self-sufficiency vs. community-sufficiency

[ellebeaux]

Originally Posted by TNHermit

Ya ought to see what a house cost out there nowdays. You live there if you always lived there or your one of the "upitty ups" Stop by Grannys antiques someday if you want the whole story. That old women in there knows everything about it. Pretty cool lady.

Well, do tell! Or at least a brief synopsis for those of us not familiar with it. How was a commune started by the government?

[Beeman]

Originally Posted by ellebeaux

Well, do tell! Or at least a brief synopsis for those of us not familiar with it. How was a commune started by the government?

http://plateauproperties.com/home.html

Here's your link.

[ellebeaux]

Originally Posted by Beeman

http://plateauproperties.com/home.html

Here's your link.

WOW! Very interesting - way to go FDR! Why can't we do something like that now?

[Shepherd]

I started a reply early in the thread, but before I was done, I had to just click "reply" and run because time had gotten away from me and we had to leave for our family gathering.

I've thought along these same lines for several years as to how this could work. I've even discussed it seriously with one couple who believes as we do. We discussed them building a house on our property but if we don't sell off that section of land to them, why would they want to build a house on it? Do we really want to sell off pieces of our land? What if someone we sold to, allowed someone else we didn't know to build another home on their land (right next door)? So many possibilities.

We kind of let the idea sit on the back burner. Meanwhile, we've had a lot of new neighbors moving out here, all with the same belief systems, all really good people. We've started having weekly Bible Studies with some of them and really bonded. They've listened to our concerns about the need to be more self-sufficient and prepared and have come around to that way of thinking.

Each of us have our own property & homes, live in close proximity and can offer a lot to a 'community'. As I mentioned above, one of our neighbors raise honey bees, we raise chickens, hay, and have acres upon acres of firewood, another has milk goats, another has a small dairy farm, a couple have horses, others raise beef. Our land is filled with deer, wild turkey and rabbits. We've dug a 2 acre pond and stocked it with fish. All of us have been planting fruit bearing trees, bushes and vines... and we have a lot of wild fruits and nut trees on our land.

We've been having an annual get together for all our neighbors within about a 5 mile radius... in an effort to meet all our neighbors and become a stronger community. Some of the ladies have had brunches, candle or food parties and holiday baking parties.

This is about the best of all worlds even tho we're still all quite a distance from each other, if you had to walk. We feel very blessed how our rural neighbors are coming together. We've convinced two more of our close neighbors to install some type of wood burning stoves for heat. It's nice to have an emergency backup in the winter.

[cindyc]

Rose,
These three fams have known each other forever, but I'm sure there are others who will join us whom we do not know. Yes, there is risk. I know hope house could be at risk in the wrong hands too. I guess, I am willing to take the risks. I haven't found any alternatives I feel really good about. Do nothing - no. Try to do something as complex as long - term help on my own without draining all of my own resources and putting myself at risk - no. Become a communist and hold all things in common and either have someone else in charge of everything I contribute, or be in charge of what others contribute- absolutely NO. What was that thing about asolute power?

The answer to the question about the land (as it stands right now) is both/and. Hope house, and some community property will be structured as a 501c3 and farms are independently owned. Contractually, each farm gives the community the right to be the "first offerer" to buy it back if they move, but they are under no obligation to sell to us if we cannot come to terms.

Nothing is done yet, though. This is just how we see it right now.

[Ahne Homestead]

One part of me earns for the community life (being self sufficient in a community way), the other side of me wants to be completely dependent on myself to do what I want to do and to stop doing what I want to do. I think the second is stronger than the first. The risks of community life seem too high for me. With that said I agree with rose and reluctantpatriot that a better way might be to stay where I am and 1) find other people in my area that would like to barter and trade 2) start raising and growing what others may want 3) try to maintain a sharing attitude with those I barter and trade with. This could satisfy some of the social needs not only for myself but for others that would join a small community. Another reason I like this idea is I can begin right away. I have the whole winter to plan how I will start this spring. Carl

[Paul Wheaton]

Take a look at www.ic.org

There are up sides, down sides and 90% of IC's fail (per the premier book on IC).

It is something that can work - it just gets .... tricky.

Unintentional community (a healthy group of neighbors) can also be great. But I really, really, really like the idea of four or more families on one farm.

[Beeman]

I would say for a community to work along these lines you would need a support industry to give you the outside cash flow to keep the community solvent. This is how the mish and many communes have stayed alive in the world. Everyone must work their share at the business which generates the money to pay for all of the required things within the community. The industry would have to market to the "outside world" to generate the needed cash flow.

[boxwoods]

My vision: A village, or town community infecting all who come near it . A friendly, social place of peace. Farming with numbers to get away from machinery. A group could shuck some corn to feed the animals where one person could not. All living and working within one village. Minimal transportation, and then only by group to a city for the essentials that can't be made on site. A kind of cradle to grave place of yesteryear using the knowledge of today.

[Michael83705]

Community requires a lot of tolerance and personal sacrifice for the greater good of the community.

I understand people wanting to do seperate school, not pay taxes and generally live a seperatist life, but community requires the opposite.

It requires supporting your local schools (whatever they are) and their bonds and taking the time to participate in education. It requires a higher and higher percentage of your money going to the community in the form of something like taxation and getting involved directly in government. It involves a commitment to living together even when you disagree and even when it hurts to see the same people that hurt you and still go through a religious service with them.

Whether it is a small project, a small town or a local area of a major city, this is what it takes to live in community. In my experience today, few people are really willing to practice it deeply.

I find it interesting with the Amish, who wisely send their kids out into the world at a certain age. Those people understand the risk of intentional community.

I am not saying don't try it- I think, for one, your common faith can be of great strength. I am just saying that it will require, over time, more of a commitment, more work, more resources and less personal interest to gain the beauty of a positive intentional community- which is worth working for. Just beware the people who start with the idea that it will be easier- it won't be. It is still very much worth working for.

[ellebeaux]

Okay, I'm trying to build local Homesteading Today activity - I put a request on the barter board for horse manure!

Anyone got some horse dookie they can give me near Charlottesville? I'll trade books, furniture, baked goods, manual labor, etc.

Building community one fecal ball at a time,

Beaux