News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Is there anywhere in the world someone can just live for free?. Parent comment

Re:Is there anywhere in the world someone can just live for ... by hkt on Saturday November 04, 2023 @07:33AM (#38140084)
Interesting that you say that about books - libraries were common (in the UK at least) even before the 1870 education act. It would be a cheap subscription and the subscribers would choose what filled the shelves, often with direction from newspaper reviews or publications from intellectuals of various stripes, eg, the Harvard classics bookshelf.

Re: communes, this is a great observation. Again in the UK, there was a lot of growth with these things in the 1970s and they often involved lots of labour saving arrangements like doing work in groups, for the group. Meals are a good example of this, likewise laundry, cleaning etc. Anecdotally I've always found it easier to do most work when others are doing it too. It seems like a nice way to live.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Is there anywhere in the world someone can just live for ... by TheOtherHobbes on Saturday November 04, 2023 @10:42AM (#38141428)
It sounds like a nice way to live, as long as it works as it should.

But communes usually failed because self-sufficiency is really, really hard. And also because there were political struggles - usually around power, status, and sex.

If you live as a couple you only have to deal with each other, and the kids, if there are any. That's often plenty for many people.

In a commune you get less stress from shared chores but more from living in a group of differing personalities. It's possible with maturity, but it only takes one Cluster B personality to make it toxic and unworkable.

[ Parent | on HN ]