Intentional Communities in the Social Imagination...

Anyone can go online and read what today's well intended liberal progressive considers to be an intentional community. And, one might even be in awe of their (what they think) brave new world social constructs. Before doing that, take time to recall what human beings like doing - congregating as in interacting in place for the purpose of identity and security. Then, read their 'brave' definition, keeping in mind that such constructs 'intentional communities' are and always have existed among men and women that are like minded and physically similar. It is not new. 

People have always lived intentionally; and in fact, it is a good idea to do so for the sake of individual mental and wider social group stability. One should ask, how do intentional communities build and spread? A fair example is 'chain immigration' and even that is not new. Or, just look at the spread of vast empires throughout history and see their implementation as intentional communities - i.e. the Mongol and the Roman Empire are on a massive scale perfect examples. And, let's not forget communism. One can and should also look at micro scale intentional communities (tribes) first because they are micro examples macro structures. 

We have always known is that intentional communities are human constructs where often people are forced to find themselves in a place by various outside influences including natural phenomenon. One could say that its been a more natural process in which people have just gravitated toward each other over time; but, that would be too slow a process.

The point is that human beings out of necessity form intentional communities. One important necessity for being human is identity... knowing that you are someone and not someone else. Identity is a necessity as without it one would not know who they are as a single person let alone who they are and are not as a group and group identity is essential for the one as it is for the many who congregate in a place. 

They come together by People of the same language and or very similar language, beliefs, ethnicity, traditions/ customs, geography, faith, including religious practices, eating habits, child rearing tactics, work ethic, labor force, housing strategies and so on; and sharing responsibility and resources in the place where they are. By doing so over a period of time, such people living intentionally come to feel safe, secure and that they have been successful in that place and that the place where they are is somehow - theirs!

Now, here is the 'modern idea' or version which some seem to think is brand new on the face of the earth. According to reliable sources, an intentional community is a planned residential community designed from the start to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. Mmm, sounds like what has been intention all along.

Moreover, they typically share responsibilities and resources. Intentional communities include collective households, cohousing communities, coliving, ecovillages, monasteries, communes, survivalist retreats, kibbutzim, ashrams, and housing cooperatives. New members of an intentional community are generally selected by the community's existing membership, rather than by real-estate agents or land owners (if the land is not owned collectively by the community).

So, those kinds of places described above in italics do have a bounded character just like the ones of 'old' which by the way are today called racist, intolerant and socially exclusive communities.  Yet, liberal progressives define themselves in the same way and if you are not on board with their kind of intentional living, you are not welcome. Which, sounds racist, intolerant and exclusive and it is. But, its not because its theirs and they have forthrightly laid out from the get go what is to be expected. They have rationalized it and framed what people have been doing since the beginning of time. 

Now, if you are or find yourself left out of that... their kind of intentional community, its because you are the racist, the intolerant hater and or in the very least bigot; and they can't help you. Because, its your problem you fail to embrace their diversity. Which is no diversity at all. So, to make you feel even worse, even more socially excluded, they will mob (crowd around and harass) you to make sure that you feel even more excluded for not liking their intentional community; after all, its their social imagination! 

We may well socially imagine that such intentional 'organized' (from the top down) communities are the way of the future (they were the way of the past) and at least you will be in yours and I ... in mine. The question would be and should be before you jump on board is... could you ever get outta there?