track I think it’s worth reevaluating the relationship entirely.
Or said another way I can see this policy working for Buy Nothing because it requires a healthy community. If the community is unhealthy the system breaks down. This reverts to any number of other perfectly good money/barter based alternatives like Craigslist and clones.