Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing Alternative -Reply

['Judith Wisdom (wisdom]

Here, here to the sentiments expressed below.  I think I would have said 
the very same thing when I was perfectly fit, 
working full-time on the faculty of a large medical 
school and writing my dissertation. But now I would 
easily agree, as I look for affordable co-housing 
because I developed a chronic illness, am living on 
SSDI, am very resourceful but somewhat 
albeit unevenly  (some days lots better than others) disabled.  

So far, 
some of the communities I've looked into have good values about 
limited physical ability, but the cost is the 
problem.  I don't yet have an answer but I am 
beginning to try to research it--to find if any 
federal monies (am I mad?) are tucked away that 
might be available to help subsidize either 
communities to take in people they want but can't afford the costs or 
subsidize individuals who 
don't have the dough but who would share the values and committment to 
the community.  And who need it bad!  

Those of us who 
have what I do (and other physical and thus 
financial limits--I have chronic fatigue 
syndrome/fibromyalgia) very much need such inclusive 
intentional communities because we (some of us) are 
restricted in our ability to get out and about as 
much as one is when well.  The isolation didn't 
bother me initially.  But it is in spades right now. 
 Hence my appreciation of the sentiments below and 
my wish that anyone with ideas on affordability for 
someone in my shoes might come forth.

Up until now, a lurker,


Judith Wisdom    wisdom [at] pobox.upenn.edu

P.S. I think (just think, not sure) it was Groucho Marx or S.J. Perelman 
who said that he wouldn't want to be a member. . .  
and not Woody Allen.  Although all three share a lot 
in common in terms of geist, and I do think that 
S.J. wrote for Groucho.


***************
CSpirito [at] mailbox.une.edu 
wrote: > > I think the name/image problem has to do with the need for an
> _INTENTIONAL- grouping of people. This implies to me that
> people/families are SELECTED by some admissions group.  This is
> already distasteful to me...
> 
> "I wouldn't want to be a member of any group that would have me as a
> member" - to quote/ paraphrase Woody Allen, I think.
> 
> Someone recently listed the common traits of "community" as
> Communication, Cooperation and Caring...   If you REALLY care, then
> one of your goals should be Inclusiveness, so that anyone can belong
> who shares the other common values.  Without that, you have only a
> very exclusive social club or, worse, a sort of live-in country club for
> the affluent and well-connected. This is not my idea of "community"
> 
> from a reformed lurker...
> 
> Carl Spirito, in southern Maine  (cspirito [at] mailbox.une.edu)
> mid-fifties, married 31 years, 3 grown kids
> University Professor - Physiology
> hobbiest sculptor and scale model builder (trains, etc.)
> Not in any "coho" situation, but trying to build true community in my town
> of 15K people.
> 
>