Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: financial diversity (WAS Development Phase)

[Diane (dianeclaire]

Hi Eris

Greater diversity means greater bases (noe merely opportunity)  for
conflict.  In my community I'm struck by the way our very slight surface
diversity leads to conflict based on deeply felt value differences -- we're
all "liberals," but we  can't possibly even discuss those value differences.

Diane

2011/9/23 Eris Weaver <eris [at] erisweaver.info>

>
> Sharon Villines wrote:
>
>
>
> > We have a few members who want us to consider ways to help
>
> > any residents who are having "real" financial difficulties. For me to do
> that I need a
>
> > standard for means testing. Some of us live on surprisingly little money
> and don't
>
> > speak up; others talk pain, and keep spending. How anyone uses their
> money
> will
>
> > look foolish to someone else.
>
>
>
> Exactly! We had a situation in my community in which a household was
> selling
> & moving out because they "couldn't afford it" and a few others tried to
> engage the rest of the community in trying to find ways to help them stay -
> loans, letting them live in the common house, whatever. While I had
> sympathy
> for the family's job loss, I had a hard time not judging them for spending
> money on things that to me seemed like luxuries; I was thus not inclined to
> want to help them.
>
>
>
> Many of us claim that we want more economic diversity in our communities;
> if
> we do, it behooves us to have open conversations about these issues.
> Greater
> diversity = greater opportunity for conflict!
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Eris Weaver, Facilitator & Group Process Consultant
>
> Author, "Let's Talk About Money: A Conversation Guide for Intentional
> Communities <http://www.erisweaver.info/books.html> "
>
> eris [at] erisweaver.info
>
> 707-338-8589
>
> http://www.erisweaver.info <http://www.erisweaver.info/>
>
> http://erisweaver.blogspot.com <http://erisweaver.blogspot.com/>
>
>
>
>
>
> fa cil' i tāt: to make easier
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Diane Margolis
175 Richdale Av.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617 354 1349