What is a 'commons'?

The 'commons' is an old British term that refers to 'a piece of open land for public use, especially in a village or town'. A long time ago, there was public land available for villagers to work together to farm and raise animals. During the industrial revolution, these common areas were privatized and villagers were cut off from the land that sustained them. Today, we face a similar-but-different challenge: We are living in the most isolating time in human history, and have been cut from the human relationships that sustain our spirit.