Today I had the pleasure of discussing ideas about the village with Kathy and Donna. They both asked some wonderful questions and shared some of their thoughts and experiences. I hope to recapture some of the clarity that I gained from that conversation here and further explicate the vision.
I was asked if I could boil it down to a couple of things. I was surprised to discover that almost everything else seems to come from subsidiarity and inter-reliance, along with self-sufficiency. The other principles I wrote about further show how those things function.
I also realized that I haven't written here about "satellite housing". Basically, the idea is to have a central building containing a large kitchen, workspace, a library, etc. It's a waste to have a full kitchen for everyone, excess of so many things that aren't used all the time, or that are, but would be much more efficient if people concentrated the effort. And having things in a shared space keeps people closer. There could also be dorms in the central building for people who can't be at the village full-time or for guests.
However, I also realize that people need some private space. So people could have very small dwellings throughout the area... and I mean small.
I have been informed by Shad that I'm not terribly coherent at the moment. Therefore I shall continue about satellite housing later.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Principles
After the preceding post, I went back and worked through some definitions of things I'd said I'd write about awhile ago. It seems like a long list maybe, but these things linked together and my explanations say a lot about just what it is I'm trying to do. Obviously these aren't generally things I have come up with myself, but describe what I feel and value just as authentically as if I had. I am so grateful for those who explicated this vocabulary and gave it meaning to me.
Principles:
Self and Inter Reliance - Self reliance suggests that people have a number of traits which propel them towards greater achievement. Dependency suggests that a person cannot take initiative or be motivated unless they are pushed by another person. While both conditions occur, neither is really healthy, and it seems to me that most people blend a combination of these two, primarily centered on a third type of reliance, which I term inter-reliance. Inter-reliance is when people encourage, inspire, and help each other, sometimes physically and materially, to create value together that benefits both.
Solidarity - Solidarity is the idea that if someone else is experiencing social or other structural injustice, I stand by that person and work with them to change that situation.
Subsidiarity - anything that can be worked out at the most pertinent local level should be, before resorting to another level. For example, a school should have its own dialogue on curriculum and grades before having them instituted for them by the school district, or even worse, the federal government. Another way of saying subsidiarity is the "bottom-up" approach to leadership, rather than "top-down", which is the most common approach. I, and an increasing number of people, argue that subsidiarity is much more effective (and probably efficient) than top-down. This is related to the fact that the people most proximate to a situation probably have the best understanding of how to solve that situation, as well as a reduced need for bureaucracy and excessive travel to work out arrangements from a "higher" level.
Sustainability - many people have defined this terms so differently that I almost hate to use it. Its current popular use can be misguiding for a number of reasons. For me, Sustainability is still an adjective more than a noun that describes living in such a way that sustains the future of life. This is not just about the viability of the planet to support human life, although that is an important aspect. It is about being responsible for the way we do things so that the most life is able to survive, whether we think it currently profitable or not. This does not mean that we have to let pests eat all our crops or insist on the utter abolition of antibiotics or that we can't cut down a tree to heat us in winter, but considering whether the things we do and how we do them are going to promote life or limit it. I do not see sustainability compatible with a number of words with which it is commonly paired, including corporation, and capitalism.
Symbiosis - life forms cooperating with each other to create a stronger existence for both.
Synergy - two things working together for greater effect, perhaps also one thing having more than one function.
Self-determination - the capacity of a person, community, or other group of people to decided its own future based on its own values
Egalitarianism - the idea that all people should be presented with equal opportunity and rights
Justice - the pursuit of righting wrongs in human society by pointing them out and correcting them.
Dialogue - discussion between two or more people to create better understandings, relationships, and solve disputes, among other things
Seven Generations - the consideration of the effects our actions on the seven generations to come, as well as an understanding and appreciation of the efforts of those from the past seven generations.
Transparency - existing in such a way that those within and outside an organization, business, or other operation are able to see and understand what is happening and why, and that those carrying out an operation are accountable for their actions and the associated consequences.
Principles:
Self and Inter Reliance - Self reliance suggests that people have a number of traits which propel them towards greater achievement. Dependency suggests that a person cannot take initiative or be motivated unless they are pushed by another person. While both conditions occur, neither is really healthy, and it seems to me that most people blend a combination of these two, primarily centered on a third type of reliance, which I term inter-reliance. Inter-reliance is when people encourage, inspire, and help each other, sometimes physically and materially, to create value together that benefits both.
Solidarity - Solidarity is the idea that if someone else is experiencing social or other structural injustice, I stand by that person and work with them to change that situation.
Subsidiarity - anything that can be worked out at the most pertinent local level should be, before resorting to another level. For example, a school should have its own dialogue on curriculum and grades before having them instituted for them by the school district, or even worse, the federal government. Another way of saying subsidiarity is the "bottom-up" approach to leadership, rather than "top-down", which is the most common approach. I, and an increasing number of people, argue that subsidiarity is much more effective (and probably efficient) than top-down. This is related to the fact that the people most proximate to a situation probably have the best understanding of how to solve that situation, as well as a reduced need for bureaucracy and excessive travel to work out arrangements from a "higher" level.
