The evils of sharing
This morning, after working out at the local gym to which I belong, I went to Panera’s where I often go to write. As is true in most establishments of this type, there are a group of “regulars” who gather most days. Some gather just to visit and some to set up their office for the morning or perhaps the day. Many of us who work out of our homes and do a lot of our work via phone or the internet, find that we can become quite isolated if we work all the time at home. For the price of a drink and a perhaps some food one can use the space at Panera for one’s office and have a sense of being part of a community.
It seems as if there is hardly a morning when someone does not say something negative about the current “socialist” President – President Obama. In fact, I have heard this term used to refer to President Obama since he began his first term as President. One of the current presidential candidates has openly called himself a socialist although his concept of socialism is, according to Linsa Oiu on politifact.org, in an article entitled “Bernie Sanders – Socialist or Democratic Socialist?”
“These policies include "strong labor rights, progressive taxation, a robust array of public goods like child care, health care, and higher education," all advocated by Sanders, said Schwartz. With these positions, Sanders is technically a social democrat — he isn’t calling for a red revolution, just "a way of making capitalism humane," according to Peter Dreier, a leftist political theorist at Occidental College. So he’s not really a socialist, at least by the strict definition of the word.
"In what sense is (Sanders) a socialist? Basically he’s for more entitlements for the middle class. That’s not the classical 19th century Marxist understanding or even the 20th century one. But maybe this is what socialism means today," said David Azerrad, who studies American political traditions at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "It’s a pale counterfeit, a considerably diluted form than the original."
If we explore the definition of socialist we can find the following on Wikipedia.com:
“For Andrew Vincent, “The word ‘socialism’ finds it root in the latin cociare, which means to combine or to share. The related, more technical terms in roman and then medival law was societas. This later word could mean companionship and fellowship as well as the more legalistic idea of a consensual contrast between freeman. The term ‘socialism’ was created by Henri de Saint[Simon, one of the funders of what would later be labeled ‘utopian socialism]. The term ‘socialism’ was created to contrast against the liberal doctrine of ‘individualism’ which stressed that people act or should act as if they are in isolation from one another. The original socialists condemned liberal individualism as failing to address social concerns of poverty, social oppression, and grow inequality of wealth.”
If one explores reaction to the use of the term socialism in the United States one is likely to find a sharp division by age with those who grew up with associating the concept of socialism with the often despotic communism of the Soviet Union and people who associate it with a more equitable sharing of resources. This may appear as a difference based just on age. This is, in part, accurate, in terms of the majority, but there are many people my age (75) who have long been interested in or lived in intentional communities or co-housing neighborhoods. If one researches intentional communities in the United States one gets a list of 41 currently functioning communities. That list is, however, incomplete. For example, the 12 locations of the Bruderhof community are left off this list. One will also not find the Springhill community which may or may not still exist or groups such as the Pittsburgh Co-Housing Group whose email postings I received as someone who is potentially interested is their concept. Some of these communities, such as the Bruderhof, are based in their understanding of the teaching of Jesus. Some of the Bruderhof communities in New York, Pennsylvania, and The United Kingdom make the toys sold under the name of Creative Playthings. When I visited one of the communities in New York, I was assigned to making wooden blocks, some of which I still have. In the Bruderhof all resources and jobs are shared. For example, as I recall, when there was a new baby the parents were relieved of other duties so that they could devote full time to taking care of the new child. Others in the community would take care of any other children of this couple. Lunch and dinner were eaten together.
Another community in which I stayed was Twin Oaks in Virginia which is probably most famous for their hammocks frequently sold at community fairs or festivals. At that community at one time, one got credit for a job based upon one level of interest as well as time. For example, if one did a job one disliked one got more credit than if one did a job for which one had a passion.
In most communities chores, appliances, tools, vehicles, laundry facilities, books, and other resources are shared. Money is also shared. There is no CEO making a huge salary while others live on minimum wage.
Co-housing communities such as the one in Pittsburgh talk about their goal/mission as:
We are a group of talented and diverse Pittsburghers including a professor, muralist, data base manager, desktop publisher, cardiac nurse, reiki practitioner, hospice caregiver, architect, accountant, business consultants, ceramicist, psychotherapist, robotics engineer, artists, writers and musicians…so far!
