This is an interesting article and it aligns with my personal interest in the revival of the small, formal community to address some the voids that exist at the

This is an interesting article and it aligns with my personal interest in the revival of the small, formal community to address some the voids that exist at the national level here in the US. My grandparents (and my parents) belonged to an ethnic mutual aid society with roughly 1000 members. Such societies were very common in the US among immigrants. In mutual aid societies, the support available to members included loans, insurance, donations, social networking for employment and dating, a “clubhouse” for gathering, etc. Churches provided another form of support group. Factory workers in my home town enjoyed memberships in company sports leagues of all sorts. And of course neighborhoods were another stable source of support, especially for the care of children. Neighbors met in the evenings with each other and knew who the children were. When there is a common experience, location, religion, ethnicity, interest or history, it seems that there is a built-in trust among members that makes mutual aid support possible. Mutual aid societies and other private community organizations are entirely consistent with capitalism and a ripe concept for reintroduction into our society. It is much easier to manage a group of 1000 members for social well-being than it is to expect a federal or state government to provide unique social benefits. Perhaps states and the federal government could provide low-cost loans or re-insurance to mutual aid societies? Here is a link to read more about mutual aid societies: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/americans-who-knitted-their-own-safety-net/618377/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/americans-... And the book “Bowling Alone” by Putnam is another great resource. For software developers, it would seem that there is an opportunity to provide platforms for mutual aid societies that would be far more productive than the mass-social-media platforms currently tearing away at the fabric of society.