Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Celebration: Coho in the mainstream?

[Mac Thomson (mac]

On 12/3, Bryan, of Bryan and Debbie wrote:

> CoHousing will not create better communities on a large scale when
> it is co-opted by main stream corporate interest

>From my point of view, I'd love to see cohousing get co-opted by main stream
corporate interests.  Despite whatever downfalls it has, the current market
system in the Western world delivers products to people based on their wants
and needs better than any system in history.  You may argue that in this
hyper-consumptive culture people have far too many perceived wants and needs
or that they are somehow being manipulated into hyper-consumption, but I
don't think that you can refute that the market system does an amazing job of
getting the products to the people.

Shoot, just sitting here at my desk, with a few phone calls, I could have
truckloads of goods delivered to my home tomorrow morning.  We are a culture
that excels in production, delivery, and consumption (to the neglect of
relationship, spirituality, and other things of much greater substanceIMHO).

I think that if cohousing remains a purely grassroots effort (which I take to
mean nearly completely resident developed), it will never become the
lifestyle of more than only a handfull of people.  It's just much too much
work for the vast majority of people.

I would guess that if flight had remained the kind of grassroots movement
that it was in the 20's, there wouldn't be many of us on this list that would
ever have had the experience of air travel.  It was it's co-opting by main
stream corporate interests that made it safe and economical, and therefore
commonplace.  I would like to see cohousing become commonplace.

Cohousing gives people the opportunity to develop those other things of much
greater substance in their lives.  Consumption, in itself, is not a bad
thing, but it needs to be greatly moderated and kept in balance.  Let
cohousing provide the balance and let the market system provide cohousing. 

    Mac Thomson                         San Juan Cohousing
    Mac [at] HappyValley.com           Durango, Colorado

  "Every child born into the world is a new thought of God,
           an ever fresh and radiant possiblilty."
                        - Kate Douglas Wiggin


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