Yeah... BJJ is not a perfect solution, but it is a real community and we try to be very inclusive. So, if someone truly can't afford the fees, they can often te

Yeah... BJJ is not a perfect solution, but it is a real community and we try to be very inclusive. So, if someone truly can't afford the fees, they can often teach classes or do a certain number of hours of work around the gym cleaning up after class, etc. Churches and large community gatherings foster a sense of "we are in this together". It is the oldest social safety net in the books probably, where you know when you are a part of this group, even if you fall on hard times, these people are here for you. BJJ is the same way. In a visceral way, like if shit is going down, I know these guys and gals have my back, but also in a community sense of if I am ever hungry, there are people who will help me out. It is definitely a challenge in modern society. I am not sure the mega-church style community needs "replacing" so much as people need to really buy into the concept of their place of residence as a genuine community and not just a bunch of silo'd off individuals. Of course politics and government policy does a lot to encourage/discourage this at a macro level (fostering segmentation in the population and outright disdain for our neighbors, who happen to be poor, etc... but that is a whole different discussion).