Belonging to a tribe
May 19th, 2009 | Published in Economics idea
Hunter gatherer tribes didn’t have formal economic systems. The work that needed to be done to provide food, clothing, and shelter was divided up based on custom and social agreement. While probably not perfect, small groups of people managed to work together to meet their collective needs for tens of thousands of years. While life was dangerous and hardships were common, it was easy to find useful work to do. Everyone had the opportunity to contribute. It meant something to belong to a tribe.
While we are far more productive today than hunter gatherer tribes were, the connection between work and the needs the work fulfills is much weaker. It is often hard for people to find work because the connection between what we want and the work that needs to be done to get it is complex.
A way needs to be found to make the link between work and reward stronger. A stronger connection would better empower people to look after themselves. It would help give people a sense of belonging in our modern society.
