Definitely!
Posted by Elizabeth Rose on November 13, 1997 at 15:31:01:
In response to Community of the mind, written by gkb on November 12, 1997 at 23:20:17
] You are quite correct that our proximate geographical communities are somewhat in disarray, (except where co-housing has been fully implemented) but we have other kinds of small communities where we do have social rules, such as the workplace and the church or synagogue, or the political action group, one's housemates, or the classroom. In these mental communities, we are still striving to abide by some rules of conduct that incorporate the principles of honor, honesty, etc. to the best of our ability. And the cruelty and selfishness of "London" society and the ignorance and malice of "country" society may still be found and we still need to deal with them. As you point out, the manners of our day are much more hurried, flurried and worried, but our mobility and freedom do not seem to have made us value neighborhood as a place to really LIVE. Perhaps we live too much in our minds or our work. I think people who have children tend to put more work into neighborhood-building than those of us who are childless. Do you also find this to be so?
I completely agree with you on this, the most community-minded neighborhoods I have lived in are the ones with small children everywhere. The neighborhood that I live in now (when I'm home from college) is incredibly close-knit. The children run around in the cul-de-sac and wander around from house to house in a huge gang. All of the parents (especially during the evening) stand around outside gossiping and deciding when the next big cookout is going to be. All of the parents watch out for each other's kids, and it's not unusual for me to begin the night with 3 kids (baby-sitting) and end up with 8 or 10! ;)
Lizzie
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