A friend who has a huge plot is struggling with this. ‘Just’ a communal garden does not build a community. He is kinda harshed by the food stamp system, because the drifters don’t need to work for food anymore, just quarter. I feel he still has a pretty feudalistic view, but he is the closest thing I know to someone trying to actually build along solarpunk lines.
I kinda see why he is not attracting a community, despite craving it so much and being a pretty okay guy. I think it’s a case where he can’t really create coziness for himself, so the place generally lacks it. This combined with people currently craving belonging more than healthy foodstuffs and working with soil leaves all this potential untapped. I’m sure in cities it would be different, but this is where I am seeing the struggle.
You are totally right. The legacy of ownership, basically.
The thing is, I’d rather try coming at the problem from empathy. On one hand, it is full-on exploitation. On the other, some dude got to a place in life where he has stewardship of 40 acres in a hypercapitalistic, lonely world.
It’s kinda like the will is there, but he is blind to those characteristics that make it impossible. I always boil it down to a mental health/neurosis issue, but that’s probably more about me dealing with my own demons.
It feels the like the need is there for the people with means, we just have to kinda redefine the social contract that isn’t as spooky as straight out ‘taking everything’.
Yeah, fully. The stepping stones to communality are not obvious, and there’s a big gushing river of cutthroat capitalism right below.
I have a similar issue with a family property that I’d like to make more communal… I need to put the time in to thinking about how to do it in a way that is fair and avoids catastrophic conflict.
I don’t envy you. Are you hoping to make something that is more for the locals, or are you thinking along couchsurfing/warmshowers style community building as well? Like commune community?
Kind of neither… I have a lot of close community in cities a few hours away, I’m thinking mostly about focusing on giving that community an out-of-town place. But also I still have lots of community in the area there, and I’d like for them to feel welcome, and for my city crew to engage with them. But it’s hard, because the distance is a barrier, prevents the constant contact that I think is needed.
Important distinction.
A friend who has a huge plot is struggling with this. ‘Just’ a communal garden does not build a community. He is kinda harshed by the food stamp system, because the drifters don’t need to work for food anymore, just quarter. I feel he still has a pretty feudalistic view, but he is the closest thing I know to someone trying to actually build along solarpunk lines.
I kinda see why he is not attracting a community, despite craving it so much and being a pretty okay guy. I think it’s a case where he can’t really create coziness for himself, so the place generally lacks it. This combined with people currently craving belonging more than healthy foodstuffs and working with soil leaves all this potential untapped. I’m sure in cities it would be different, but this is where I am seeing the struggle.
Feudalistically paying drifters to work on your garden sounds kinda the opposite of solar punk community building, TBH
You are totally right. The legacy of ownership, basically.
The thing is, I’d rather try coming at the problem from empathy. On one hand, it is full-on exploitation. On the other, some dude got to a place in life where he has stewardship of 40 acres in a hypercapitalistic, lonely world.
It’s kinda like the will is there, but he is blind to those characteristics that make it impossible. I always boil it down to a mental health/neurosis issue, but that’s probably more about me dealing with my own demons.
It feels the like the need is there for the people with means, we just have to kinda redefine the social contract that isn’t as spooky as straight out ‘taking everything’.
Yeah, fully. The stepping stones to communality are not obvious, and there’s a big gushing river of cutthroat capitalism right below.
I have a similar issue with a family property that I’d like to make more communal… I need to put the time in to thinking about how to do it in a way that is fair and avoids catastrophic conflict.
I don’t envy you. Are you hoping to make something that is more for the locals, or are you thinking along couchsurfing/warmshowers style community building as well? Like commune community?
Kind of neither… I have a lot of close community in cities a few hours away, I’m thinking mostly about focusing on giving that community an out-of-town place. But also I still have lots of community in the area there, and I’d like for them to feel welcome, and for my city crew to engage with them. But it’s hard, because the distance is a barrier, prevents the constant contact that I think is needed.