What you see as a community?
For me, a community is a place where those present strive to provide
a place for all to grow and live and learn and be. It is a place
where there are only three sets of units: individuals, partners and
everyone. And you must have a relationship with all of the above,
including yourself, before you can claim membership in the community.
What are your hopes and fears?
I am hopeful that people can live and work together towards a community
as defined above) without having to resort to fear-based, control-based
enforcement of intelligence. I have no real fears for the community, since
fear is a belief that we cannot deal with whatever happens. On a personal
level, I fear efforts going to waste, that the works done will not be
valued and appreciated.
What is your ideal balance between group involvement and private life?
My personal balance would be to go out and be with people when I am
in the mood (about half the time, from my experience), to always have
someone that I can talk with, either for fun or to figure something out,
to be available to others who need to talk or share time. In general,
I think that people need to define their own ratio of alone-time and
group activity, and that ratio will vary as the person changes.
Have you participated in consensus process before?
Personally, I don't see any other way for people to get
things done without one group using force to get another to
do something it is opposed to. That control-based, force-based
approach is what I consider the fundamental problem with the
current social and political system, and what I am seeking
an alternative to.
Open communication and self-awareness are important in community
interaction and relationships. Are you willing to work on this?
I am always trying to learn how better to understand and express
myself to those around me. As far as self-awareness, it is an
absolute necessity for people to be able to think and choose
for themselves. If you are not self-aware, then all of your
actions and beliefs are dictated by others. If you do not
share information about what you think and what is important
to you, then others will not be able to interact with you and
you will not be able to work with those around you.
How important is living in community to you?
Let me answer a different question first: Why do I want to live
in a community? What is most important to me is to feel a sense of
belonging, knowing that what I do is of benefit to those around me.
Where I do this, and the scale that I work in is not important.
I'd rather make one household happy that be useless to a town.
How important is it? Without purpose and shared benefit, my
knowledge and skills are being wasted. I have left high-paying
jobs where all I did was waste time and build things that never
went anywhere. The company did not mind, but I did, because
nothing was being accomplished. There was no growth, either
for me or those around me.
You ask how important it is living in a community?
I ask how else someone can live?