Building a Clear Vision of Community: an invitation

The time has come (if not passed) for us to come together and focus on what we want - especially the kind of lives and world we want and that we'll leave the next generation. How can we support each other in creating that? There is a kind of community, I believe, that can enable us to realize our dream of a peaceful, just and ecologically sustainable society and way of life. Our vision of that community is all-important in enabling us to bring it into existence. The following is what I'm offering toward this end. If there is enough interest, we'll find a location and set a date and time for a first meeting.
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Building a Clear Vision of Community:
A conversation exploring the meaning, purpose, potential and a path to community

“Wherever I go and ask people what is missing from their lives, the most common answer (if they are not impoverished or seriously ill) is "community." What happened to community, and why don't we have it any more?” from “A Circle of Gifts” by Charles Eisenstein

Our intention for this forum is to bring together our individual ideas, insights, longings and dreams, and use them to co-create a clear, complete vision of community. We will use a “learning community” approach in which everyone brings their pieces of the puzzle, then discover how all of our pieces fit together to form a whole, inclusive picture. Our work to build clarity and confidence in a shared understanding of the purpose and potential of community can energize us to begin realizing our vision.

The questions we'll be addressing (probably one question per meeting) are:

(1) What does “community” mean to you – or what meaning really resonates with you?

(2) Why build community? What is our “mission” or purpose in coming together to build it?

(3) How is this different from our present society and way of life?

(4) How do we begin to fulfill our purpose and realize our vision, once we have clarity
about what it is?

Meeting format: The first hour or more will be devoted to individual presentations in response to one of these questions. (Those “presenting” are assumed to have spent some time considering what they want to share – or how they want to use their time – in the meeting. Song, dance and other art are welcome!) Dialog during this time will be limited to questions for the purpose of clarifying what is being presented. We can add more questions to address in future meetings, if desired.

Everyone will have an opportunity to give input to the evening's focus question, whether or not you're making a presentation.

The second hour (or remainder of the time) will be for open sharing, questions and dialog related to what has been presented.

If you would like to attend this forum, please reply to this announcement or call: 707-664-1529. Include the best days and times for you to meet.
If you wish to make a 5 – 10 minute presentation on the focus question, please indicate how much time you'd like. The actual length of presentations may be adjusted as needed depending on the number of people presenting.

This forum is offered by Clint Summer, who has been thinking, reading, writing, dreaming and having experiences in the realm of community for about 4 decades.

Is it possible that all of our needs can be met and our highest aspirations fulfilled in and through the supportive relationships of a community?

I have a long standing desire to dedicate some of my own land in Sonoma County,
to community use, for the good of all, that we can use, as a place of Peace, and as
a beginning towards the creation of a full sized EcoVillage Community.

Come to our Meeting in Glen Ellen, to share your spirit, and to bring your gifts, on

Saturday January 29 at 11am, in the morning, at the picnic tables, near the market.

https://sustcomm.com/18.htm

Towards that End, I would like to suggest we create a Tribal Council on the Land. - T






There is a kind of community, I believe, that can enable us to realize our dream of a peaceful, just and ecologically sustainable society and way of life.

You have my support in forming a great community.

However, I believe that our needs and highest aspirations can only be fulfilled within.

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Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by CSummer:

The time has come (if not passed) for us to come together and focus on what we want - especially the kind of lives and world we want and that we'll leave the next generation. How can we support each other in creating that? There is a kind of community, I believe, that can enable us to realize our dream of a peaceful, just and ecologically sustainable society and way of life. Our vision of that community is all-important in enabling us to bring it into existence. The following is what I'm offering toward this end. If there is enough interest, we'll find a location and set a date and time for a first meeting.
______________________________________________________________________________

Building a Clear Vision of Community:
A conversation exploring the meaning, purpose, potential and a path to community

“Wherever I go and ask people what is missing from their lives, the most common answer (if they are not impoverished or seriously ill) is "community." What happened to community, and why don't we have it any more?” from “A Circle of Gifts” by Charles Eisenstein

Our intention for this forum is to bring together our individual ideas, insights, longings and dreams, and use them to co-create a clear, complete vision of community. We will use a “learning community” approach in which everyone brings their pieces of the puzzle, then discover how all of our pieces fit together to form a whole, inclusive picture. Our work to build clarity and confidence in a shared understanding of the purpose and potential of community can energize us to begin realizing our vision.

The questions we'll be addressing (probably one question per meeting) are:

(1) What does “community” mean to you – or what meaning really resonates with you?

