Many of my old friends, particularly those that are older than I, can't conceive of why I would choose to live in such close quarters and share money with a group of people. It is quite the opposite of what our mainstream American culture teaches us to valueindependence, competition, "success", and privacyand it is definitely a more intense way to live. While it does require adjustments and sacrifices that are not always easy or immediately gratifying, I choose it consciously, freely and (usually) joyously each day.
There are all kinds of different political, spiritual, social, material, financial, and ecological reasons for me to live in and promote intentional communities. I can address the problems I see with the direction humans are headed both in this country and in the world all at once with community living. Building Dancing Rabbit and working for the FIC are a satisfying balance of creating a juicy life for myself and being an activist at the same time. Somehow I find it more fulfilling than bussing tables to pay my car insurance in the city! Also, with our resources pooled, I have a higher standard of living than I could have on my own (for instance, having part ownership of a farm).
Spiritually, I find chances to form deep connections to people in community by sharing work, cooking, child care, holidays, personal struggles, interpersonal challenges and day to day life. A shared commitment to live together harmoniously and to become better people creates an atmosphere in which I thrive. Being so close to people and watching them live their lives opens my mind to different ways of thinking and being. Having people get close enough to me to see my monster side forces me to work on my "stuff" and take responsibility for my words and actions. Sometimes the behavior of people from outside my community will remind me of the cooperation and gentleness we take for granted (or of how polished our meetings are). Community allows me to adjust my work and alone time to my needs and the seasons and the amount of responsibility I want to take on. I like living intergenerationally and being respected by and friends with people both older and younger than I am, something uncommon in our culture. One of my favorite aspects of community is the feeling of extended family I have with folks in other communities. We love getting together and exchanging the latest on children, romances and community news. It's fun to have dozens of friends in common and to create our own culture.
I find sharing rural land with others to be spiritually rewarding. The chance to take alone time and feel connected to a certain place helps me keep my sanity and fulfills my desire to synchronize my body with the moon and the seasons. I wasn't willing to sacrifice the quality of my life during the years it would have taken me to work in the city and save enough money to buy land on my own. Community allows me to enjoy living close to the natural world right now.
Socially, I think community is good for the world! I see parenting being done conscientiously and kids thriving in a stimulating environment. My experience working with children in the city was that daycare could be a dangerous, neglectful place for kids and that even the best parents had a real struggle to connect with their kids after days apart each week. Along the same lines, community is an ideal setting for the elderly, providing companionship and all levels of work for older people. Community supports single parents and people with various levels of education or skills. Once a community becomes big enough, people can provide all kinds of support for each others' social needs (choirs, support groups, sports, women's space, etc.).
Connections with other people keep community life from being dull. I have yet to miss TV since living in the midst of constant drama. I've had the opportunity to host dozens of interesting people from all walks of life and from all over the world. Now that Dancing Rabbit is coming together, we can call on our like-minded friends from the US, UK, Australia, and Germany. We draw experience and help from politicians, authors, and leaders in the communities movement. The myth of community as an escape from the world is definitely not applicable.
Materially and financially, I have access to horses, acres of land in the country, more books, magazines and CD's than I can ever use, ponds, trucks, cars, tractors, "commie" clothes, guitar lessons, parties, live music, computers, art classes, massages, counseling and so many free trips to here and there that I have to be selective about my fun. Health care, car insurance, taxes, food are all much less expensive for an income sharing group and I don't waste as much brain space worrying about how to address these things. Basically, I have a higher standard of living and more opportunities for learning and fun than I did on my own. I loved the year I spent in community in Virginia without carrying a wallet or keys (the farmhouse doors don't have locks and the car keys are kept in the cars). Sometimes I don't even appreciate all the things I have access to. In fact, I had Internet access before I'd even heard of it.
One of my favorite memories of abundance in community was when I had a new job as a horse carriage driver and several of my friends at Acorn set me up with a colonial ruffled shirt, knickers, boots, warm woolly coat and appropriate hat, from all different folks' closets and from the infamous "commie clothes". I think that outfit would have taken a month of shopping and my first paycheck in the city. Just last week, when I visited Acorn, we got to talking about the history of the shirt Martha was wearing and it turned out to have been sewn by one person in the room and have been owned at different times by three other people, all in the room!
Ecologically, even communities that don't focus on environmentalism end up using less resources and making less waste than separate households. Most communities order food in bulk, cook together, work at home, and share appliances, vehicles, and housing. For people who make ecological awareness a priority, living together makes it much more feasible. I like how I can relax into my life in community without worrying about if I should force myself to bike to work when it's cold, eat the cookies with less packaging or buy the organic broccoli even though the price is outrageous. These things aren't even a question when I am growing my own organic food and walking to work in the next building. It suits me to use well water and pick a salad out of the garden for dinner. Now I get the chance to live out my wilder dreams of horse-drawn transportation, eating seasonally, dropping out of the consumer frenzy and hopefully being a well-publicized example of a smarter way of life.
Can life get much better than this? I feel that communities today really are building utopia. But, along with the freedom and creativity of utopia come some new and difficult challenges for us. We weren't raised in a tribal culture and often don't know what to do about people who arrive with problems and wreak havoc on a tight knit group. Sometimes the absence of supervisors and structure doesn't provide the joy and power we hope for, but instead becomes like Kant's "prison of freedom". Community folks often encounter distrust and suspicion from mainstream society. Most commonly, many people find the openness and responsibility to others just too far from what they're used to and value privacy and autonomy over the benefits community has to offer.
When I add up all the hardships and delights my community experiences have brought me, life in community definitely wins out. Now that I'm in the know about the FEC, I'll never want for a place to live and grow with kind friends and an abundant life!
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