Communes That Succeeded

It was the guy who wanted to rip off some poor fucker who thought they were buying a pig....

 

ChronicTom, Thank you for explaining your situation. It takes guts to continue on after experiencing betrayals and other bullshit from people you thought you could count on. I wish you the best with your venture.

For some of us, the choice doesn't come down to living in the county, being off the grid, etc. or living in a big city with bars, etc. I actually live with some people I like very much near a small town, and I like small town life. We have fruit trees, a garden, chickens, etc., but we also know our neighbors and the people who run most of the businessess in our town. I don't have any credit cards, and I haven't for many years.

I continue to be interested in communal living/intentional communities, and I have found that living in a group, if you can find the right group, is a better way to go through life than anything else I can find. Take care!

 

Thanks, but I don't consider it anything to do with guts...

I was on a path to get here... shit happened, but it didnt change where I was headed...

As for finding the right people.. It's like anything else in life... You may have to try it a 1000 times before you find one person who is right, or it could be the next one, the same goes for people looking for a place... and in both cases, talking about it will never replace actually trying...

One of the things that gets me, is that people with nothing, will demand everything before they even make an attempt...

 

Lamont, I've been going over this again and again...

I am extremely bitchy about these issues when I perceive (correctly or otherwise), that people are trying to pass on expertise that they don't have...

Not because I believe I know everything about communal living situations, or that I believe mine is right (or even the most right), but because there are many people, (some kids, some adults) that are of the belief that a communal living situation is all about magical gatherings of people where everything for survival 'just happens' and if they all just love each other, the world will be fine... and this common theme online does more to hurt the idea then almost anything else...

We end up with people contacting us on a fairly regular basis, with misconceptions about everything... including the fact that this is REAL LIFE, not a game... not a passing whim... not a lark to try out for a few months for some fun...

That is not to say it can't be fun (it should be), or that it isn't something that can be tried for a little while without making a long term commitment (it is)... Just that when someone emails me, first saying how great it is that I would do this and open our home for others, and how much they want to come... then start going on about what type of house do we have built for them, or what type of job do we have lined up for them, or how many people are around to party with and so on... I get fucking twitchy...

When I started this;

There was nothing.. not even a property to do it on...
There was nobody involved but me (and my life partner)...
There were no ways to make money to support it...
There was no basic set up in terms of food (chickens, goats, gardens, etc)
There was no stockpile of resources...
There was no bank account full of money...

There was me, my ideas and my will...

Those things that I didn't have? I found a way to find them... For the start of it (three times), I stayed in babylon and worked my fucking ass off to get to the position that I could do this...

We put 100% of everything we have into this;

100% of all our energy (both physical and mental) goes into this...
100% of any money we get goes into this...

Why? Becuase THAT is what it takes for a place like this to succeed...

Someone else can come along here, work for a while with us and if things go bad, pick up and leave, and nothing happens...

We can't... this is our home, our life, everything...

If I was to lose this (not possible), I would have to spend another 5 plus years working up to a position where I could even think to start it again...

Why would I ever tolerate or accept anything (or anyone) that would jeopardize this?

Why would anyone?

 

ChronicTom, If I were in your shoes, I think I would do things exactly the same way. I do get it that you have put your ass on the line to get where you are, and I do know that people can be extremely naive about living in a group or about many other parts of life. I would not jeopardize what I have created for people who just come along and think everything is going to be handed to them on a silver platter.

I wish you well!

 

hey alchemist george. you seem pretty smart. im gonna tell you my situation and what im looking for, and they you can tell me what you think.

maybe your place isnt the right one for me... dont really know either way. but if you dont think im right for your place, you can recommend one.

im 23. male. i grew up in south mississippi. i actually live in the town hit hardest by hurricane katrina. its called bay st louis. i never liked it here, but its even worse since the storm. lots of bible beaters around here, and i seem to be the oddball everywhere i go. ive been working at a sawmill for the past 2years so i know a good bit about the character and nature of wood. i was on the drumline in high school, i can sing pretty good, and play guitar a tad. im not a drug addict, but i smoke weed. im very open minded, and im blessed with the ability to understand where anyone is coming from. i can cook really well. pot and music are really the only two things i need to keep me happy. i camped at a national forest next to the river for 4months last winter, and it didnt bother me a bit. could have gone longer, but the park people said i had to go. i really want a change of life. and i know alot of people probably say that they want to do this type of thing, but i really think im a pretty good prospect. what do you think?

im looking for a place with some people my age. where pot is acceptable. the ones i have found so far all want money before you can come. i dont have much money, if any at all most of the time. but i could save if needed to. i also have a dog. its a pitbull mix that found me when i was homeless. i really want to keep her if i can.


thanks. glenard.

 

There is one in Eskdale Utah. I forget the name of it, but they are religious in nature and they have been around for a number of years.

 

do they mind if i just show up?

 

Why not ask them yourself?
http://eskdalecommunity.com/default.aspx
(even though I googled it for you)

 

good to hear of communes still succeeding, still running..