(2) Why build community? What is our “mission” or purpose in coming together to build it?

(3) How is this different from our present society and way of life?

(4) How do we begin to fulfill our purpose and realize our vision, once we have clarity
about what it is?

Meeting format: The first hour or more will be devoted to individual presentations in response to one of these questions. (Those “presenting” are assumed to have spent some time considering what they want to share – or how they want to use their time – in the meeting. Song, dance and other art are welcome!) Dialog during this time will be limited to questions for the purpose of clarifying what is being presented. We can add more questions to address in future meetings, if desired.

Everyone will have an opportunity to give input to the evening's focus question, whether or not you're making a presentation.

The second hour (or remainder of the time) will be for open sharing, questions and dialog related to what has been presented.

If you would like to attend this forum, please reply to this announcement or call: 707-664-1529. Include the best days and times for you to meet.
If you wish to make a 5 – 10 minute presentation on the focus question, please indicate how much time you'd like. The actual length of presentations may be adjusted as needed depending on the number of people presenting.

This forum is offered by Clint Summer, who has been thinking, reading, writing, dreaming and having experiences in the realm of community for about 4 decades.

Is it possible that all of our needs can be met and our highest aspirations fulfilled in and through the supportive relationships of a community?

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Thank you for your offer of support, Tommy.

I am a bit puzzled by your comment. It seems to me we all have needs that require some interaction at least with our physical environment - and often with our fellow humans, if only indirectly. Examples would be hunger, thirst, a full bladder, emotional support around some issue, learning the best way to grow a certain plant or crop, or offering an invention or work of art to the world.

Perhaps you can give some examples of needs or aspirations that can only be fulfilled within. I'd be very interested to know.
It is also true that my need for greater self-awareness, for knowing my true needs, feelings, beliefs, etc. is something that requires time in solitude focusing inward. I've found, though, that even meeting that crucially important need can at times be enhanced greatly with the supportive presence of others.

CS

Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by tommy:

You have my support in forming a great community.

However, I believe that our needs and highest aspirations can only be fulfilled within.

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Dear CS,

I was responding to your statement "Is it possible that all of our needs can be met and our highest aspirations fulfilled in and through the supportive relationships of a community?"

Your statement implies that it is possible. Your statement could also have been a teaser, like when a dentist says "Visit me, your smile will be brighter". It's true, of course, but a bit misleading, as the dentist does not mention the pain, fear, complications, and cost.

I own that I've been frustrated by my own participation in building community. There's alot more than "ideas, insights, longings and dreams". There's often hard work, conflict, thwarted ideas and dreams, long meetings, complex relationships, money issues, leadership issues, and behavioral issues. Yes, there's Findhorn, and there are a couple of communities in Sonoma County including CoHousing.

To think that our highest aspirations will be fulfilled in and through the supportive relationships of a community" is an illusion, in my mind. I think it's more likely that fulfillment will come from going within: understanding our needs and aspirations, how they're affected by our childhood and earliest relationships, and that at their best, our ideals stand on their own, supported by Source within, rather than from without by a community.

With a touch of paradox, however, I still wish you the best. It sounds like this idea is out of your highest dreams and aspirations, which I support.
--------------------------

Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by CSummer:

Thank you for your offer of support, Tommy.

I am a bit puzzled by your comment. It seems to me we all have needs that require some interaction at least with our physical environment - and often with our fellow humans, if only indirectly. Examples would be hunger, thirst, a full bladder, emotional support around some issue, learning the best way to grow a certain plant or crop, or offering an invention or work of art to the world.

Perhaps you can give some examples of needs or aspirations that can only be fulfilled within. I'd be very interested to know.
It is also true that my need for greater self-awareness, for knowing my true needs, feelings, beliefs, etc. is something that requires time in solitude focusing inward. I've found, though, that even meeting that crucially important need can at times be enhanced greatly with the supportive presence of others.

CS

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I greatly appreciate what you wrote, Tommy. I feel considerably less puzzled by your first response.

> Your statement implies that it is possible. Your statement could also have been a teaser, like when a dentist says
> "Visit me, your smile will be brighter". It's true, of course, but a bit misleading, as the dentist does not mention the
> pain, fear, complications, and cost.

Yes, it could have been a "teaser." The fact is, my question - Is it possible that all of our needs can be met and our highest aspirations fulfilled in and through the supportive relationships of a community? - comes not from ignoring the pain and challenges of building a community, but from believing there is an approach that can lead more purposefully toward the meeting of the participants' true needs - and the fulfillment of our aspirations. I have visited, read about, spent time in and explored joining a number of communities. So far, I've heard of only one that I believed had set their priorities in a way that's likely to succeed in realizing a higher potential.

