Why do you want to live in a Commune, and What is Your Ideal Commune?

Oooh, I love that you call it a 'groovy'! You make what could be a chore sound like fun! And yeah, making washing dishes or scrubbing floors fun will make a job more pleasurable, and actually working on something with other people will help too. I had a thought yesterday, seeing all the mouths to feed, all those seats around the table - there will be a lot of washing up! I hoped most people would help with that, otherwise it would seem like a HUGE chore!

I guessed there would be arguments too. Unfortunately I have arguments in my household too, although mine is with family. We don't have that philosophy, but I really like it! We tend to think we are both right, even though we have opposite views to each other. I think I might try to adopt your philosophy, after all, if you choose to live together, you want to get along. And I really like the sound of the way you do it. Thanks so much for the idea and the inspiration!

:daisy:

 

I don't remember why I was first interested in communal living, I just was. It probably had something to do with the spiritual emptiness that seems to pervade most of the lifestyles in our society.

when I ended up in a community, then I began to realize how lonely I was. after being surrounded by my community of 50+ people for so long, it was unlike any other social interactions I had ever had. I grew socially in ways that I wouldn't have otherwise due to the massive social exposure. it seems like that kind of social life is more normal, which is why I would be lonely if I wasn't living among a community of 50+ people.

I believe that a community structure provides a better environment to live in. It is almost like living in community is embedded into the human psyche. there are some aspects of human nature that do not become apparent unless you are in community.

so i like to live in community because:

1) i'm lonely
2) it provides an alternative that is (hopefully) better than other spiritually empty lifestyles. (spirituality also has alot to do with loneliness -- see #1)
3) I believe humans can reach a higher level of being by living in community
4) sharing
5) love
6) truth

 

That's a cult, not a commune




Actually - my friends and I are in the process of establishing a commune.
a group of us are getting together to build a commune based on the novel Herland by the feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Our plan is to be totally self sufficient, growing everything we need using the principles of permaculture, we will do this in Guyana, which is an English speaking country; on a patch of savanna on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. If you are interested in being with us we would love to hear from you, please join our facebook group.

https://www.************/groups/LeavingTheUrbanJungleForTheAmazon/

 

i'm getting tired and weary of "modern day" life. go to college, get a 9-5 job, get a mortgage, etc. i value my time and my life too much. i want to live in a more purposeful, more environmentally friendly, more connected way of life. i want to learn, love, grow. turn on tune in drop out.

 

as i have only visited one community i cant speak much on that subject but after spending months living by myself on the beach in the woods in the mountains etc i have found that 'city living' causes to much stress trying to find a job finding a place to live finding the best prices on food balancing a checkbook etc were as when out in the 'wild' you are truly free with no rules no laws no one harping on you for doing something socially unacceptable, you can run around take in the beauty and peace find fresh food drink fresh water literally swim with the fish without a care in the world and should someone happen upon you and and wish to join in with you it becomes a merrier time.

my ideal situation for a commune would have to be were technology and wildlife can come together and intelligently grow into community of harmony, where science can be used to bring out the intelligence of the plants and help them flourish even greater...a sanctuary of sorts for plants

 

my ideal commune would be with family and friends, maybe near the ocean, with farming and livestock. everyone would have chores according to their ability... and we'd have drum circles every night and sing under the stars and moon.

 

my ideal commune would be with family and friends, maybe near the ocean, with farming and livestock. everyone would have chores according to their ability... and we'd have drum circles every night and sing under the stars and moon.

 

Some people can handle living alone,and good for them,but I can't.Although I like the option to have solitary down time alone,I really need purposeful activity with people.Ideally I would like eventually to find a commune in South West England,but don't really know how to even go about finding one,if such a place even exists.I hopefully have a significant amount of money coming through within the next year,have a qualification in horticulture and am interested in permaculture.I'd really like to disappear off society's radar as much as possible.This is one of the dreams that keep me going.I'd certainly consider moving to another country in Europe to make this reality.

 

I would like to live in one temporarily...I think it would be fun to live with a bunch of other artists, and we'd each have our own room/studio, and then there'd be a huge living room that we also use as a shared art space.

 

I live on a sailboat and seafaring communities spark my interest.

 

I live on shared land with others. We have our own lives but we share so much including our own crops which a proportion are sold to help fund our community; in fact the market stalls are my responsibility . We recently constructed a community cabin together. We meet there to discuss issues, host events from craft to folk music and much more. It's our little slice of life outside of the usual grind and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Sure we have our problems but the positives greatly outweigh the negatives.

