Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Limits to CoHousing

[Frank Boosman (frank]

[I would attribute the following if I could, but I didn't see a return address.]

>I don't want to have to choose among gun/no-gun, smoking/no-smoking,
>Green/non-Green, nuclear-free/pro-nuke, recycling/bicycling,
>Left/Middle/Right/Green/Red/Brown/Black/Statist/Libertarian groups.
>I want to live in a cohousing group!

To be blunt, this is absurd. By choosing to live in a cohousing community,
one is, in effect, saying, "I wish to live in close proximity to people who
believe certain things: namely, that people should live more closely than
is typically practiced today; that people should group together to form
quasi-extended families; that meals are meant to be shared on a regular
basis;" and so on.

So, therefore, by choosing to live in a cohousing community, one is already
choosing to live with people who believe in certain precepts, and who wish
to live their lives based on these precepts.

If groups of people wish to form cohousing communities which go beyond
these precepts--for example, to adopt a strong environmental preservation
policy, or to adopt a no-smoking policy, or promote recycling, this is NO
different--it is merely an extension of the basic association concept of
cohousing.

Now, you might choose not to live in a cohousing development which bans
firearms. I would. I, on the other hand, wouldn't want to live in a
development which promoted or was focused around a religion, whereas
someone else might. This is just fine. This is the way cohousing is meant
to work. If you don't like a given group, keep looking, or start one of
your own. But why worry about what other groups do?

-- Frank

PS -- Perhaps you should start a cohousing group which specifically takes
no position on gun ownership, smoking, nuclear issues, recycling, or any
other such issues. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you found others who
were looking for the same kind of group. If you do, I wish you all the
success. (I wouldn't be among them.)

| Frank Boosman      | This week's book pick is a trilogy: "Big Secrets," |
| Morrisville, NC    | "Bigger Secrets," and, naturally, "Biggest         |
| frank [at] internet.net | "Secrets," all by William Poundstone. Lots of fun. |