Your analogy of a dentist's ad is quite meaningful to me - and probably a lot of us! There is a huge difference here, though. The dentist's motivation is to earn his livelihood by appealing to patients with dental problems. It is generally not to support people in a holistic way with achieving truly healthy teeth and gums; the profession seems not to even think in such terms.
It is instead a suffering avoidance service: suffering - or the threat of it - is equated with profit. Real dental health doesn't bring patients to see you.

To me, community above all means connectedness: it is a holistic approach to life and to designing a well-functioning social order. What do we want out of life and our interactions with others? We want to feel healthy, happy, a sense of belonging, of being valued, of making a meaningful and important contribution and that the life and love energy is flowing both within us and between ourselves and others. A holistic approach focuses first on how we feel, as contrasted with the dominant culture that discourages awareness of feelings and offers a vast array of distractions to help us ignore our true feelings and needs.

So community (again as I prefer to define it) is living in relationship with ourselves, other humans and the natural environment. And the quality of these relationships - their depth and inclusiveness - determines the extent to which those relationships or that community can enable us to feel the way we want to feel. This is where I believe community-building must begin if it is to fulfill our expectations and aspirations: building those all-important relationships. As you seem to realize, it is a process that must happen within - as well as between - each person, because healthy, functional harmoniously integrated relationships or communities are not likely to arise from consciousness that is fragmented and in conflict with itself. Yet this is who we are; it is our "heritage" from hundreds of generations of scarcity-oriented child-rearing practices and attitudes. So community building must from the outset be a process of healing - of restoring wholeness to fragmented consciousness.

> To think that our highest aspirations will be fulfilled in and through the supportive relationships of a community" is
> an illusion, in my mind. I think it's more likely that fulfillment will come from going within: understanding our needs
> and aspirations, how they're affected by our childhood and earliest relationships, and that at their best, our ideals
> stand on their own, supported by Source within, rather than from without by a community.

I wonder how many of us have experienced being in a group that had built relationships that were truly supportive - where there was a deep sense of mutual knowing and trust, of being welcomed, held, cared for and valued. To me, creating such a circle of support is the essential beginning in the process of restoring the wholeness to consciousness that is our birthright. Recently, I've come to imagine it as a "groundhog day" circle, from the movie with that name. If you haven't seen the movie, it's about a TV reporter who is assigned to cover the events of Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, PA. He is not excited about the assignment and goes with somewhat of an attitude about it. He does it, though, and stays the night in a local hotel. When he awakes the next morning, he discovers that it's not a new day, but Groundhog Day all over again. This continues to happen for many days, during which he goes through various experiences and resulting attitudinal adjustments, until in the end, he finally "gets it right" and has the kind of day that can come from an "attitude of gratitude"- of being blessed by life's opportunities.

Imagine being in a group in which we supported each other in being fully aware of how we're feeling and in learning how to have or create the kinds of experiences that enabled us to feel as we really want to. I can believe that it would take me some time to see how my view of myself and others was still so influenced by the experiences of infancy and childhood - and by my earliest relationships - that I responded internally not to the present caring, supportive environment but to what I carry within me from the first years of life. It would probably take me a while to believe in and begin to internalize the real qualities of this new environment.

This idea of a "groundhog day" circle came to me after a recent experience of being in a circle (for quite a different purpose) and being aware of how frustrated I felt - and even how hopeless and discouraged I could feel afterward. It occurred to me that these experiences were all my own creation, and if I can keep repeating this, it would be a great opportunity for me to see how I'm creating these responses within myself and to experiment with other ways of viewing and being with the other members of the circle. Now I feel excited and energized to learn that the meetings may be continuing - and I might go as a somewhat subversive element!:wink:

One of the ways I've earned a living is by designing and building technical devices. I've learned that the more I know about the component parts of a design - their characteristics, qualities and limitations - the better able I am to design something that performs its function well with minimal undesirable effects. When it comes to devising a new way of living or social order, we humans are those components. At times, it may seem that we don't have such great material to work with, but I believe that's largely because our apparent limitations are quite evident yet many of our qualities may be buried along with the unresolved experiences we carry within us. If we want to become people who can create together a much more healthy, functional and sustainable way of living, our focus at the outset needs to be on bringing into awareness and into our lives and relationships all of these hidden qualities, moving beyond the illusory limitations that are a product of our history. We need to finish growing up, be reconciled and complete with our past and move forward together with all of our true power and capabilities available to us. This is where the ideal meets the real. The fact that we may feel lost in the desert doesn't mean we can't find our way to a place we really want to be. By coming together - both with our selves and with each other - I believe we can!

