Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing and human rights (longish & abstract)

[Hans Tilstra (hanstilstra]

>    Fred Olson asked about the compatibility of cohousing and a human
rights response to globalisation. Here's a rationale...

The Declaration of Human Rights asks people to "act towards in a spirit of
brotherhood...."

I am writing from Melbourne, where, a couple of days ago, protestors
inspired by Seattle, expressed their frustrations with the "commodification"
of the world. Whilst "S11" was made up of an eclectic range of activists,
they shared a passion for the idea that there is more to humanity than the
marketplace.

This focus on economics as a basis for decisions is so forceful. Paul Lutus
wrote that "economic principles lie behind many more human activities than
most of us realize. We are almost constantly exchanging something for
something else. Many economic transactions don't involve money. In
traditional societies, and sometimes even this one, people trade using
favors, influence, even pure ideas, instead of money. Sometimes money is not
the best way to convey value. And sometimes money is so completely
inappropriate that it destroys the transaction ."...

Keeping that idea in mind, I find it noteworthy to point out that cohousing
comes from Denmark, a country with a strong history of balancing economic
imperatives with social justice. It's a country that originated ideas such
as Servas, a non profit peace organisation enabling grass roots exchange
through homestays to foster peace. Here, people interact with reciprocation
of hospitality, rather than a focus on economics. Talk about a leap of faith
that works.

Similarly, cohousing has a social / spiritual element, as people experiment
with a gracious, if not giving attitude and enactment towards others.
Housing, that most basic of human needs, is met, not by relying purely on
the marketplace, but by cooperative collaboration.

Not only is the process touching, as the marketplace is balanced by a
healthy dose of idealism, it also works. Cohousing is evidently more likely
to achieve determinants of mental health, such as social connectiveness
(through the enablement of supportive relationships), physical security, a
process inviting a degree of self-determination and control over one's life
and the tangibles of housing.

My work often brings me to bridge what I call "could-be-land" and current
realities. I consider cohousing to be one of those ideals with enough
substance to pass tests of cynicism and pragmatism. Thinking globally,
acting locally, cohousing embodies this spirit of brotherhood in combination
with the marketplace rather than through the marketplace.

Hans Tilstra

Paul Lutus - http://www.arachnoid.com/careware/index.html
Servas - http://www.servas.org