why share?

i was thinking about possessions and how they might affect community. i’m so used to buying what I need, when I need it. i’ll run to the store before I’ll ask a neighbor. i’ll rent it before i’ll borrow it from a friend. that way I can have it when I want it.. and return it when I want it. and no one will be inconvenienced. sure, i’ll be paying extra to have my own… but in a world of convenience charges, service charges and processing fees, what’s a couple more bucks?

i made a chart. take a car for instance. everyone around here ‘needs’ a car, right?  but I thought, what am I gaining or losing by having my own vs. sharing with other people?

buy my own                                                                 share/borrow from someone else

i can use it whenever I want                                      i can only use it with someone else or when when no one else needs it

i decide the standards for how                                  i have to trust that others will respect it
clean/well maintained I want it to be                        as much as I do

if something happens to it, it’s up                             if something happens to it, it affects the other people
to me when and how to fix it                                      who depend on it

no one else depends on me and                             we depend on each other to keep the system working
i don’t depend on anyone else

i do not have to maintain a single                            i most likely maintain relationships with every person
relationship in order to use it                                    who uses it

I am responsible to pay the full amount                  we share the cost of the purchase and maintenance among everyone who uses it