On a recent adventure to an "Intentional Community" in upstate New York, I came to the realization that running away from the coming storm is not an option for me or my family. by Bill Gee
(centrist)
Monday, April 4, 2011
As most of us who write columns on Nolan Chart will agree, something's coming and it's not going to be pretty. We have an unsustainable economy, our environment is in crisis and has already started to lash back at us, our Federal Government is ineffectual at best and has likely lost its legitimacy to govern, and the International community either resents our interventionist tendencies or outright hates us. Something is going to give probably sooner rather than later.
Until recently, I was actively planning my escape. I was looking into housing that would be able to sustain both myself and my family while also living "off the grid". I was looking for a community of like-minded people in what is commonly referred to as an "intentional community". I was looking for a new job where I could work 100% of my time on the Internet. In short, I was looking for a good hiding place so that when things got bad, I would be far, far away.
The joke on me went something like this: "How do you take two left-of-center urban intellectuals and their two year-old son and transform them into subsistence farmers?" The punch line is, "You don't,".
The text of the joke starts with my downtown suburban home, which happens to be the same house I grew up in. From my front porch I can comfortably walk to the Library, Starbucks, three township playgrounds, a recreation center, and my son's music and karate classes. Within a 10-minute drive is the grocery store, the Community College where I teach, three farmers markets, and two shopping malls. My job is a 45-minute commute, but I rarely have to sit in traffic for more than an hour. (Knock on wood) My day job is seems stable for the moment, and it gives me the chance to talk to you good people. My neighbors tend to keep to themselves on a normal day, but they are quick to lend a hand to help clear the walkways and the street after a big snow storm. In other words, the grass is pretty green from where I stand. It's not perfect, but where is it ever?
For those of you who have been able to make the transition from urbanite to the farm, you have nothing but my deepest respect. For those of you who are happy with your transition, you have my deeper respect. It's pretty clear to me now that I'm happy just where I am, and to trade that for a false sense of security would be just plain dumb.
Of the three communities we looked at, all were about an hour's drive from the nearest downtown where my son can do only one of the activities he does now. Coffee is of the "Folger's" variety, and vegetarian cuisine outside the community? Does it count if what's on your plate "ate" a vegetarian diet? To make matters more complex, all three communities are sitting on top of the Marcellus Shale and that's just a "Fracking" shame. The people who live in these communities are nice enough, but one look at my professional haircut, clean-shaven face and my wife's sweater from Anthropologie and they could tell that we didn't really belong there.
So where does that leave me and my family? Since I didn't just trade my brain for a comfortable walk to Starbucks, I'm going to need to figure out a way forward. The world is just as screwed up as it was before my trip, and that "storm" everyone keeps talking about is still coming.
I suppose that what I have now is my version of the so-called "American Dream". I still struggle from day to day to make things work and that's always a work in process. What I think I really found was a "something" and a "somewhere" worth fighting for. This is a good community with good people in it, and if it looks like things are going to get dangerous, I suppose some of us will look for places to hide. As for me and my family, I think we'll stay where we are and take a stand.
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Posted By: Bill Gee
Date: April 6, 2011 09:41:30 AM
I would like to thank my readers and friends who have read this column and expressed their concerns over this apparent "setback" in my family's fortunes. Personally, I found the concern a little curious.
My wife and I firmly believe that every personal setback one experiences in life is an opportunity to learn a little more about yourself and grow. A lost job is an opportunity to learn a new career, the destruction of a home due to disaster or foreclosure is an opportunity to live somewhere new, a divorce or death of a loved one is an opportunity to learn how to love again.
What we learned from this experience is that a series of supposed "setbacks" has placed us in our current living situation, and that we are happy with where we're living, perhaps for the first time in our lives. So what we've decided to do is instead of looking for ways to plan our next escape, we are going to plan on staying exactly where we are and we're going to make the best of it as best we can.
So while your concern is heartwarming, it's a bit misplaced. May everyone have moments like these in their lives where they can investigate the choices they have and then decide what really matters to them enough to make the decisions that will make them the most happy.