Our vision is for a cooperative, ecologically responsible, and diverse neighborhood of 25 to 30 households, representing a variety of ages, professions, family structures, and ethnic, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds.
Our Concept involves planning, designing, and managing our cohousing community, which will include:
-Energy-efficient, “green” construction homes;
-A balance of private and common spaces;
-A common house available for activities such as fitness, community dinners, movie nights, games, crafts, meetings, and musical events;
-Community space for playground, gardens, and open space for socializing; and,
-Roads and parking at the perimeter with central walking paths.
www.ic.or or Pittsburgh Cohousing Group
In addition to brief stays at communities such as The Bruderhof, Twin Oaks, and the former closed Morvanian Community of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (they have a wonderful archives which details their history including their very respectful and positive relationship with Native Americans), I have lived in two separate, small intentional communities. In Evansville, Indiana a group of us co-purchased a house in the seventies, shared responsibilities and resources and explored those personal issues which often make it difficult to live with a diverse group of people. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the Squirrel Hill section of the city, I lived with and shared a home with four other men (later we had a female member) who were committed to sharing resources while we continued to explore our role in creating a more just and loving society. In both communities, our commitment forced us to explore those personal habits and beliefs which made it difficult to live and share with others. Everything from level of cleanliness or order to political differences forced us to examine the attitudes, habits, preferences, and beliefs we brought to the table. In the Evansville community we even hired a “family” therapists. The therapy session could last for hours and hours.
I have also had two marriages and one committed relationship with another person. In all three of these situations I lived in a household with at least one other adult. Two of the homes included my son or a stepson. I also lived with other men when I was a midshipman at the U. S. Naval Academy and when I was an enlisted man living in the common barracks. As a married graduate student, I lived with my wife in a small community of other graduate students. Although we lived in separate apartments we shared a lot of food and other resources.
I come from a background of a large extended farming family who frequently shared resources including labor. My background includes a very simplistic understanding of the teaching of Jesus and later the teachings of the Buddha. Often to the chagrin of many of my friends, I do not believe that any of us are more deserving of food, clothing, housing, access to the arts, and medical care than any other person. I believe that if I am able to go to school and perform a job which pays above minimum wage it is because of the gift of how my brain is functioning, being born into a society in which certain talents, races, and cultural backgrounds and abilities are valued. I am able by some miracle or luck or accident of birth to make brain-based decisions to take advantage of these factors. I get no credit for these factors. It is not because I am more deserving or a better person. I am simply blessed. This places a responsibility on me to be grateful and to use the subsequent resources generously.
Having said this, I have to own up to the fact that I live in a very middle-class home. Although my income is at the very low end for a professional person, my house, car and other possessions are paid for. I have plenty of food and can even afford to get a breakfast sandwich and a refill cup of coffee several mornings a week at Panera’s. I have air conditioning, a dishwasher, health care, and belong to a gym. I can, if careful, go to Pittsburgh, PA and Wheeling, WV for medical care and to see friends twice a year, to see my mother and other family members in Oklahoma once a year, and to see my son in Los Angeles at least once a year. I even was able to make a trip to visit my nephew and his family in Colorado this year. I have, in other words, more than my share of the world’s resources at a time when millions of people are refugees or homeless for other reasons. In other words, there continues to be a disparity between my stated beliefs and the way I live my life. Although I say I am open to again living in a community, I am not doing so at this time.
If we are to have a meaningful dialogue about how to create a more just society, how to divide up and share the resources, how to accept that many factors for which we cannot take credit, and affect how our brain works, we must be willing to let go of much of what we have learned about such concepts as socialism, face the realities of what we expect for ourselves, and be open to exploring both our beliefs and our behavior.
I have no answers. I do know that I do not feel good about the enormous disparities which exists economically, emotionally, and spiritually. These disparities exist in all parts of the world to a greater or lesser degree.
I also know that if I am to grow spiritually, politically, and emotionally, I must be honest about my own attachments to my very privileged status. I am not proud of that but I really do like some of the perks of being me. Facing myself openly and honestly is a process which I have been practicing with varying degrees of success for a very long time. I want and need to continue this process. Certainly forcing myself to write and to be as honest as I am able today is a good starting point.
Socialism is desired. Socialism is an evil. Socialism cannot work. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak! Humm…..
