Humans: sharing resources for over two million years!

By Janel
I happened to be at the Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. last week, passing through an exhibit on human evolution, when the bold words “sharing resources” caught my eye. I wandered over to the display, where I learned–to my amusement, as the 2012 conference theme is resource-sharing–that humans have been sharing food and tools to build “stronger social bonds” and increase their chances of survival for 2.6 million years.

 
Sure, our ancestors shared resources because their lives depended on it. But why should now be any different? With peak oil and environmental devastation come real threats to the survival of our species. Living communally and sharing stuff such as cars and land are the best gift we can give to our children’s children–not only because of the resource preservation that sharing entails, but also because of the model of cooperation it preserves!