There is actually a very fundamental principle in Human interaction, but barely someone ever talks about it. It’s not altruism, although it often gets mixed up with it. But there is the fundamental principle of helping and getting help. Like when I go and do something to help you, it’s with the fundamental concept and agreement, that if I ask you for help at some point, you’ll help me back.
And you can find the principle all over. It’s the only reason todays societies are functioning. They do so on the principle of „I contribute to the wellbeing of the group and so the group helps me back.“
If you want it’s the basic concept of splitting up work.
And here is the thing why group projects are so rarely liked. If you contribute something to the project, but the others or one of them doesn’t put in the amount of work or resources they should, this fundamental principle gets violated.
And that’s something people instinctively know. Except for a few individuals which you might call „Egoists“. Because for a few individuals it pays off to not do the work and surf on the other peoples „I help you, so…“
But at some point, if you have too many people who have forgotten the „so I help you back“ part, the system crumbles. Because if I can’t pay my help forward and trust to get helped back in return, when I need help. Then it doesn’t pay off for me. And I stop offering „I help you, so…“
But the problem is, that a lot of the activities of the past decades has been practically aimed at destroying this fundamental principle. We put people on pedestals who violate this principle on a daily basis. We put people on pedestals, who exploit that principle and take and take and take from people, amassing resources for themselves. And then they tell everyone „Do the same. Stop holding up your side of the bargain.“
And some people listen, because they can see it is working for them. And then you have one more person not holding up the principle of equal exchange. And the whole concept crumbles a little bit more.
That’s the state of the world we a in right now. Too many people have stopped believing in the fundamental principle of human help economy.
They are still a minority by the way. But the harm they do on the world is real. And it has gone into the degree where people are seeing that the principle gets violated. And start to demand change.