Comments on: Communities Based on Love

By: Vinu

Vinu — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:37:12 +0000

Nice Concept by some of the points made in the comments are valid.A Community with a purpose – would fall into something I call ‘complexity science’ domain.One should have a few basic rules and others guidelines. Things I would list would be around 3 or 4 things say:1. Love (if defined in a broader way it would include Trust, Honesty, responsibility, sensitivity and expressiveness)2. Curiosity (same way lots of them when coupled with Love and Curiosity are derivative in nature i.e Intelligence, Passion, Imagination, Creativity)3. Strength (ability to Deal with the unexpected, loss, randomness)I think self-sufficiency will be something that will evolve. But its should absent for the community to grow initially. There needs to be constant activity – either CONSUME and CREATEWould like to know your thoughts over email … Keep writing on this line of thought :-) I am curious :P

By: Theresa

Theresa — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:46:06 +0000

Everytime I go to SL I wander around help island and think about buying an island for purposes similar to what you describe. Mainly for co-operative playing (and it is playing, not living. Living is hard). I hate the way people fly all over SL when they should really learn to walk first and wish there were more people who would proceed with caution and do things in the natural way and not OD on everything. I don’t see how it could work or be a useful model. Firstly, its owned by the Lindens and you sign up with big brother the minute you join. Secondly, I don’t see how you can fulfill the long starving needs of people for unconditional love without opening up a pandora’s box of painful past experiences. Self sufficiency is important but I doubt you can find five people living in our world who can look at themselves and say “I am authentic”. I mean, its hard enough to get to that point in real life, in SL can you really look at your beautiful made avatar and believe it is your authentic self? Well I’ve tried to convince myself that “this is realer than me” because the real me in the mirror is a stranger. Not working. I do think it might be a good game for pre-teens to learn good ways of living. I don’t mean disfunctional teens, just kids between 9-15 years. Even with that, I don’t think it would do much for young girls to help them come to terms with their evolving bodies and lack of the “good looks” that they see in the media (and will see more of in SL).Nice idea though. If you go through with that, I would add tolerance to the list of desirable qualities. Tolerance, because even in an intentional community there will be peripheral “outer world” family members who may not have any of those qualities. Even in a real life intentional community people have children who may grow up without some of those qualities despite our best efforts. Have fun with it all anyway. I do find that online support groups can give great emotional support sometimes and at very little cost (timewise) to the people giving their time and emotional support. I honestly have never felt drained by having someone lean on me in an online relationship, but in real life? Hellish.

By: Jerome

Jerome — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:43:52 +0000

This is the answer:I volunteered in Factor E Farm for a few days and that is the best experience I had for a long time. So far, I dont know any other farm in the states that are close to their goals and ideas...You can learn more about them at:http://factorefarm.org

By: Srinath Vellure

Srinath Vellure — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:29:04 +0000

Hi Dave,Living in a virtual community, is not much different than living in a dream. That is my opinion, whether you agree or not.Any community has to be real and not in cyberspace to actually see a person behave in the real environment. In the cyber virtual environment I can create a persona (a mask) and think i am someone i am actually not. How is that going to help anybody? There are a few real intensional communities that exist in pockets, did you hear about Osho’s Community in Pune, India. It is a Community based on a theme of Spirituality, but everybody works and maintains their own expenses in unique induvidual ways and its truly international and respects freedom and creativity.Come and experience a real community first hand. This is an invitation.Love all your postings just giving you feedback about what i feel.Sincerely,Srinath

By: Radical ACE

Radical ACE — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:00:12 +0000

Yo! I’m a regular reader of your blog and intensely interested in all of this.I just feel like noting that I’ve been playing a game similar to SL in multiple ways, except in an easier, faster 2d version, named Furcadia. I am the owner of my own island on there, and my character strives to keep away from being associated with any kingdoms or large communities and just make her own small community. Her “crew” really, and really; even if most of this is all just a game to play pretend and roleplay, there’s some really amazing things one can accomplish with a group of friends. (Polygamous as well, though heavily with the emotional love included as well. Heck, my character doesn’t even believe in marriages after two failed ones.)But yeah, all in all, I just felt like I should get in on this with you guys. I may be young, but DAMMIT I’m going to help piece together how to fix this world even if it kills me!At least I’d die in a fun adventure.