CS

Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by tommy:

Dear CS,

I was responding to your statement "Is it possible that all of our needs can be met and our highest aspirations fulfilled in and through the supportive relationships of a community?"

Your statement implies that it is possible. Your statement could also have been a teaser, like when a dentist says "Visit me, your smile will be brighter". It's true, of course, but a bit misleading, as the dentist does not mention the pain, fear, complications, and cost.

I own that I've been frustrated by my own participation in building community. There's alot more than "ideas, insights, longings and dreams". There's often hard work, conflict, thwarted ideas and dreams, long meetings, complex relationships, money issues, leadership issues, and behavioral issues. Yes, there's Findhorn, and there are a couple of communities in Sonoma County including CoHousing.

To think that our highest aspirations will be fulfilled in and through the supportive relationships of a community" is an illusion, in my mind. I think it's more likely that fulfillment will come from going within: understanding our needs and aspirations, how they're affected by our childhood and earliest relationships, and that at their best, our ideals stand on their own, supported by Source within, rather than from without by a community.

With a touch of paradox, however, I still wish you the best. It sounds like this idea is out of your highest dreams and aspirations, which I support.
--------------------------

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I just want to add that, in my opinion, there is an obvious solution here, and that is that both the going within thing, and the community living thing, are completely compatible, and so they are not mutually exclusive, and so it is not a zero sum game about who is right, and which way is right, in order to determine who the winner is in this little contest, which is not how the community process works, as the Community building process works only by contribution.

Attacking the premises, is only allowable, it could be said, by those who have already committed, to the community building process, so we don't have these constant interruptions, by those outlaws, who may still need to prove themselves, to be a truly bad hombre, in the wild wild west, so that person, with the negative contributions, would not be welcome to come to our meeting on Saturday. Jan 29th. All open minded people would be welcome. But we all must come only to learn, and not to criticize. - T

https://sustcomm.com/18.htm

Again I am truly puzzled, T! Contest? I'm not aware of any contest. To me, it seems like a collaboration of sharing our truth and seeking a larger truth. So, yes, definitely not a zero-sum game. I'm also aware that Tommy is coming probably from having considerable experience, and I'm coming from perhaps more of a hypothetical place - though one that is based on experience. My sense - or hope - is that we value each other's contributions.

I totally agree with your first paragraph - that going within and community living are completely compatible. Indeed, I would say that time spent in solitude focusing on what's true for us (especially related to anything that may have come up in a circle) is absolutely essential to the community building process. I've long thought this, referring to it as "doing our homework." If it seemed I was implying anything to the contrary, I'd be very interested to know what I wrote that gave you that impression. If it was an "error of omission," that's understandable, as there is much I might have written that I left out for the sake of not turning it into a book-length post!

Or am I missing something; maybe you're not referring at all to what I wrote? I would appreciate any clarification you can offer!

CS

Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by Temeluch:

I just want to add that, in my opinion, there is an obvious solution here, and that is that both the going within thing, and the community living thing, are completely compatible, and so they are not mutually exclusive, and so it is not a zero sum game about who is right, and which way is right, in order to determine who the winner is in this little contest, which is not how the community process works, as the Community building process works only by contribution.

Attacking the premises, is only allowable, it could be said, by those who have already committed, to the community building process, so we don't have these constant interruptions, by those outlaws, who may still need to prove themselves, to be a truly bad hombre, in the wild wild west, so that person, with the negative contributions, would not be welcome to come to our meeting on Saturday. Jan 29th. All open minded people would be welcome. But we all must come only to learn, and not to criticize. - T

https://sustcomm.com/18.htm

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I noticed that I was not given any credit for being experienced, in this little contest, and so we have to have reasons for doling out preferences, and honors, or we do an injustice.

Experience alone doesn't really count for much. And so there probably should not be any special entitlements that will ever need to be given out to those who are merely experienced, even if they are Elders, and have many years of experience, unless they have actually earned some special honor within the Tribe, as an Elder, who is to be honored for that, which would probably have to be signified in some way, as it might have been, among native peoples.

I stand with you in total solidarity, on the proposition of creating a community, and I am here to support your efforts, and all efforts around the world to create these communities all over the place. But those who are not here to support those efforts, in my opinion, need not be catered to.

