Hi, all. I am in a rather unique situation. I am physically disabled. I am far healthier than I used to be, but still disabled. I was injured in an auto crash, and am in the process of healing. What I most need is an environment that is not psychologically toxic in which to live and heal. As a result of not being able to pay rent for that long in most of america, or not being able to contribute fully as an able-bodied person would be able to, I find myself trapped in a toxic living situation. I believe that by staying in this situation, I am hampering my recovery to a large degree. A commune/living situation that required perhaps $200/month to rent, and is preferably (though not necessarily) not in an urban environment would be ideal. I would contribute through labor to the best of my ability. I have a biology degree, and once was called upon as a consultant during the design of a water-purification apparatus on a commune (which is female only; which is why I'm not there now- I'm male). I've considered going to India, as the rent is cheaper than in the U.S. Firstly, I don't know how well I'd cope with a 14 hr plane ride. Secondly, I don't know that an urban environment in India would be for me. And frankly, I know nothing of the Indian countryside. I wouldn't want to find myself in a lonely place, either. Any suggestions would be great. Something within the U.S. or Canada would be preferred, but I'd go anywhere on the planet. Thanks.
Yeah! A reply! I have mainly muscular problems which lead to difficulty standing/sitting for extended periods. At several points throughout the day I have to lie down and rest. I can walk only about 1/2 mile and lift only about 20 lbs max.
I find that it takes more than just muscle to make a body. If someone isn't capable of being the muscle, then they can certainly do other things; like collect eggs from chickens, or milk the cows/goats (handing the buckets off, of course), but even further, they can help cook, do sit-style crafts, think of stories and activities for the kids/adults, help plan/design... But also, I don't hear of anyone who's explicit job is to help keep people happy. An on-board moral support team would be a wonderful thing to have, surely communes have need of pep-talks, ears to listen, shoulders to cry on, or someone to go to for advice on sensitive subjects.
I agree with you Vincent. There are more ways that an individual can contribute than through heavy labor. If anyone could suggest any specific societies, it would be great. Thanks.
I'm pretty much in the same boat you are. I've been searching for years and haven't found a place to heal and grow yet so don't be too disappointed if you don't get much response. I have an idea for a nonprofit that would setup permaculture campgrounds across the country but I can't do it alone. I need help with computer stuff, legal stuff, and financial stuff. I thought about setting up an indiegogo crowdfunding thing but I will not do business with banks, which is required with that kind of thing. So for now, I'm just barely surviving, working and reinjuring myself whenever I can. As long as I have a little weed, I can tolerate the pain and this world but its expensive and hard to find. Three days without it and I'm a suicidal wreck. Anyway, unless I can figure out how to get myself and my dogs to a free country, or get this nonprofit going, I have little hope of surviving for much longer. I guess the point of this post is that I wouldn't recommend spending too much time looking for a place to be in the US.
a female only commune lol what a bunch of dikes. yea what danny said sounds about right. communes are pretty scarce man. you are probably going to have a difficult time finding the right place even without a disability. communes are alot of work in the formative stages. only after being established a while the community might be able to take on someone with a disability. still, not everyone is going to be interested. some groups will be willing to help people, but even some of those groups will back out after a while. i've lived in a community before where we said that we would definitely take on any handicapped person that wanted to join our community because it would be loving to take care of them. but then when someone in a wheelchair showed up at our door, they ended up getting the boot before long. i guess it was some sort of 'we are super loving' trip.
The female commune was actually a lesbian haunt. My search has been fruitless for a while, and I thought it was just a question of looking in the right place. Maybe there is no "right place." As for the "we are super loving trip", this speaks to a vibe I long-since discovered in the "hip" circles. On the surface, there is often an air of kindness and compassion, but below this, many are just as shallow and self-centered as those in the mainstream that the "hippies" put down. At the same time, there is often more love in mainstream culture than "hippies" wish to acknowledge. DannyD, I think that you might want to talk to a disability lawyer about getting onto social security disability (which I wasn't able to do, since I didn't have a lawyer), and then leaving the country. You can collect anywhere in the world. A social security check won't get you far in arizona, but would go a long way in south asia. Thanks, and good luck.
I can't afford the tests or the lawyer to qualify for disability, so even though my neck, shoulders, lower back, knees, and hips are wrecked, I'm on my own. I have been feeling better lately though and have actually been riding my bike again, which really seems to help. Cannabis helps a lot too. Also, I really hate the thought of having anything to do with lawyers, governments, or banks, which are all required for the disability thing so that's just not an option for me. I earned a lot of my conditions too and have never considered myself a freeloader so I'll make my own way. I looked at a piece of property yesterday and after I fell in love with it, I realized that they were asking $88K instead of $8k for it. It has been for sale for so long that one of the 8's faded so bad it looked like a $. It's two barren acres in the desert so the owners are smoking crack with their prices but I did get a good idea while I was there. I'm going to squat! I'm searching for properties today. Going to take notes and look them all up on the county site. If I find some bank owned property or property owned by people that live way out of town, and it looks like it's been vacant/abandoned for a while, I'm going to pick the best one and go for it. Wish me luck!
As for the cost of a disability lawyer, in some states (I don't know about arizona) they can only take what a judge allows them to take as a fee, which is usually part of what is awarded from social security. Many lawyers offer free consultations. I'd contact the arizona bar association to find a lawyer that will give a free social security consultation. Getting on social security might cost you nothing. It's not ignoble to interact with the government and lawyers. No, it's not the most pleasant thing life offers us, but it might be a path toward salvation. Just sayin'. Best of luck to you.
As for Panama, are there enclaves of English speakers? I'd imagine it's humid as hell, with plenty of humidity. Are decent places with AC cheap?
I have been very slow in trying to form a group, as it does take a lot of energy, and I don't have all that much myself. Being that my husband is disabled, that actually has to be part of any commune that we do form. I like the idea of having a group of people who do want to help look after each other. Everybody has an ability that can be put to use. Can you lift something heavy, once in a while? Can you cook? Can you clean? Are you creative? Can you drive? Can you work outside, in a garden? Or with animals? Each of these things are an important part of living as a group. Yeah, if you can do more than one thing, you'd be more enticing to a group, but having just one skill can still help a group. The problem with most groups, they don't really look beyond what they see in front of their faces, which is sad.
You can bring your own AC's! Lots of english speakers, they use the USD, both Imperial and Metric, and depending where you live can be quite cheap. I'll be living in Volcan, which is very far from Panama City, where all the expensiveness and crime happens in the whole of the country I'll have to give you an update once I touch down. But here's the thing. Working middle class here makes 12K a year. The American Ex-Pats live on social security rather well, and wholesome fruits and veggies are a dime-a-dozen from the fertile land so always cheap. I've been told $600/mo will get you by rather nicely
I'll look into Panama some more. $600 a month is cheap, but I guess no non-violent place is really "cheap" any more. I got by on $900/month (or so, I can't remember exactly) living in the San Francisco Bay Area, living with no luxuries. The bay area is one of the most expensive places in the US. So if Panama is about $600, I imagine I could live on $600 (or so) in the rural US.
