Cohousing-L Mailing List: No Shared Community Economy?

[Joani Blank (joani]

Friends,

This post is a belated response to a thread from late July about the
possibility of a cohousing community operating a guest ranch.  But it
applies to  the idea that all or most of the adult members of a given
community might be in and might get their primary income from a business
they operate together. 

On the Cohousing Network's Web page (www.cohousing.org for those of you
haven't visited recently--or ever), one of the "defining" characteristics
of cohousing is set out as:  

"NO SHARED COMMUNITY ECONOMY. The community is not a source of income for
its members. Occasionally, a cohousing community will pay one of its own
members to do a specific (usually time limited) task, but more typically
the task will simply be considered to be that member's contribution to the
shared responsibilities." (adapted by me--I wrote the current FAQs--from
the words of Katie McCamant). 

Now, of course neither the web page nor "the book" are gospel, and I think
the question posed last month and the responses to it were
thought-provoking and interesting, but, to the best of my recollection no
one stated one important set of reasons for a cohousing community not to
operate a community business.  

First, most of us treasure the diversity of interests, skills, talents and
occupations that show up as we build our cohousing groups. I also wager
that most of the folks attracted to cohousing are relatively happily
wrapped up in whatever their existing careers. Further, since we tend not
to share political, social or spiritual ideology, we're not likely to want
to live quite as communally as community-doing-business-together implies
(or requires).  

Finally, I am amazed when I see married couples who live together, raise
children together AND work together every day.  That would drive me nuts!
And I'd be doing that with just one other (presumably beloved) person.  I
can't imagine "going to work" every day with all--or even most--of my
neighbors in cohousing, any more than I can imagine having 21 common meals
every week with them, much as I enjoy common meals 

I'm not at all critical of communities that do have a shared economy. At
one time in my life I might have truly enjoyed living in such a community.
And I wish there were many more of them around today, both urban and rural,
for those who would choose to live there.  But I think they would by and
large attract a population quite different from those who are currently
drawn to cohousing.

Any other ideas out there about this?

Joani
Old Oakland Cohousing in paradise, AKA beautiful Bay Area, California
(Today was so magnificent I just couldn't resist! Never once been sorry
that I moved here 29 years ago.)