I do not myself ever try to sell people on the spiritual life, or the Community Life, who express a need to be sold on it, by denying its validity. When people try to make you wrong, and deny the validity of the core concept, then it is time to head for some higher ground, as that can be an attempt to drag us all down, just to suit the needs of one, and so for me it is better not to get embroiled in such things, as that is like an attempt to pass a bad check on us, while the whole time offering positive signals in order to distract the teller who is getting conned into falling into the trap.

I will now take my Rightful Honors, as would be in order, now that it has been earned, to distinguish me, from the Thoughtless Majority, who would only play games with your head, trying to extract resources, which are then to be taken away from the community, which goes against the Community Spirit of Contribution Only, by passing bad checks on the Community, while the Earth is hanging in the Balance. Remember that the real Builders only build with other Builders. - T

We can talk more at the meeting at 11am in Glen Ellen on Saturday Jan. 29th.

https://sustcomm.com/18.htm

We had a very good meeting of several deeply committed people, who may choose to remain anonymous.

There was some disagreement, about our land based orientation, and our focus on how the community would work, as a piece of land, and as a place, and financially, as a non profit organization, and EcoLogically, instead of focusing on putting the people together first, and then taking it from there, which of course, might work fine, for those who have some great deal of fame and fortune, and real currency, maybe like someone like Robert Redford, who did quite well with Sundance, because he had the money to buy the land, outright, and he had the big name, to attract the people, outright, who were willing to accept some Guidance and Direction, outright, simply due to the currency equation, being that it would be to their own personal advantage, just to be associated, with such a famous name.

We don't need fame and fortune here., was what I had tried to explain.

All we have ever needed is a good plan, and some good people, and that is so that we would have something that we could all gather together around, instead of all being totally dependent upon some famous guy.

But we did part ways in an honorable manner, and everybody said their necessary thank yous, and the mandatory goodbyes, were all in order, so nobody fell into deep dishonor,

We did have a chance to meet some new people, who did show some real interest.

I explained the need for social integration around the project, and why there was no need to put the people first, before the project, since the people do not come first, in the Natural Order of Priorities, because the Earth comes first, and the Web of Life comes first, and the Land comes first, and the Community comes first, and if anyone should choose to drop out, then they will at least have helped to leave a legacy, because it has to have its own direction, which is not all peoples needs centric, but is most highly going to be focused around Universal Integration.

What did the people think was missing here? Sound Leadership? Good Land? Money? Truth? Good Ideas? An Excellent Plan? No. Everything was there.

We just have to bring all the right people together, and all in the right order, and that is to be one by one, and so it is not just a mass exodus, and it is actually more of a very real personal relationship that must be made on a one to one basis. - T

World Collapse

If there is a Collapse, there will be a division, between those who have chosen to remain behind, as big city dependents, who really do depend entirely upon the system, who will not be prepared, because they have no self sufficiency, and because they have no real community, and so there will be a food rush upon the stores, as the economy sinks even deeper, into a very deep depression, causing Food Riots Worldwide.

But what can we do about this?

We can start by getting prepared now, in advance, of any of the possible changes, by creating our own self sustainable communities, and that is the light at the end of the tunnel, that keeps us going, while the others will be stuck, with the remains of purposeless materialism.

We are to become Purpose Filled, so let us make some room.

What is needed is Food, Water, Shelter, Good Land, where we can grow our own food, like Eden, or any number of other places, and maybe even some new leadership that could help us to establish, a well organized orderly Community, with its own peace and justice preservation system, and its own economic systems, and not just a disorganized homeless hippy camp, full of mass dependency, where everyone is dependent upon being taken care of, by everyone else, and no one is self sufficient enough, to even be able to provide for themselves, much less to be able to take anyone else's needs on, and yet they might still feel forced to do so, at their own peril.

That is why we need a system that will defend those who have done the work, in order to retain some order, and long term viability.

That is why everyone will be responsible for setting aside their own

Long Term Food supplies, all good for one full year.


Who has any good well developed new ideas about that?

Having some land set aside in advance, as our place to go to.

Who has some land, or another place in mind?

I have a few acres, to offer, but we will need much more.

Think about what you might have to offer.

An affordable Long Term Survival Food Supply, that will last more than 5 years, is all about having a wide variety of Whole Grains on hand like:


- 9 Grain Cracked Cereal, by the 50 pound bag.

- Rice, by the 50 pound bag.

- Beans, by the 50 pound bag.