Shayla x

 

COMMUNAL FAMILY

 

COMMUNAL FAMILY
Selflessness, that is the key to a beautiful life in a communal setting, positive energy and hard work is the glue that holds it all together. I dropped out and traveled with Jerry Bear(Garcia)for a few years, and then lived with a rainbow family.I was convinced to "grow up" I got a job,returned to Babylon,I regret the path I chose now.Communal family living is fufilling on so many levels, if you have the desire,you have nothing to loose, and so much to gain from the experience.

 

I have experienced communal living in my early 20's (traveling/living with Rainbow family and others out west) and although most of the group had their heads and heart in the right place, there always seemed to be one or two that ruined the whole scene for everyone. Now that I am a mother of an awesome (almost) 3 year old and found my soulmate, we want to get out of the city/civilization again and raise our daughter among nature. Where we live in Ohio, Youngstown, there are few who think like us and most are very close minded (my boyfriend has dreadlocks and from the way people stare, you would think I was walking around with an alien!) so we are looking to connect with likeminded people and become part of a community. Someplace with lots of land, privacy and freedom to live our lives in peace and without judgement or hate. Just love!
My idea of perfect is finding other families with small children who have the same ideals and we would all live on the same land but spread out in our own homes. Have a communal garden, animals we all help take care of (we are vegetarians so couldn't be somewhere where animals are hunted/harmed) like chickens and goats, our kids could form tight bonds and the adults could all help homeschool. We are all born with different talents so everyone has something different they can teach! We all gather around the fire at night and play music and celebrate life and just work together and be happy! We are not into swinging or anything like that and are 420 friendly but do not smoke cigarettes or do other drugs and rarely drink. I would like to be somewhere that is warm most of the year and NO snow!
Even if we couldn't find a paradise like the one I just described, I would also love to just find someone who has some beautiful land that we could live on where we wouldn't disturb each other unless we wanted to. We are very respectful of other's propety and of mother nature. We are not junkies, slobs, criminals or crazies nor are we strangers to hard work. My boyfriend is 35 and has worked on farms, in factories and on motorcycles. He is also a big music nut and plays bass and drums. I am 30, grew up on a farm raising animals and a huge garden, have been a housekeeper for a family with 5 kids and currently do "Gorilla Grams" and Character Visits (see my website www.funkymonkeygorillagrams.com) and sell clothing on ebay. We both enjoy creating art, reading, learning, science, philosophy. We are huge into being outside exploring nature. It's our favorite thing to do. We both have a ridiculous sense of humor and love to laugh and make people happy. We just want to live in peace with our daughter somewhere beautiful and away from the ugliness that too much society brings. If you have a cabin, trailer, etc. suitable for a family of 3 to live in (nothing fancy, we are more concerned with location, privacy, being surrounded by nature), please contact me! We are very adaptable and open to different ideas! Being farmhands or something of the like would be awesome. We currently live in a one bedroom apartment in a huge apartment complex and are dying to get out so let's talk!
-Erica

 

Control over my worklife. Sit when my feet tell me to, stand when my back tells me to. Sleep my own schedule, not the societal norm.

I wouldn't be so complicit in all the mainstream injustice. Not that the mainstream is all bad.

Secondly, more stable friendships. Now, many friendships are situational, especially with the opposite sex. If they marry, or change jobs, you lose so much contact and mutual support.

I'll never give up on the idea, even if all I end up doing in life is retiring to one in my latter years.

A bit of advice:

Visit, visit, visit. Don't just visit one every now and then. Make visiting your full time job. Find a friend who will let you use their place as a base, and get jobs with temporary agencies, or better yet, substitute teaching (you work at-will). Pay your friend rent when staying there.

Don't try to start your own. Find a ready-made one. Sometimes, you can join one and spin off a "pod" with diff rules, on the same piece of land.

Don't take out student loans. Don't get tied down with car payments. Don't sign leases.

All those things will tie you down. The mainstream sucks us in like a whirlpool.

 

to gypsy liveaboard:

I once heard that as Rome decayed, smart people headed for the hills.

I don't know if that is true. Back then the hills could be pretty bad, too.

I love the USA, and am not convinced we are decaying, although the economic high times I saw as a Baby Boomer teen will never return. Between earthquakes, hurricanes, gangs and mobs and the global economy and flu epidemics, etc., a place in the country sounds smart.

 

Wild moon flower, if you find something like this please lemme know. Most of your ideals line up with what I'm looking for. I'm ready to get off the grid myself as I believe I have now talked to my g/f of a decade into going with me. We currently live in the Midwest and I've been researching for months but still haven't found what I'm looking for.

 

To live amongst like minded people. To get off grid. To be as self sufficient and more environmentally responsible as possible. To get away from all the bull shit.

 

Excellent!

 

Wow, there are some really beautiful people on this thread!(((((hugs)))))