Written November 29, 2015
This morning, after working out at the local gym to which I belong, I went to Panera’s where I often go to write. As is true in most establishments of this type, there are a group of “regulars” who gather most days. Some gather just to visit and some to set up their office for the morning or perhaps the day. Many of us who work out of our homes and do a lot of our work via phone or the internet, find that we can become quite isolated if we work all the time at home. For the price of a drink and a perhaps some food one can use the space at Panera for one’s office and have a sense of being part of a community.
It seems as if there is hardly a morning when someone does not say something negative about the current “socialist” President – President Obama. In fact, I have heard this term used to refer to President Obama since he began his first term as President. One of the current presidential candidates has openly called himself a socialist although his concept of socialism is, according to Linsa Oiu on politifact.org, in an article entitled “Bernie Sanders – Socialist or Democratic Socialist?”
“These policies include "strong labor rights, progressive taxation, a robust array of public goods like child care, health care, and higher education," all advocated by Sanders, said Schwartz. With these positions, Sanders is technically a social democrat — he isn’t calling for a red revolution, just "a way of making capitalism humane," according to Peter Dreier, a leftist political theorist at Occidental College. So he’s not really a socialist, at least by the strict definition of the word.
"In what sense is (Sanders) a socialist? Basically he’s for more entitlements for the middle class. That’s not the classical 19th century Marxist understanding or even the 20th century one. But maybe this is what socialism means today," said David Azerrad, who studies American political traditions at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "It’s a pale counterfeit, a considerably diluted form than the original."
If we explore the definition of socialist we can find the following on Wikipedia.com:
“For Andrew Vincent, “The word ‘socialism’ finds it root in the latin cociare, which means to combine or to share. The related, more technical terms in roman and then medival law was societas. This later word could mean companionship and fellowship as well as the more legalistic idea of a consensual contrast between freeman. The term ‘socialism’ was created by Henri de Saint[Simon, one of the funders of what would later be labeled ‘utopian socialism]. The term ‘socialism’ was created to contrast against the liberal doctrine of ‘individualism’ which stressed that people act or should act as if they are in isolation from one another. The original socialists condemned liberal individualism as failing to address social concerns of poverty, social oppression, and grow inequality of wealth.”
If one explores reaction to the use of the term socialism in the United States one is likely to find a sharp division by age with those who grew up with associating the concept of socialism with the often despotic communism of the Soviet Union and people who associate it with a more equitable sharing of resources. This may appear as a difference based just on age. This is, in part, accurate, in terms of the majority, but there are many people my age (75) who have long been interested in or lived in intentional communities or co-housing neighborhoods. If one researches intentional communities in the United States one gets a list of 41 currently functioning communities. That list is, however, incomplete. For example, the 12 locations of the Bruderhof community are left off this list. One will also not find the Springhill community which may or may not still exist or groups such as the Pittsburgh Co-Housing Group whose email postings I received as someone who is potentially interested is their concept. Some of these communities, such as the Bruderhof, are based in their understanding of the teaching of Jesus. Some of the Bruderhof communities in New York, Pennsylvania, and The United Kingdom make the toys sold under the name of Creative Playthings. When I visited one of the communities in New York, I was assigned to making wooden blocks, some of which I still have. In the Bruderhof all resources and jobs are shared. For example, as I recall, when there was a new baby the parents were relieved of other duties so that they could devote full time to taking care of the new child. Others in the community would take care of any other children of this couple. Lunch and dinner were eaten together.
Another community in which I stayed was Twin Oaks in Virginia which is probably most famous for their hammocks frequently sold at community fairs or festivals. At that community at one time, one got credit for a job based upon one level of interest as well as time. For example, if one did a job one disliked one got more credit than if one did a job for which one had a passion.
In most communities chores, appliances, tools, vehicles, laundry facilities, books, and other resources are shared. Money is also shared. There is no CEO making a huge salary while others live on minimum wage.
Co-housing communities such as the one in Pittsburgh talk about their goal/mission as:
We are a group of talented and diverse Pittsburghers including a professor, muralist, data base manager, desktop publisher, cardiac nurse, reiki practitioner, hospice caregiver, architect, accountant, business consultants, ceramicist, psychotherapist, robotics engineer, artists, writers and musicians…so far!
