Reply to "Raines"
I read your reply to my mention of the "cohousing" phenomenon, from my recent entry entitled "Resolutions," dated January 27.
The Methodist community in Oakland (CA) you mention was the subject of an article in the unfortunately now-defunct re:generations quarterly a few years back, which can be accessed at beliefnet. Also on that page are a number of links to related sites.
The idea of living in a commune does not appeal to me. But I've always said, that if I won the big state lottery jackpot tomorrow, I wouldn't build a mansion; I'd build a village. And the cohousing model is the one I'd likely use. I'd gather as many Catholic homeschooling families in the locality as I could, and make them an offer they couldn't refuse. Now, if that's one of you, and you don't feel like waiting till I get lucky, read this page, view this slide show, and get back to me. Soon.
On a related note, it was in looking over the search engine results that you sent me (yep, we're still talkin' to you, Raines), that I was impressed with the length and breadth of the Catholic blogosphere. So, when I see once again, the list of nominations for the 2005 Catholic Blog Awards, it calls to mind the line in the movie Casablanca: "Round up the usual suspects." Now, some of the usual nominees (which are invariably the usual winners) are blogs I visit everyday myself. But I don't pretend they're all that's out there. And while these guys are all busy congratulating one another later this month, I wonder how many others will never be noticed -- not for lack of merit, but for lack of credentials elsewhere.
What is the point of the weblog as a new and innovative medium for the heretofore unheard voices, if it is merely predominated by those who have already gained noteriety in other media?
No, I didn't get nominated. Then again, I'm not the issue. Discuss.
1 comment:
Thanks for the reply. And the links-back to www.cohousing.org.
It seems to me like the whole phenomenon of church groups developing community, using the cohousing model and others, would make a good article for Cohousing Magazine:
http://www.cohousing.org/magazine/
As your post reflects, Cohousing is a set of tools... available for anyone to use as they wish. It's about changing from housing as market commodity to do-it-yourself opportunity for creating community... taking advantage of the market system for leverage, easy approvals, and financing.
Those awards lists tend to be limited to the "usual suspects"... I agree that in general some of the more interesting blogs don't even make it onto the radar of such things. But that doesn't need to matter if you build your network and find your audience and use your forum to make a difference in the world.
Raines (yes, that's my real name)
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