Re: SF Bay Area Cohousing
From: John Ladwig (jladwigsoils.umn.edu)
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 09:09 CST
writings [at] Athena.MIT.EDU <writings [at] Athena.MIT.EDU> writes on 11 
January 93 at 12:58 CST
 > Referring to the previous thread: it seems like many co-housing
 > groups, much like communes, have specific "trips" beyond, "I want to
 > know who my neighbors are before I move in." The people organizing
 > the group seem to have some sort of common philosophy beyond agreeing
 > that cohousing  is a way they'd like to live.

Sure.  Let's (my partner Elise is helping, over my shoulder) grab at
some of the elements of common philosophy I've seen in SF fandom.
Many, if not all, have been carried into TRG:

    - The world is endlessly fascinating.
    - Laughter is a gift we give each other.
    - There are many cultures in the universe besides the American
mainstream.  Cultural relativism is a basic building block of modern SF.
    - If you take yourself too seriously, you will miss a lot of good
things, and may burn out your friends, to boot.
    - Technology is cool.  The ethical uses of technology is one of
our favorite things to discuss, second only to direct application of
appropriate technology to current situations (we have hearing- and
mobility-impaired members).  
    - There are always several ways to solve a problem.
    - When brainstorming, it's easier for us to come up with wild
possibilities, without self-censure, because we're used to the rest of
the world regarding us as clueless adolescent techno-weenies with
ray-guns.  We gave up on trying to impress society a long time ago;
at this point, we're interested in setting our own priorities and
achieving them to the best of our abilities, in a way that makes the
journey as much fun as the arrival.
    - Occasionally, if you have experience (in reading) trying on the
viewpoints of aliens from Alpha Centauri, this will aid you in
understanding your fellow humans, who can behave just as inexplicably.
    - We believe in the future.  That's not just words.  We believe in
the future the way some people believe in God.
    - We seem to process ideas at a different rate than the general
public.  Some of this may be due to the high percentage of code- and
other fiction-writing members of TRG.  There is an automatic open
space for new ideas in most of our heads, as well as in group
discussion.  In fact, when this open space for some reason constricts,
it is a sufficient shock that it makes us take the issue very
seriously.
    - There is always more love to go around.  It is not a fixed
resource. 
    - By rejecting certain mainstream values, we have more resources
to spend on really good tech and really good food. 
    - Always budget for foolishness.  Blimps and rubber squid go in
the budget early.  And chocolate.  The other essentials will follow.

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