Supporting forces in shared living
Posted by ICS respondent on October 17, 2007
A rich shared living and working environment allowing for a blend of collective spiritual practice, creative engagement, work and play, all within a larger shared context. -having many of the basic needs taken care of; for instance, having a shared dining area with core kitchen staff to provide for everyone’s food needs frees up a great deal of time and energy that would normally be spent shopping for and preparing their own food. -a highly structured daily and weekly schedule creates a container to manage collective movements with ease and alleviates the need for endless ongoing group decision-making around inconsequential issues, such as: “when should we meditate?” “when is dinner?” or even “what should we do tonight?”. The seeming loss of outer freedom such a rigid schedule predicates is far outweighed by the inner freedom of not having to be preoccupied with the endless meaningless choices of modern life. Included in such a schedule should also be predetermined periods of unstructured time to allow for individual expression and to counterbalance the structure. -creation of “group accounts” to cover all shared expenses again maximizes efficiency. Decisions regarding more discretionary costs can be vetted by a small “board” or committee with recommendations being circulated by email through the entire group, with an opportunity for anyone who objects to raise their voice. How dissenting voices are ultimately dealt with is a more complex issue, but if the spirit of the collective is truly aligned with a higher purpose and shared vision, the small things have a way of working themselves out, usually through a one-on-one conversation. -a combination of hierarchical and bottom-up elements seems essential. There needs to be a hierarchy of decision-making, where those with the most experience and expertise in a given area are allowed to hold the greatest influence over the conduct of that area of activity. At the same time, there needs to be a genuine invitation and forum for anyone at any level of the hierarchy in any area to provide input and make sure they are heard.
