When societies hit periods of deep crisis, it has rarely been governments or markets that provided the lifeline. It’s has usually been ordinary people rescuing each other in what academics call “parallel polis," (or "parallel structures"). From workers’ mutual aid societies during the Industrial Revolution, to neighborhood cooperatives in the Great Depression, to solidarity networks in Eastern Europe while under authoritarian rule... People have repeatedly built their own systems when official ones failed them. These parallel structures gave communities stability, dignity, and resilience in uncertain times. RINGs are simply today’s version of that same play: neighbors organizing together so we can rely on each other when the larger system can’t or won’t.
When resources are tight, survival doesn’t come from competition but from cooperation. History and nature both clearly show that groups who share, pool, and coordinate their efforts are the ones that endure. Whether it’s villages weathering famine, families sticking together through war, or ecosystems thriving because species work in balance, the lesson is clear. In resource-strained environments, cooperation isn’t charity, it’s strategy. By leaning into collective problem-solving, communities not only survive, but often come out stronger than before.
Cooperation isn't charity. It's strategy.
RINGs endure because they aren’t chasing efficiency, they’re building resilience. Instead of depending on a single fragile system, each RING creates overlapping skills, shared responsibilities, and multiple ways to get needs met. That redundancy is what makes the network sustainable: if one piece falters, others step in. Whether the larger structure grows or contracts, the local RING continues because it works for the people inside it. By cooperating directly with each other, neighbors gain more power, more options, and more security than any top-down system can offer.