Quick addendum: A few additional things to chew on.

In every known pre-industrial culture in the world, gift economies are hugely present. They take many shapes and forms. But in nearly all cases, you are surrounded by people that you've known your entire life, and are likely to know for the rest of your life, assuming they don't die before you do.

In these situations, if someone needs something...you give it to them. This is your insurance policy, if you have more then you need anyway, by giving it to whoever needs it, you're tying yourself into a social net that supports whomever needs supporting. This really appears to be the natural state of human communities. They care of each other.

It's like walking next door to ask your neighbor for a few eggs or a cup of sugar (WHICH I LOVE DOING BY THE WAY!!!!). If you offer to pay them for it, the whole thing feels gross really quickly. However, you accept their generosity, you remember and appreciate it, and you bring them something nice at a later date. This is the stuff culture is made of. You can't become close to people where you have no debt. If you settle all your debts, you are strangers, you have nothing for each other.

It's the WAY you are indebted to them, and they to you that makes life. Don't settle your debts, be indebted beautifully, and you will always have a place in the world.

We'll approach this more in depth in a future post.