Cohousing-L Mailing List: Sustainable Social Structures

[Lavinia Weissman (subscriptions]

I too appreciate Fred's edits, especially because he helped me be clearer
to others.  I am a professional journalist and author and we really love
those who behind the scenes help us to be better sense makers. I have to
write 2500 - 4000 words a week to keep at my discipline. So please forgive
me if I don't always make sense.

While I am a woman in transition, I am also a passionate environmentalist
to with a view that is dedicated to impacting the environment so we can
decrease chronic illness or make it easier on those who suffer. I have
been dedicated for years to assuring our kids air to breathe.

Today, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York took that stand in a public
announcement.  He described it as part of his faith practice which I also
share. It is called Tikkun Olam in Judiasm and Tikkun Olam is an excellent
foundation for restorative justice.  We have been in need of a public
official to take that kind of stand for a long time.

Co Housing in my mind is a movement that is very much centered around
restorative justice, creating a way of living that restores people's
health, right to civil life and a future for our kids.  I hope some day we
can find
a way to blend it with sustainable social structures that recognize and
respect people who need more assistance in life than others due to chronic
illness or challenged aging. The government infrastructure in the US is
very weak in this regard. We are now punishing the disabled veterans
returning from Iraq among others after we had a President insist we
dedicate a vast amount of resources now totaling as of this morning $421B
at http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182.


Best,
Lavinia Weissman


On Fri, April 27, 2007 6:50 pm, Carol Gulyas wrote:
> Dear Fred:  I have just joined this list recently, and I must say that I
> am
> finding it extremely valuable, and the comments so thoughtful and
> information-filled. I appreciate your editing also.
>
>
>
> On 4/27/07, Fred H Olson <fholson [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
>>
>> Lia Olson <liajo [at] sbcglobal.net>  is the author of the message below.
>> It was posted by Fred Olson, (no relation), the Cohousing-L list manager
>>
>> NOTE: Since I needed to repost this message I chose to delete the very
>> long bottom quote and looked for a a short excerpt to quote at the top.
>> The sentence I chose did not flow very well out of context so
>> edited a few connecting words (in square brackets).
>>
>> In general I do not like to do any editorial changes to the list
>> messages
>> (and geneally do not have the opportuinty unless messages are held for
>> various technical reasons like size. ( I do divert a few personal and
>> off
>> topic messages.) In this case I decided to make an exception.
>>
>> Fred
>>
>>
>> Lavinia Weissman <subscriptions [at] workecology.com> wrote (slightly edited
>> by Fred ) on 26 Apr:
>>
>> > Adopting cohousing in the US is ...[more of] a transition ...
>> > [than] ...  countries [like] ... Denmark and Sweden ...
>> > [which] are built on a value of social capital we don't have
>> > in this country.
>>
>> --------------------  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS --------------------
>>
>> Your very thought provoking letter made consider the imbalances in our
>> social structures in new ways.
>>
>>   One concerns the fact that that our best efforts to support family and
>> community (immaturely developed as it is in the US) generally leads us
>> to
>> cogitate endlessly about how to provide stimulation and nurturing for
>> children, but only in narrow circles does it lead to much dialogue about
>> providing the same support in the latter part of life.  We don't do a
>> stellar job of the former, but at least it's on our radar as a worthy
>> endeavor.  The truth is, however, we actually need a humane environment
>> in
>> every stage of life in order to fulfill our human potential.  When I was
>> a
>> single mother, it occurred to me that to protect a mother is to protect
>> the child, because how well can a vulnerable child do if his or her
>> source
>> of stability is ill, dying, stressed or absent in order to earn a
>> living.
>> No one is an island, and each person's well-being is enhanced by the
>> well-being of neighbors, family members, friends and members of the
>> greater community.  Maybe we would do better if the enlarged our scope
>> of
>> our laudable 'child-centered' focus and became people centered.  We
>> certainly wouldn't support social structures that isolate elders and
>> diminish the quality of their later years.  How nice to hear more about
>> some Scandinavian countries are doing.
>>
>>   Lia
>>
>>
>>
>> _________________________________________________________________
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>>
>>
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>


-- 
Lavinia Weissman
Managing Director
www.workecology.com/redesign2
617.461.0500

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