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Why live in community?
In addition to allowing us to save money and live more lightly on the earth, the most compelling answer seems to be for human connection. We have an inherent need for meaningful, caring, long-term relationships. Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
 The five levels build from the most primitive, Survival. Next, our needs for Safety and Security must be met before the third level — Love and Belonging — can be engaged. The fourth level is Self-Esteem and Achievement. Beyond that, is Maslow’s last or highest stage of development: Self-Actualization (see image). This developmental theory says that we can achieve the higher levels only to the extent that we have met the lower needs first.
Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, one could say that a community is successful when its members have all three of the lower levels satisfied and are well into the fourth. For this “Living it!” issue, I specifically looked for communities that are successful—ones that readers might be interested in joining or modeling.
Dynamic Governance
My research effort initially focused on the two communities that use
Dynamic Governance as their organizational structure and decision-making process. For years I had seen how difficult
achieving consensus has been. More recently, I’ve studied Dynamic Governance and been very encouraged and intrigued. Serving as the guest editor for Itineraries gave me an excuse to call these
communities and ask a lot of questions.
 I first spoke with Debbie Ramsdell of the Champlain Valley Cohousing Community in Vermont who contributed the article, “We Can Work It Out,” to this issue. What she described was even more exciting than expected. Debbie told how her community has
negotiated ongoing changes with ease. Plus, their community had just dealt with a very hot issue — very harmoniously!
What came through in our conversations is the sense of peace and gratitude she feels from living there. In Maslow’s terms, what she shared with me is that her Safety and Security needs are well met as are her Love and Belonging ones, allowing the higher expressions to be present. Her peace and trust in the process of living together were almost palpable, as was her sense of gratitude and achievement.
It’s not that we need to form new organizations. It’s simply that we have to awaken to new ways of thinking. I believe it makes no sense to spend a lot of time attacking the current realities. It is time to create the new models that have in them the complexity that makes the older systems obsolete. And to the extent that we can do that, and do that quickly, I think we can provide what will be necessary for a major breakthrough for the future.
— Dr. Don Beck, author and organizational consultant
Living Well
My excitement for Dynamic Governance also expanded tremendously in talking with
Paul Kervick at the Living Well Care Home, also in Vermont —
though in a different and surprising way. As you’ll read in
my article, Living Well operates in a way I would describe as “holographically holistic” and would say it reflects a new level of consciousness.
 Paul Kervick with his wife Julie
To give you an idea, at Living Well Care Home the well-being of the staff and of the external community are as important as that of the elderly residents, who also have real decision-making power. I attribute all of this to what I understand as the scalable, holographic capacity of Dynamic Governance. It’s quite remarkable!
I also put out the call for people to send in articles about their communities and relevant community experience. The article,
“Cultivating Community in an Experimental Fishbowl”, comes from Aileen Fitzke who lives at Ecovillage at
Ithaca in upstate New York Finally, we have a
delightful article by Maureen McCarthy about the genesis
and use of the State of Grace Document.
There is almost a sensual longing for communion with others who have a large vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendship between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality impossible to describe.
— Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
New Movements Afoot
In the process of my research into interesting and unique communities that welcome elders, I discovered a very impressive and heartwarming movement — one that addresses the often desperate needs of orphaned children needing adoption or foster care with the commitments of mid-lifers and elders willing to parent and grandparent them in village-like settings. Brief descriptions of three communities —
Hope Meadows, Treehouse, and Bridge Meadows — are included in my
article,"
Communities of Hope.”
Collaterally, there is a more recent movement to build retirement “villages” where virtually every need or desire is met
for members. The village concept allows elders to age in place and is a viable alternative to assisted-living facilities for those who can afford a more upscale, cosmopolitan, and minimum-stress community life.
Beacon Hill, the village that pioneered the concept, is still the best example.
Then we have a glimpse into a very interesting community that has been in existence since 1966, just 30 minutes outside of New York City. Based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner,
Fellowship
Community is a village in the true since, with several businesses and meaningful work opportunities for young and old alike.
New Structures of Belonging
 Peter Block, author of Community:
The Structure of Belonging Last in the Community section, we have two book reviews:
an
aptly titled book, Community: The Structure of Belonging, by Peter Block, and The Sharing Solution
by attorneys Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow. When I read these fascinating volumes, my views on community
changed completely — or expanded significantly.
While I am inspired by the idea of defining and building a community, I also now see the need or possibility of people creating a sense of community right where they live. In other words, what if you considered your existing neighborhood your community — how would you be intentional about it?
 Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow,
authors of The Sharing Solution
Both books have a lot of good ideas, with The Sharing Solution even offering suggestions as to legal agreements that can be made among neighbors who share parts of their lives. What I would add is Dynamic Governance — surprise!
I can easily imagine several existing groups implementing Dynamic Governance and then working together on those issues they have in common. With Dynamic Governance in place, it could be relatively easy to collaborate across groups for mutual benefit and for the benefit of the greater community — economically, environmentally, socially, etc. etc.
It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an
individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a
community, a community practicing understanding and
loving kindness, a community practicing mindful
living. This may be the most important thing we can
do for the survival of the earth.
— Thich Nhat Hahn
Community as Vehicle for Transformation
I have shifted from an emphasis in my life on individual transformation and how community might enhance that, to collective transformation. In fact, the idea of building another “bedroom” community is almost abhorrent to me, unless it can add meaningful, collaborative work activities, where people are truly engaged and expected to contribute to the group. This is a big shift for me, as is the idea of creating community in existing neighborhoods.
The whole community movement is about transformation — at the community level — and we can do it by building homes next to folks with whom we think we have more in common, or by connecting with existing neighbors. The benefit to all ages and stages of life is well documented.
What is possible in our communities and our future if everyone is engaged, empowered, and cared about? What if most or all of our funding that now goes to incarceration, for example, went for the self-actualization and creative expression of all involved? What would we co-create together?
What I know is that transformation happens in conversation — new conversations about new possible futures. And it is the conversations we have in relationships that matter. We live in very transformational times, both as individuals in the second half of life and as a global community. It truly is time to act locally together and I believe we have the tools and inspiring models with which to work.
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