Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: private use of commons

[Susan Sweitzer (ssweitzer]

-----Original Message-----
From: Lynn Nadeau [mailto:welcome [at] olympus.net] 
Subject: [C-L]_ private use of commons

Those who advocate such private and semi-private use of commons see it as 
logical, efficient, and satisfying. Much quicker and easier than group 
process: the most extreme advocates of this approach hate all meetings 
and consider group process burdensome, irksome, and ineffective. Even a 
single discussion circle and proposal at one meeting. 

Does satisfying individual needs rank high as building community? To be 
happy here, I need to do what I want, where I want, when I want? If I 
can't, you are squashing my spirit, my creativity, and the community will 
suffer? 

Dear Lynn,

We, at Cobb Hill, have certainly wrestled with these questions and not emerged
unscathed!  After three years in our homes and 270 acres of land, many, many
things are moving along without discussion for lack of anyone having the energy
or interest in dealing with the complicated and difficult dynamics around the
very questions you ask.  

We haven't found answers which are satisfying to everyone, but we do have a
working farm, one couple who owns and operates a 5 acre CSA on the property
without a written or agreed upon arrangement for use of common land.  Same with
chickens, sheep, maple syrup operation, hay operation, pigs, dairy and cheese
making.  We are trying an enterprise system with independent enterprises, and
some find that great, others find it frustrating, feel excluded or feel only
those with financial resources can invest and thereby be part of the
enterprises.  

The good side is that the land is being used and nurtured and improved.  Hardly
any enterprise is making money, but people are learning a lot.  And, as a
member of a couple of those enterprises, I have to say a good thing from my
point of view is that I can make choices and decisions about sheep or maple
syrup with only a minimum of discussion.  On principle I believe in consensus
and in discussion of everything ad nauseam, but even I have lost patience with
some of the attitudes, demands and inability to shift of some members of our
group.  

You are asking all the right questions, although I don't know the answers!!
Hang in there!

Susan Sweitzer
Cobb Hill
Hartland, VT