Reply #5: I am working to build cooperative community in my world!

[FirstLight]

One of the mentors I work with has written books on "cooperative community" and "healthy competition"
While I agree with your post.... I want to pitch for the positive side of that vision you have. Yes, if people say that it is too "hippiesque" to work together, chances are that their fear of loss of CONTROL is rearing its head... and we all have that fear of losing control.

especially in today's world, control is "upon" us, but we exert alot of energy trying to control our own chaos as well, and when you see things are falling apart ...you cling to control mechanisms all the harder.

The goal, I think, is to lift our own personal ideals and vision to a place where we as a Group can believe that we are greater together than alone. Now, we go into our little boxes and turn on our TV's, our distractions keep us from realizing how rich a life we are missing in the absence of one another. This much time alone and focusing on "fictional life" would be seen by native and community cultures as a distressing sign of sociopathic behavior.

So, let's make the effort to reach out more and create gardens and gatherings in our neighborhoods...when things as we know them begin to crumble, it would be a lot better if we knew those who lived around us, we can pool resources and band together for safety... that is why humans came together originally, for comfort and safety in one another's presence, because some have gifts like weaving and some are gardeners, etc... (I vaguely remember a time growng up when our neighbors were a sort of extended family, all us kids played together , and the parents gossiped, etc. Unfortunately, the adults had issues more often than not, and the family fragmented as we grew older...)

I am firm believer in Tribe. But that also means you do have to work your own personal issues, because being in a circle gives you lots of mirrors for your own behaviors that can be harmful to yourself or the group at large. One cannot help but grow in these conditions, and that been missing alot from our society in recent years... many folks would prefer to stay entrenched than push out of the comfort zone and grow or contribute.

But I am a firm believer in Tribe, that it is our natural state of being, and community is good for us. I think things will be changing soon.