By: Dave Pollard

Dave Pollard — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:27:06 +0000

Prad: Thank you.Rimu: Maybe. I remember someone telling me the same thing a few years ago about blogs :-)Neil: The IC is not insular — it needs to be out in the larger community (SL or RL) helping others learn what they’ve learned (and also looking for new members). Interesting comparison with monasteries, though I woulkd say monasteries have preset rules and rigorous disciplines that an IC would not — it’s much more democratic. Thanks for wishing me luck.Lugon: The whole point is to create models that work, and then share those models with others — you don’t have to open membership to do that. I don’t think we can save civilization, so I’d be content if the models and learning we get from our IC would be useful to those in the Real World after civilization’s collapse (they’re going to need some workable new models). I think the process for finding other people is just to be open, honest and clear about what you’re looking for — kinda like the dating scene in a way.Pearl: I do what I can in Real Life to help, but I know it’s not much. To me it’s not enough. I have to do more, have to prove to myself and to others that there is a natural, better way to live. I think this is a promising and immediate way to try to do it.If anyone wants to join me in SL, go in, find your way around for awhile, and then if you’re interested e-mail me your SL name.

By: joan

joan — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:33:24 +0000

yup, i’m with Pearl. with the long list of qualities it seems to me you’re trying to control the situation too much. let go and accept instead.and sure, humans could have been created to love many naturally. but that is not the system we have evolved to. i worry that ‘imposing’ another (perhaps natural, perhaps not) way now with the system we have where patriarchy rules and inequality of men and women is still status quo would cause more harm than good.

By: Pearl

Pearl — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:24:46 +0000

Perfect people make perfect communities. Real people make real communities. It’s funny going back home I saw what connections bore out by choosing to get each other’s backs despite who other people are, being hot headed or ill spoken, resolute in being non-culpable, insensitive and warts-what-all. Just keep plugging away together anyway. It’s just the decision to stay and do good when you can’t help yourself, caring anyway, assuming the best anyway, accepting whether someone is good-hearted or not. You’re a community by not leaving.

By: lugon

lugon — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:18:41 +0000

My guess is things will move forward in a variety of ways.Neil, what you point out is important. We want viral monasteries, if there's such a thing. And, I don't know, such a monastery can be viral in at least two ways: by providing information to others (global villages with internet connections so that people learn from each other), and by providing students who go and grow their own communities elsewhere. The first (information) can be in the form of documents (how-tos, templates for reprap.org objects) or in the form of phyisical objects that can be replicated elsewhere.Others will wait for the revolution to come home, and will just grow some food in their rooftops, and maybe that will help things become easier when they are ready or forced to move to other less populated places.I find http://www.bethechange.org.nz/ initiative interesting, if it helps people "come together" (not in John Lennon's sense, or maybe yes ;-)) and "find each other". You need to wistle a tune so that others, who like that tune, may join you in your journey. And the NZ site may help people do just that, in small ways. Cultural creatives joining, clustering, learning and helping each other learn, a bit like "linux user groups" but with an atoms focus, not a bytes focus ...

By: Neil

Neil — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:52:47 +0000

The Intentional Community (whether in 2nd life or the real world) could be great for the people living in it, but is the world worse of because there’s 200 less remarkable people in it?How does the Intentional Community reach out and change the world?It would be useful to list and consider the differences (other than the obvious theological differences) between the Intentional Community and a monastery (Buddhist or Christian), and also where there is overlap between the two. I suppose we would need to speak to Monks/ Nuns and ex-Monks and ex-Nuns to get a true perspective on this.Personally, I’d consider a far simpler set of qualities to allow entry to a community, and introduce a programme of learning to help people gradually change and develop the other qualities. Maybe I’m naive.Perhaps just kindness, and a willingness to change. Without these two there would be no desire to join the community.Anyway we only learn by doing, so good luck with your attempts in 2nd Life.