What is a community?

Aside from which each understands by community, in this web references to groups of people who conscious and voluntarily decide to share their time, ideas and values and, with that aim, to live together. Because of that the term of "intentional" or volunteers communities. "A community is a circle of people who know and accept each other and who support each other in their mutual growth; people who trust each other and dedicate a part of their energy to a greater whole". Now we will see diverse aspects around these communities.

Level of intensity. There are many and intermediate forms: from the based in the concept of neighbourhood to the classic commune. In ones it is continued prioritizing the family concept, while in others these concept was dissolved so much in space as social terms (shared cookery, shared care of the children, obtaining of income in common...). The degree in the decision making also can vary from few practical questions (like in the conventional communities of neighbours) to subjects like the nutritional habits, the use or not of drugs, or activities to develop.

Community consciousness and individuality. Communities are usually characterized by a group consciousness, by a not easy-to-grasp concept of who “we” are as a group. If all goes well, as an individual person living in community I feel both that I am a self-responsible person with my own uniqueness and also that I am a part of a larger organism which possesses an exterior form and identity with which I can identify. The matter is to go towards a balance between personal freedom and one´s responsibility to others. In this process it is necessary to change the competitive vision of the relations towards a cooperative vision.

The community vision. Many "intentional" communities have formulated a common vision, an utopia as an ideal vision of another world or another type of society. Thus, the community also offers an experimental space for alternative models for living. Most of them can be identified as model projects for future-compatible and society-changing ways of living. Each community is only and different from the others. Even so, there are certain general characteristics: ecology and sustainability; non-violence; search of the greater possible self-sufficiency; decision making by assemblies and consensus; etc.

[extracts from EUROTOPIA]

Sábado, 04 de noviembre de 2006
Por: s_d_xira | Various | Comentarios (0) | Referencias (0) | 45 Lecturas