Our vision is for a cooperative, ecologically responsible, and diverse neighborhood of 25 to 30 households, representing a variety of ages, professions, family structures, and ethnic, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds.
Our Concept involves planning, designing, and managing our cohousing community, which will include:
-Energy-efficient, “green” construction homes;
-A balance of private and common spaces;
-A common house available for activities such as fitness, community dinners, movie nights, games, crafts, meetings, and musical events;
-Community space for playground, gardens, and open space for socializing; and,
-Roads and parking at the perimeter with central walking paths.
www.ic.or or Pittsburgh Cohousing Group
In addition to brief stays at communities such as The Bruderhof, Twin Oaks, and the former closed Morvanian Community of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (they have a wonderful archives which details their history including their very respectful and positive relationship with Native Americans), I have lived in two separate, small intentional communities. In Evansville, Indiana a group of us co-purchased a house in the seventies, shared responsibilities and resources and explored those personal issues which often make it difficult to live with a diverse group of people. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the Squirrel Hill section of the city, I lived with and shared a home with four other men (later we had a female member) who were committed to sharing resources while we continued to explore our role in creating a more just and loving society. In both communities, our commitment forced us to explore those personal habits and beliefs which made it difficult to live and share with others. Everything from level of cleanliness or order to political differences forced us to examine the attitudes, habits, preferences, and beliefs we brought to the table. In the Evansville community we even hired a “family” therapists. The therapy session could last for hours and hours.
I have also had two marriages and one committed relationship with another person. In all three of these situations I lived in a household with at least one other adult. Two of the homes included my son or a stepson. I also lived with other men when I was a midshipman at the U. S. Naval Academy and when I was an enlisted man living in the common barracks. As a married graduate student, I lived with my wife in a small community of other graduate students. Although we lived in separate apartments we shared a lot of food and other resources.
I come from a background of a large extended farming family who frequently shared resources including labor. My background includes a very simplistic understanding of the teaching of Jesus and later the teachings of the Buddha. Often to the chagrin of many of my friends, I do not believe that any of us are more deserving of food, clothing, housing, access to the arts, and medical care than any other person. I believe that if I am able to go to school and perform a job which pays above minimum wage it is because of the gift of how my brain is functioning, being born into a society in which certain talents, races, and cultural backgrounds and abilities are valued. I am able by some miracle or luck or accident of birth to make brain-based decisions to take advantage of these factors. I get no credit for these factors. It is not because I am more deserving or a better person. I am simply blessed. This places a responsibility on me to be grateful and to use the subsequent resources generously.
Having said this, I have to own up to the fact that I live in a very middle-class home. Although my income is at the very low end for a professional person, my house, car and other possessions are paid for. I have plenty of food and can even afford to get a breakfast sandwich and a refill cup of coffee several mornings a week at Panera’s. I have air conditioning, a dishwasher, health care, and belong to a gym. I can, if careful, go to Pittsburgh, PA and Wheeling, WV for medical care and to see friends twice a year, to see my mother and other family members in Oklahoma once a year, and to see my son in Los Angeles at least once a year. I even was able to make a trip to visit my nephew and his family in Colorado this year. I have, in other words, more than my share of the world’s resources at a time when millions of people are refugees or homeless for other reasons. In other words, there continues to be a disparity between my stated beliefs and the way I live my life. Although I say I am open to again living in a community, I am not doing so at this time.
If we are to have a meaningful dialogue about how to create a more just society, how to divide up and share the resources, how to accept that many factors for which we cannot take credit, and affect how our brain works, we must be willing to let go of much of what we have learned about such concepts as socialism, face the realities of what we expect for ourselves, and be open to exploring both our beliefs and our behavior.
I have no answers. I do know that I do not feel good about the enormous disparities which exists economically, emotionally, and spiritually. These disparities exist in all parts of the world to a greater or lesser degree.
I also know that if I am to grow spiritually, politically, and emotionally, I must be honest about my own attachments to my very privileged status. I am not proud of that but I really do like some of the perks of being me. Facing myself openly and honestly is a process which I have been practicing with varying degrees of success for a very long time. I want and need to continue this process. Certainly forcing myself to write and to be as honest as I am able today is a good starting point.
Socialism is desired. Socialism is an evil. Socialism cannot work. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak! Humm…..
Written November 29, 2015
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