Society & Contributionism
My father taught us to care for people outside our direct family. That was so important, growing up in a multi-cultural British colony. Our family was member of the Kolping Society (RSA) which taught to love and care for travelers and other folk. I have never deviated from this belief till today and enjoy loving ,connecting and giving to strangers.
Living in a multi-generation and multi-cultural Home
From birth till now, I have never lived alone. At home as a child we often had guests living with us. In the old days of apartheid we had live-in maids and gardeners who were considered part of the family, security and joy. Whilst on remote construction projects, I stayed with people of other cultures. When moving to Europe I lived on a three generation farm, then 20 years in "Sigi's" commune. Twice we invited homeless men from under the bridges on the Isar-River to stay with us for a while. "Mike" stayed for two years, living in our kitchen. I became homeless in 2014 when Sigi got married bringing with a 8-year-old step-daughter who needed my rented room ... and then had to realize how rough it was to live in a men's home. Now I have a nice social apartment in Munich-Laim and host travelers.
Ecovillages
The gen-europe.org website shows some ecovillage projects in Europe, and ecovillage.org worldwide.
Kolping Society
The "Vorbild" to my interaction in a multi-cultural society is certainly "Kolping".. We would attend meetings, church services, events, travel, fund-raising, and I was even on the committee for a year (or two?).
Couchsurfing
In the Geyerstrasse commune (1996-2013) I did not like to be alone when "Sigi" spent a month or two in Philippines every year and his friends did not visit. Since then, I have hosted more than 200 travelers through CouchSurfing.
AirBnB
... then I discovered I could also be paid for hosting travelers via AirBnB. These guests were challenging because I needed to serve them. Oktoberfest-time was lucrative but all of it ended when my two guests from southern Italy were caught by police, trying to steal a car to get back home. Since I stay in a city-sponsored apartment, the police quickly realized my own breaking of the law by illegally renting a room and I was fined horribly.
Workaway
This I should have known years ago and since I am now partially disabled (amputation because of diabetes and poly-neuropathy).... a series of workawayers are lined up to help me with my chores, improvements and entertainment. Workaway has changed my life!
UbuntuPlanet
In 2014, I became an awakening from the corrupt and nasty world-system. Michael Tellinger caught my eyes first as a dynamic South African archaeologist, but he also has a plan for a better society living without much money and enjoying life. We met personally twice in Munich. I became a member of UbuntuPlanet.org and enjoy researching methods of reaching ultimate happiness, almost utopia!
München-Tafel & Food Sharing
Since I became very ill, unemployed and partially disabled, there is one group of people that has helped me survive more than others. München-Tafel provides the needy with free food and assistance. I joined "Manna e.V." to get involved too, meeting both helpless people and helpers that inspire. We meet once a week and sometimes enjoy an outing, day-trip or festivities. "Tafel" has become a part of German culture and heritage. Expanding this concept is also foodsharing.de or your local equivalent.
Nebenan, Tauschring & co
Germany is a pretty cool social country. Folk create groups to help each other. Nobody in Germany should feel alone. Nebenan.de. Folk barter without money at Tauschring.
Car-Sharing
For those that don't need a car every day, save space, insurance costs and have a new car always, exactly the type of car you need for the moment! eg: Zipcar (US/Canada), DriveNow (Europe) ... Find an inter-city car with driver at Blablacar or short city trips with Uber.
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... this will be expanded soon to include car-sharing, food-sharing, guerrilla-gardening, flight-sharing, and much more... (but not wife-sharing :-) ...