Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: The "ideology" thing

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On 6 Jun 2011, at 7:04 PM, Racheli Gai wrote:

> An interesting book on the topic of denial was written about a decade  
> ago by Stanley Cohen, who was obsessed by the question
> of why so many people can ignore/deny atrocities and suffering of  
> others.

A more recent title that covers more everyday decisions is Willful Blindness: 
Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril by Margaret Heffernan.

This is not off-topic because it is central to the way we live and work in 
cohousing. I think everyone who moves into cohousing is trying to live in a 
better way. Not that others aren't but cohousing expects a different 
intentionality from the moment someone begins looking at a unit. 

I used one lesson tonight in our Board meeting. We made a decision last week 
that I felt uncomfortable with but it seemed reasonable at the time. I happened 
to read a chapter the next day on how we make decisions in groups that we 
wouldn't make alone. At the office that we wouldn't make at home. I went back 
tonight and explained why I was uncomfortable with last month's decision. The 
issue was reopened and others expressed similar reservations.

The result may be the same but if we still avoid addressing the problem, we 
will at least have examined our decision in terms of ethics, not legal or 
financial advantage.

She also discusses the effects of winning or being in the majority on people's 
willingness to help another person do something so simple as pick up spilled 
pencils. The winner of even a small amount of money doesn't. The research is 
revealing. A highly recommended book. Nicely written as well.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org