Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Is living cooperatively an ideology of itself?

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

Diane Simpson <coho [at] theworld.com>
is the author of the message below. 
It was posted by Fred the Cohousing-L list manager <fholson [at] cohousing.org> 
because the message included an attachment.
--------------------  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS --------------------


Hi all,

I don't believe the idea of a false dichotomy of individual-group holds 
up under closer scrutiny. While it is certainly true that the group 
does not exist without the presence of the individuals I can think of 
many situations in my own  cohousing group experience in which certain 
things came up for discussion that would only benefit one or perhaps 
two individuals.   The design development phase, which we are in now, 
is a classic case of weighing the benefits of one option versus 
another--you simply can't place all of the rooms where everyone would 
like to have them. You can't build all of the rooms people would like 
to have. You can't have all the accouterments of a single-family home 
in tightly-clustered housing development if you want it to remain 
affordable.   You also have to think about the classic words of "Sir 
Mick"  re: getting what you want versus getting what you need.

As for the statement, "Once you decide that a group is something 
different than the individuals in it, you are on very thin ice," I have 
quite a strong opinion about that. I think that the group is something 
different than the individuals in it. I think it is a distinct entity, 
an organism, a creature, with its own feelings, it's own rhythms, its 
own ways of doing things. I guess the reason I feel so strongly about 
that, is that, as the founder of the Jamaica Plain group, I had to 
adjust some of my "individualism" to the group in order for the group 
to grow. I couldn't continue to be at the forefront of every issue if 
the group was to be able to grow up and stand on its own two feet. And 
now, as I watch the progress of this group, I am just amazed. It has 
become a new creature, a new entity in the world. You can feel it, 
there's a special energy in the room when the group is there.

"The only productive group is one that can utilize the full strengths 
of all the individuals within it."  Now, I could have a field day with 
that statement. But I'll suffice to say that all the parts have to work 
together harmoniously in order for the group to be a productive one. 
And sometimes that means you have to pull back a little bit in order to 
give other people more "space" to grow and to become full contributors, 
full participants, in the group. And if that means you're not utilize 
your full strengths, well, so be it.

--Diane Simpson
JP COHOUSING  617-524-6614
P.O. BOX 420 BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS
HTTP://WWW.JPCOHOUSING.ORG
"The people who surround you define the qualify of your life."



On Saturday, February 8, 2003, at 10:32 AM, Sharon Villines wrote:
>>
>>
> And while we are at it, we need to retire the false dichotomy of 
> individual-group. "For the good of the group not the individual" is 
> ultimately a meaningless distinction. The group only exists because of 
> individuals. Only individuals can act. Once you decide that a group is 
> something different than the individuals in it, you are on very thin 
> ice.
> While combined efforts of a group of individuals can produce results 
> that are greater than the sum of its parts, it can also produce 
> results that are far less. The only productive group is one that can 
> utilize the full strengths of all the individuals within it.
>

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