Sustainability - many people have defined this terms so differently that I almost hate to use it. Its current popular use can be misguiding for a number of reasons. For me, Sustainability is still an adjective more than a noun that describes living in such a way that sustains the future of life. This is not just about the viability of the planet to support human life, although that is an important aspect. It is about being responsible for the way we do things so that the most life is able to survive, whether we think it currently profitable or not. This does not mean that we have to let pests eat all our crops or insist on the utter abolition of antibiotics or that we can't cut down a tree to heat us in winter, but considering whether the things we do and how we do them are going to promote life or limit it. I do not see sustainability compatible with a number of words with which it is commonly paired, including corporation, and capitalism.
Symbiosis - life forms cooperating with each other to create a stronger existence for both.
Synergy - two things working together for greater effect, perhaps also one thing having more than one function.
Self-determination - the capacity of a person, community, or other group of people to decided its own future based on its own values
Egalitarianism - the idea that all people should be presented with equal opportunity and rights
Justice - the pursuit of righting wrongs in human society by pointing them out and correcting them.
Dialogue - discussion between two or more people to create better understandings, relationships, and solve disputes, among other things
Seven Generations - the consideration of the effects our actions on the seven generations to come, as well as an understanding and appreciation of the efforts of those from the past seven generations.
Transparency - existing in such a way that those within and outside an organization, business, or other operation are able to see and understand what is happening and why, and that those carrying out an operation are accountable for their actions and the associated consequences.
Struggle to Allow the Vision
As summer begins here, the semester has ended for me, and with it a distracting dose of contentment. So much seems abundant right now - time, food, lack of deadlines, the warm air and everywhere green leaves, that I have been struggling to keep firmly in front of myself how much more I want to be and do, how much differently I want to live over all. And then I feel like there is so much to do that I have been a little overwhelmed.
I decided well before the semester ended that I wanted to make real progress this summer. Enough simple daydreaming and time to work it out in reality. I even set up my summer schedule so that I would have sufficient time to work on this... I have been thinking about it a great deal, but finding myself strangely unwilling to commit to action. Then last night I had a talk with Darrell, who always inspires me to truly demonstrate all my dreams without holding back. All morning his words threaded around my head, so even though it would be easier to distract myself with a great novel or any number of other things, I am making myself really produce something tonight. It seems strange that this apparently easy aspect - simply making a plan to get a number of interested people into one place to discuss ideas about making a village a common dream and goal - should feel so tough.
One of the important things Darrell helped me clarify was the need for me to put down the principles I find most vital to the village, so I at least will be clear where I stand. I have listed some of them on this blog, but like he said, I need a mission statement, some declaration of what this is all about. So I'm returning to things jotted as notes during moments of high inspiration and trying to read them with new eyes.
I guess part of my lack of confidence is partially from the understanding that this village isn't just about me. I am concerned about what other people feel and think and want. But I do need to take a stand, because if I know what I offer, then I offer a more solid goal/vision/dream. And people looking for something else know to look elsewhere, and those seeking something similar feel like they have an ally and a place to look. So I am developing the confidence that my ideas are whole enough to constitute a declaration to begin with.
Some kind of constitution of shared ideas can come later, perhaps as an effect of the gathering I've been thinking about.
I decided well before the semester ended that I wanted to make real progress this summer. Enough simple daydreaming and time to work it out in reality. I even set up my summer schedule so that I would have sufficient time to work on this... I have been thinking about it a great deal, but finding myself strangely unwilling to commit to action. Then last night I had a talk with Darrell, who always inspires me to truly demonstrate all my dreams without holding back. All morning his words threaded around my head, so even though it would be easier to distract myself with a great novel or any number of other things, I am making myself really produce something tonight. It seems strange that this apparently easy aspect - simply making a plan to get a number of interested people into one place to discuss ideas about making a village a common dream and goal - should feel so tough.
One of the important things Darrell helped me clarify was the need for me to put down the principles I find most vital to the village, so I at least will be clear where I stand. I have listed some of them on this blog, but like he said, I need a mission statement, some declaration of what this is all about. So I'm returning to things jotted as notes during moments of high inspiration and trying to read them with new eyes.
I guess part of my lack of confidence is partially from the understanding that this village isn't just about me. I am concerned about what other people feel and think and want. But I do need to take a stand, because if I know what I offer, then I offer a more solid goal/vision/dream. And people looking for something else know to look elsewhere, and those seeking something similar feel like they have an ally and a place to look. So I am developing the confidence that my ideas are whole enough to constitute a declaration to begin with.
Some kind of constitution of shared ideas can come later, perhaps as an effect of the gathering I've been thinking about.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
erm, hi
I apologize for the delay in posting. School has been keeping me especially occupied the past couple of weeks. But I'm out for the summer as of Monday after a last final.
I've set up my schedule for the Summer so that my Sundays will be primarily dedicated to community building, studying village-relevant materials, and posting in this blog. That won't start tomorrow since I work and I'm studying for a final afterward. But look for a lot more action starting with this week.
Thank you, Kara, for the encouragement to keep up with this, and thanks to all reading for your continued support!
I've set up my schedule for the Summer so that my Sundays will be primarily dedicated to community building, studying village-relevant materials, and posting in this blog. That won't start tomorrow since I work and I'm studying for a final afterward. But look for a lot more action starting with this week.
Thank you, Kara, for the encouragement to keep up with this, and thanks to all reading for your continued support!
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