My personal journey in search of community began with dormitory living in college. I loved the combination of stimulation and support, and found it hard to recapture after graduation. I gradually came to question making life choices based on what I'd like to do, and focused instead on who I'd do it with. That led me to intentional community.

Not knowing how hard it was to create a successful intentional community, I joined with friends from college to establish our own.  That was back in 1974, and today Sandhill Farm is 31 years old and still going strong — the product of good luck and no small amount of stubbornness. I continue to live there because I've found again that precious combination of stimulation and support and know of no better lifestyle which offers both.

While most communities exist primarily to create a better life for their members, that was never enough for me. I wanted community to be a base from which to operate, to be of service in the world.

Amazingly enough, it has been just that. I come to this discussion with several bias. For starters, I see living in community as a political act. It's an attempt to integrate one's values into everyday life. At my community we pay close attention to where our food comes from (we grow about 80% of what we eat) and where our waste goes (we have a commitment to not export garbage; what we can't recycle, we landfill on our own land, so we can face the consequences of our choices).

Second, we've taken advantage of the community's ability to concentrate resources, freeing people up for special work. In my case, 18 years ago I wanted to explore an interest in group process consulting. I thought I might be able to assist groups working through typical community dynamics, based on what I'd learned over the years about the nuts and bolts of cooperative living. In the beginning I was volunteering all the time, supported by my fellow community members who believed in giving me the chance to follow my dream. Over the years I've made a commercial success of my process consulting and the income is now a mainstay of Sandhill's economy. It is very gratifying to know that today the revenue from my consulting now goes to support other members' dreams.

Over the years, I've learned that community is essentially a social challenge  — not a design challenge, a technical challenge, or a financial challenge. It's about relationships, and how people get along with one another. The key is how groups handle the moment when people disagree passionately with one another. Does that lead to creative problem solving or become an occasion for a fight?

Community is based on a fundamental commitment to cooperation, which stands in direct contrast to the mainstream society's practice of competition and hierarchy. In order to succeed at cooperative living, it's necessary to recognize the need to unlearn competitive responses and develop compassion for the fact that this takes time.

Living in community is like living in a hall of mirrors, where everyone around you offers a reflection of how far you've come and how you have yet to go. While it offers unparalleled opportunities for personal growth, like old age, community is not for the feint of heart.

In assessing where a person stands in relation to wanting more community in their life, I offer four questions, the answers to which will help you figure out what you're seeking, and what you're available for:

1. What are the crucial features for you about community?

2. How much do you want others in your life (the converse of which is what boundaries you have about what you share with others)?

3. What social skills do you have for working through differences with others?

4. Why are you a challenging person to live with (and are you willing to work on it)?

Laird Schaub, Executive Secretary, Route 1, Box 155 Rutledge, MO 63563
    Phone: (660) 883-5543  ~  Email: laird@ic.org  ~  Website: www.ic.org