- Split Green Peas, by the 50 pound bag.


Know your people. Form into real Tribal relationships.

To know your people, you have to meet your people.

That is why we do have to have meetings.

The next one is in March. - T

https://sustcomm.com/18.htm


https://kindred-t.blogspot.com

There were a lot of empty platitudes out of the sixties, but very few of them had to do with Food, as these were easy times, of great excess.

Food was not an issue, when that really is all you need to live, and to prosper, and to reproduce, and to succeed as a Tribal Community, and as a species, and as an integrated EcoSystem, enough Food, but enough Food, means having a top level completely healthy EcoSystem that is always kicking out new food, whether anybody is eating it or not.

Food is all you need, but that is not a thing, that needs to be saved, but it is an Eco-Logical process that needs to be restored and protected.

Food doesn't come from government aid programs. It does come from airplanes.

Food comes from a living healthy well integrated balanced natural world where men and women do not overpower the entire thing, with their endless needs for more, more, more, and so yes, we should be against letting the people overpower everything, which is exactly what will happen if we give them all the power to do as they please, when they have never even been trained in planetary stewardship, a great part of which is human population reduction and control, and you know that is not going to be a popular movement, unless we can put the Power of the Truth to work for us.

Once we have gotten clear, with ourselves, at least, about what the real situation really is, then the answers will come to those gentle spirits, who will listen to the Truth, and will accept the Truth, no matter what the consequences of that are, in terms of what people might like to think, or don't want to think, but we must never lose sight, of the consequences to those things of higher priority, which we have taken upon ourselves to serve, such as to Save, and to Restore, and to Protect the Earth, which must be put before the people, and therein lies the answer, that the Earth comes First, because that is the Food Source for all the people, that we really do need, and it is not only the Food Source for all who live here.

The Earth is the only Food Source, for all the plants, and all the other animals, who are being crowded out severely, just to make room for an excessively large number of unnecessarily bloated Human Populations, of self centric self destruction, and most of these people are not even working for any cause, but their own self consumption, as the old Tribal Community way of life has been supplanted, by an individualistic way of life, of anonymous isolation as consumers in competition.

What we really need to know, in order to survive, and to thrive, is that we are all Food, and that we are all parts of a whole web of Food Communities, and that we need to have Food, so we can continue to eat Food, which itself is in need of Food, so the most important thing is to be able to work that part of it out, where the Food comes from, and what that Food eats, then becomes important, and then when we find out what the Food we eat, eats, then we need to know what the Food the Food we eat eats, eats, and then how we can become Food ourselves, in such a way as to Feed into that other end of the cycle, so that we can finally find a way to live sustainably, in peace, within the natural exchange of nutrients and resources, which is what the whole Food Cycle is all about, which we are an inextricable part of, and then we will know where we fit in, as a contributing part of it all, which is something which has been avoided, and denied, for too long now. - T

https://kindred-t.blogspot.com

Interesting view, T. Food is definitely pretty basic to human survival. As a coincidence, I was just listening to the Beatles song, "Love is all you need." Perhaps they were another group from the sixties uttering empty platitudes!

My experience is that when a need is met, it becomes a non-issue, and other needs that are not well met may come up. So for me, a holistic approach to life, community-creation or social reform includes all human needs. I will qualify that with the word "real," as much human activity does not arise from real needs but from ways we have learned to distract ourselves from needs that seem unmeetable. Sometimes our behavior will seem to come from a real need. Food is a common example: we often eat food our bodies have no real need for, and some of us have a huge issue with this. I call this "need reversion" as it is behaving as if we had some basic need unmet when in reality there's a higher need - often an emotional need - that's calling out for our attention. Eating doesn't meet the real need, but it changes how we feel, provides a distraction and may give us another issue to deal with.

This is why it seems important that a community or society support the meeting of all human needs. An enormous amount of energy (of all kinds) is wasted on activities that are little more than distractions from our unmet needs. Life could be so much easier, simpler and more fulfilling if we only had our real needs to address. This can be challenging, though, as many needs - especially emotional or relational - can be buried or hidden under layers of avoidance patterns and the mind's stories (arising from negative beliefs). My experience is that spending time in a truly supportive environment can open us to the deeper levels of our selves as we have experiences that fly in the face of the negative beliefs we carry.

Does the earth need our "stewardship," or does it simply need us to live in harmony with the natural environment? I believe it is the latter and that this results as we learn to live in deep relationship with each other and our own beings.

