Exactly! I try to operate with the ethics in mind first and all the capital/yields I accumulate are downstream of the ethics. The obtain a yield principle is important when designing systems because it's the incentive to follow the ethics. If someone wants to simply spend their time giving in the name of the ethics, obtaining a yield makes it more sustainable. There's a fine line in balancing the social capital of favors between neighbors. I try to create win win situations instead being extractive and I try to go out of my way to reciprocate on generosity. Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint what's meaningful to the neighbors, especially at first when I didn't know them well. My nextdoor neighbor, I found out, could care less about my homebrew even though he drinks beer every day. He sticks to the beer he likes and that's it. To me the homebrew is very valuable and when I give it away it's a sacrifice but what I found my nextdoor neighbor really wants is someone to rely on to feed his cats when he goes away on fishing trips.
Yes - we really can't know what people actually value until we've developed a relationship. What people value most highly also usually reveals a perceived weakness.
Expressing what you value also allows others to more effectively reciprocate.
Anticipating what people generally will value is also difficult. You know the opportunity cost associated with growing anything is what you could do with that time, land & resources pointed elsewhere. Sometimes you just have to observe & iterate though.
Can you even imagine what this way of thinking leads to at scale?
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