A gift economy includes a system of social and moral agreements for indirect reciprocity rather than direct exchange. So, the hunter who shared the feast with you today, could well anticipate that you would share from a full fishnet or offer your labour in repairing a boat in the future.

When I heard this (listening to the audiobook) I wondered how one would fit into a gift community who might not be able to hunt or fish or offer up labour because of disability or illness. Because the reciprocity described here is about physical things that you can touch or eat or use. Is, for example, a fantastic storyteller able to do their part for the community by telling a story or is it seen as unnecessary or unhelpful?

In the capitalist society we live in, there are professions people look down on for being not 'real' jobs or 'just student' jobs (an example often used is baristas) that are low-paying "because they're not essential/not real work". Would that happen in a gift economy as well? I want to say no but I know a lot of different people and some feel already enraged when the minimum wage is set higher because they feel like people don't deserve more pay (therefore being closer to their own salary) for 'low' jobs.

Kimmerer continues a little bit later with:

Those who have been blessed with good fortune share that blessing by giving away

I know this might be a little stretch, but for me this extends what she said earlier about reciprocity to abstract things like health. Being healthy comes with so many abilities that allow you to be an even bigger supporter for your community. The quote actually helped me the reframe my work in the healthcare system: I don't 'have to' listen to people's health concerns at 3 a.m. in the morning because it's my job, I get to be their trusted person they turn to in a moment of great need because I am healthy enough to support more people than just myself. And reframing it like that healed something in me that is often expected to break while working in healthcare - it has become so normalised to see patients as a nuisance or a burden rather than a person who was less fortunate than others and it's hard to stay compassionate if everyone around you belittles you for making an effort to care.

Hellooooo! I’m looking for book recommendations that are stories that include neurodivergent characters. As a kid the Percy Jackson books helped me so much to see my neurodivergence in a different and much more positive light. (Ty Rick Riordan 🩷) So I was wondering if there’s other fiction out there that includes some cool characters with ADHD/Autism/other neurodivergence 🩷