Peace,
Clint

Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by Temeluch:

There were a lot of empty platitudes out of the sixties, but very few of them had to do with Food, as these were easy times, of great excess.

Food was not an issue, when that really is all you need to live, and to prosper, and to reproduce, and to succeed as a Tribal Community, and as a species, and as an integrated EcoSystem, enough Food, but enough Food, means having a top level completely healthy EcoSystem that is always kicking out new food, whether anybody is eating it or not.

Food is all you need, but that is not a thing, that needs to be saved, but it is an Eco-Logical process that needs to be restored and protected.

Food doesn't come from government aid programs. It does come from airplanes.

Food comes from a living healthy well integrated balanced natural world where men and women do not overpower the entire thing, with their endless needs for more, more, more, and so yes, we should be against letting the people overpower everything, which is exactly what will happen if we give them all the power to do as they please, when they have never even been trained in planetary stewardship, a great part of which is human population reduction and control, and you know that is not going to be a popular movement, unless we can put the Power of the Truth to work for us.

Once we have gotten clear, with ourselves, at least, about what the real situation really is, then the answers will come to those gentle spirits, who will listen to the Truth, and will accept the Truth, no matter what the consequences of that are, in terms of what people might like to think, or don't want to think, but we must never lose sight, of the consequences to those things of higher priority, which we have taken upon ourselves to serve, such as to Save, and to Restore, and to Protect the Earth, which must be put before the people, and therein lies the answer, that the Earth comes First, because that is the Food Source for all the people, that we really do need, and it is not only the Food Source for all who live here.

The Earth is the only Food Source, for all the plants, and all the other animals, who are being crowded out severely, just to make room for an excessively large number of unnecessarily bloated Human Populations, of self centric self destruction, and most of these people are not even working for any cause, but their own self consumption, as the old Tribal Community way of life has been supplanted, by an individualistic way of life, of anonymous isolation as consumers in competition.

What we really need to know, in order to survive, and to thrive, is that we are all Food, and that we are all parts of a whole web of Food Communities, and that we need to have Food, so we can continue to eat Food, which itself is in need of Food, so the most important thing is to be able to work that part of it out, where the Food comes from, and what that Food eats, then becomes important, and then when we find out what the Food we eat, eats, then we need to know what the Food the Food we eat eats, eats, and then how we can become Food ourselves, in such a way as to Feed into that other end of the cycle, so that we can finally find a way to live sustainably, in peace, within the natural exchange of nutrients and resources, which is what the whole Food Cycle is all about, which we are an inextricable part of, and then we will know where we fit in, as a contributing part of it all, which is something which has been avoided, and denied, for too long now. - T

https://kindred-t.blogspot.com

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There is a natural order of priorities, Clint, which we are still unearthing, bit by bit, and need does not appear to come first.

For those of us, who are still here on Earth, The Earth itself, and the Web of Life, comes first, and then those committed volunteers, who have agreed to serve the Earth, would probably follow somewhere on down the line, since there is an order, which sets us free from ignorance, just to know there is an order, not that we have refined it all the way back down to its limit yet, or all the way out to its full extent, so there is still a lot of work to do, as collaborators, in our merciless search for the Truth, as a community.

Of course it is only natural for some people, to consider some other peoples needs, in the course of their lives, but most of that is optional, and it is not the communities responsibility, to take care of any of the people, except for special cases, which have been taken upon, voluntarily, as a commitment.

Stewardship actually is going to be necessary, under penalty of going to jail, in such cases, but only with those, who have been adopted by the community, and to whom we have legal obligations.

However, the Earth is likely to be deemed to be, one of those very Special Cases, which needs to be protected, by the consensus decision making council of the community, regardless of the Earths ability to pay, because we do have to earn our non profit status in some real way here, by providing a real service.

There needs to be a natural integration between the land, and the people, as a community. And a bond needs to be built.

Everyone should have a chance to build their own Solar Powered Homestead, ideally, from which they can grow their own food, for sale and trade, within the community, of like minded people.

Join us, at the Sustainable Communities Meet on March 26.

https://sustcomm.com/18.htm

Sometimes when I read what we as fellow seekers or would-be builders of community write, I feel rather hopeless. I am reminded of the biblical story of the tower of Babel, where everyone suddenly started talking in different languages, and no one could understand what anyone else was saying. I'm also reminded of what don Juan in one of Carlos Castaneda's books said about "clinging to our arguments." Coming from our ideas, positions and arguments doesn't seem to bring us together; indeed, it often just keeps us at a distance from each other.

