Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: All Residents (homeowners) are HOA Directors

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Oct 5, 2007, at 4:18 AM, Joani Blank wrote:

> How about "[Owners/members/residents] must act in the best interest
> of the community even if at the expense of their own [indivdual]
> interests."  It's not always easy, but it's the right thing to do,
> dontcha' think, even when everyone is not on the Board.

Whenever anyone posts this thought I have to object-- even though I  
know Joanie means this in the best possible spirit of community living.

Creating an opposition between one's own interests and those of the  
community is a false argument. The community is composed of  
individuals, all of whom have interests, who have chosen to form a  
group that is dedicated to a particular goal. There is no community  
apart from the individuals who compose it. If those individuals' best  
interests, in relation to the goal, are not served, there is no  
community interest being served.

The unit of action is the individual and the community is a group of  
individuals who have a common purpose or aim or goal. Unless you have  
these two  measures -- the individual interests and the common goal  
-- the cult can take over.

Serving the "best interests of the community" is too often just  
majority rule in another guise. "I don't want this but everyone else  
does so I'll go along 'in the best interests of the community'." The  
question is what are the goals of the group and is a decision in  
accord with those goals. If a majority makes a decision that is not  
in accord with that goal, is it a good decision? Does the goal just  
change because a majority wants it to change? It might, but only  
individuals can decide that. The "community" can't.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Coauthor with John Buck of We the People
Consenting to a Deeper Democracy
A Guide to Sociocratic Principles and Methods
ISBN: 9780979282706
http://www.sociocracy.info