Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: intentional communities <FWD>

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

Message author: BJ368 [at] KANGA.INS.CWRU.EDU
Posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop.  
(This one got lost in the shuffle for a few days, sorry. Fred)
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 94 19:46 CDT

I think there are some pretty big differences between
cohousing and intentional communities.  Personally I
find the efforts in intentional communities much more
courageous and creative than most of the ones in
cohousing, though I believe that is very much defined
by borders.
Americans don't know how to cooperate, have traditionally
nurtured massive ego-territory personality traits
and fall far short of many European examples of coopera-
tive communities of all types. (sorry for the bluntness).
In fact there are very few successful or long term
intentional communities in the USA, this despite
plentiful rhetoric by the left and other social
freethinkers through the decades who never quite
seem to be able to stand each other enough to live
as next door neighbors.
The cohousing concept is very useful on economic
grounds alone.  I cohousing community can save
much on living and expenses as well as providing
a care social neighborhood.
The idea that a group of people can really live
together, supply most of all of their own food
and other basic necessities (by farming,etc.)
and live a quality lifestyle at the same time
devoid of the city's major problems, is and
always has been a pipe dream.  
But I think it is clear after a brief reading
of history in these areas, that the human or
cultural personality is the main stumbling
block.
Mike Romano