When I posted my original message that started this thread, I wanted to invite people to come together and see if we could come up with a shared definition, purpose and vision of a community, This could also be seen as a collaborative approach to devising a new culture or social order - at least on paper, one that might arise intentionally and collectively from what we as humans really want but have failed to find in the present society. I wouldn't expect this approach to be the actual beginning of such a new culture or community, but it could offer a beginning point by revealing how we could begin to create the kind of community that supports the way of life we long for.

Temeluch wrote: "There needs to be a natural integration between the land, and the people, as a community. And a bond needs to be built."

Yes! And, it seems to me that there needs to be a people who are in community - deeply connected or bonded - with each other and with themselves as individuals - before (or as) this bond with the land or earth can be built. And what is the common ground that connects us as humans? My experience (in such things as "community building" circles) is that it is our true needs and feelings that provide the deep, heartfelt connection, moving us beyond our usual judgments, prejudices and projections and opening us to seeing, hearing and caring for each other as the whole (and often wounded) beings we are.

The word "need" (noun), though, has somewhat unfortunate connotations, implying lack that someone needs to remedy. What I mean is that which is within me that seeks resolution or expression, and requires only an environment that is supportive and/or receptive. When I feel hunger, my attention and energy flow toward a place where nourishment can be found. There the energy drives my food preparation dance, culminating in eating and the resolution of my hunger.

Instead of "need," I prefer to talk about "life energy" and how we can support the flow of that energy wherever and however it arises: in me, in you, in all that is alive - and perhaps in things not alive. When we can do that, we enable healing and growth, which leads to easier and more harmonious connections. When we thwart the flow of life energy, then there is discord and dis-ease. If we leave out any of the places or beings in which life energy (which is always "positive") is seeking to flow, whether they're within us, another person or the natural world, then we create the conditions for disharmony, dysfunction and suffering.

This is why for me there is only one kind of approach to re-creating culture in the form of an alternative social order that is likely to succeed: a holistic approach that brings all of who we are (individually and collectively) - and all of nature - into awareness and into our circle of caring and compassion. Where has our life energy been most blocked in the dominant culture? My sense is that it is in our heart-centers where our deepest feelings and longings have sought expression and resolution from as far back as the earliest years of our lives.

And it is why I believe true community begins with coming together to support the unblocking of life energy within each of us - wherever it may be blocked. This way of beginning both builds the deeper, heart-level bonds and restores our birthright to full self-awareness, enabling us to reclaim and live from our personal creative power and passion.

CS

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Posted in reply to the post by Temeluch:

There is a natural order of priorities, Clint, which we are still unearthing, bit by bit, and need does not appear to come first.

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The sameness of mass equality is part of the problem. That may come largely, from the industrial revolution, and the importance of replaceable parts, and even replaceable workers, with replaceable beliefs and skills.

Most people have been trained to look towards the one big media voice of doctrine, and the government, for all the answers, making us all dependents, which is dangerously insane.

We do not see that kind of dependency, among native peoples, who had no concept of government supplied freedoms.

It is time for us to branch out again, like a Tree, in unification, not as a crowd of people wandering in all different directions, and that does require the acceptance and the digestion of our local creative leadership energies, which any number of people may be carrying.

Towards that end I would like to suggest the creation of a Tribal Council.

There is an open meeting coming up! - T

We will be welcoming all others to come to the meet on May 28th:

https://sustcomm.com/18.htm

Sounds good T! I like how you all write your ideas so eloquently and thoroughly!
Im glad you are commencing this great project and I am so looking forward to coming to the meeting!
Its so wonder-ful to know of people doing this and i applaud u for the initial structure!
time for community!
what is the time for the mtg on Sat.?
thanks mahalo blessings, S :waccosun:

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Posted in reply to the post by Temeluch:

The sameness of mass equality is part of the problem. That may come largely, from the industrial revolution, and the importance of replaceable parts, and even replaceable workers, with replaceable beliefs and skills.

Most people have been trained to look towards the one big media voice of doctrine, and the government, for all the answers, making us all dependents, which is dangerously insane.

We do not see that kind of dependency, among native peoples, who had no concept of government supplied freedoms.

It is time for us to branch out again, like a Tree, in unification, not as a crowd of people wandering in all different directions, and that does require the acceptance and the digestion of our local creative leadership energies, which any number of people may be carrying.

Towards that end I would like to suggest the creation of a Tribal Council.

There is an open meeting coming up! - T

We will be welcoming all others to come to the meet on May 28th:

https://sustcomm.com/18.htm

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