Communal living and intentional communities: what can you offer?

[kettunainen]

So the idea of living in a commune, or rather, forming a small intentional community has, recently and once again, been dangled in front of my hippie-wannabe face, and it got me thinking: If I lived in an intentional community, what would I do? What niche would I fill

Comments

[tamago23]

I'm a much happier person when I get up at 11am. :) But I'd be happy to educate women about pregnancy and birth and assist them in choosing an unassisted birth (meaning, give them whatever support and education they need so that they feel comfortable *not* calling a midwife when they go into labor). I'm also pretty good at calming people down, teaching skills that I'm familiar with, and making budgets. :) (Hey, even a back-to-earth community still needs budgets because there's things you're going to have to buy that you can't make in the community.)

[cavum_oris]

what's wrong with calling a midwife?

[tamago23]

Oh, boy, that's a question that really needs an encyclopedic answer. :) But the short version would be: many "complications" in birth are actually caused by the interventions done by midwives (and usually to a greater extent, doctors). In addition, having another human around who is not intimately connected to us automatically throws us off on an instinctive level, making birthing more difficult.

Occasionally, there is a labor and/or birth that genuinely requires assistance, but the vast majority of births will progress best (and safely) if left alone. It seems to be extremely hard for midwives and doctors to just let things be and let it unfold in its own time.

[cavum_oris]

so, youre saying that we were better off when we just crawled off into the woods to give birth, and sometimes came back? sorry. but I'd like a whole lot of proof before I believe that giving birth all alone is that fabulous.

just how long is "unfolding in its own time"? 24 hours? three days? and you assert that mom is happygolucky and healthy through that?

im not saying theres not a lot of uneccesary intervention, far from it. but why throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater?

[kat_o_9]

Hmmmm...I think I would tire of that eventually. It would be cool for awhile though. I do like to have lots of people around. I suppose I'm used to it, being from a large family and all.

I'm not sure what service I'd provide. I'm kind of one of those can do lots of things, but none of them to the point of being good. Maybe I'd be a recruiter. I'm good at convincing people to do things.

[tormenta]

I would.

I'm not sure I would do it outside the city though... but I would be uber into having a communal home with 8 - 30 people with gardens and animals, where some of us worked out in the real world, and others worked within the home wo keep us all going.

I would be a cash money provider. Though if I were there and enjoyed it, I would likely go get my plumbing cert. (I design it, why not build it to!) I would also do librarian stuff. I think every communal home deserves a robust library system, where people can contribute their collection when they come in, and take it out when they leave.

I have lots of thoughts on the subject.

Seriously valuing contributions could be done using a method like this but more robust...

http://www.livejournal.com/users/damiana_swan/191312.html

[northbard]

*g* I dunno what I'd bring apart from the usual chaos and catharsis I seem to leave in a wake behind me. I'm hoping to work on that though, because the idea of living in intentional community REALLY appeals to me.

I lived in a small variation on it some years back when we had a 4-plex of friends/lovers all living beside/above/below one another. Food was shared, support was shared, ritual was done, and privacy was nonetheless afforded. It was an amazing experience, and one I miss. A few years of living in a couple-situation made me question it, but now that I have some distance from both, I'm feeling very much like it's something I'd like in the future.

My optimum confiuguration would be in-city, an apt building or complex of homes, with both shared and personal space. I like the idea of coimmunal eating, but also private living/entertaining space. More details upon demand...

[lepke]

woo0! that brings me back to that time when me and jeff and you and lynna...who else was there? sat around talking about that.

buying a wearhouse building and opening up shops and having a rooftop garden.

i don't think, i'd do it now. i'm not very good at co-operation. but it does have it's apeal. having a tribe to count on. that would be nice.