A lot of the things we do on a daily or weekly basis have ways of doing them that can either be private or communal, some of these which we do not think to consider as having that characteristic.
For example, bathing in the Roman Empire used to be communal, but then Rome fell and citizens in the splinter countries began taking baths privately.
Receiving mail is another example. There are countries which don’t have mailboxes and everyone gets their mail at the post office in the PO boxes. It was the United States which pioneered the idea of the modern mail system, which is why we associate it as a private act.
There are activities as well which don’t have any history as jumping between one or the other that might benefit from it, for example I think towns might benefit if internet was free and freely accessible but only at the local library.
What’s a non-communal aspect of life you think should be communal?
Funny mentioning the mail thing in the US… I’ve never had a singular mailbox and I’ve lived in California my whole life. Always had a communal mailbox somewhere in the neighborhood (or my apartment now) where everyone’s mailbox is in like a big bank of boxes.
I kinda hate it. Mostly because the neighborhood Karen would always be at the thing and always had some shit to say to me, even when I was a little-ass kid.
I always wished we had community baths though. Seems like everywhere else in the world does that except us. Definitely would be cooler to normalize being naked around strangers.