It's been a couple years since i left home and country to live in my girlfriend's country. It's been interesting learning a new language, meeting new people, sharing their life and culture.
But yesterday, i had a very strong revelation about the importance of living physically close to the ones i love, my famiy and my long time friends. Skype is a nice tool, but no replacement.

I had another deep insight where i was shown how some of the older people who have seen the TV and computer screens suddenly appear and hypnotize people on their seats feel: somewhere they feel sad that such gadgets have replaced the genuine human to human contact, it made a dent in the fabric of their lives, and it stole away a fair bit of togetherness.

I strongly felt that physical proximity is the only way to maintain a true "community" of people that can really care, share, and look after each other, because when you turn off the fragile gadgets that so heavily depend upon so many different technological stuffs, that is when true solid not-dependant-on-electricity-and-chips reality remains, so ancient, and not so easily turned off. And then, are we really being there, are we really caring for those that live close to us? Are we living close to those we love? Are we really a community of humans, sharing sacred physical space? Or have we deeply cut ourselves off from one another...?
I want to look forward to a world where we get together, not one where we are alone, where sitting and staring not giving a damn about our neighboor is the acceptable norm, although stepping on his face because we give into the insidious atmosphere of competition might be even more likely. How are our children going to cope if we don't get together to create an atmosphere of love and trust? Are we just going to throw them into an insane world?

Let's get together, look after one another, after ourselves, let's mend the tear in the fabric of human relation, let's huddle and speak and sing around the fire, let's play and build and create beauty, let's open our hearts and stare at the stars, let's maintain an atmosphere of true humanity where our children can grow happily, let's do good things together.

Nice post, thank you for that

Human contact can indeed wonderful! Everything in balance and technology also has its place, but I totally know what you mean that we often forget to value interaction with others, proximity, contact. I say let's go for it!

I'm all for it. I agree with what you say very much.
It is my deep desire to find a place and lifestyle where just this type of community is possible. I am done with and not interested in anything less. So where do we set up camp?

Love to all
Enoon

I agree with you. I'd love to live in such a loving and caring society as you described. The only way this is possible will be if we make it happened. So lets go for it ...

That would be one hell of a community I agree, that togetherness and proximity is essential

Peace

Macre

I hope that will not always be the question, and I hate to think it might be. Anyone with the ability to 'set up camp' is going to be on the other side of the social spectrum from most of us here, and the world is too big for only one 'camp'. Space colony anyone?

Until the whole earth has 'set up camp', only the experienced will know the truth, but knowing is not believing, don't just be a believer.

One day...

put some money together, buy land together, start building earthships on this land or similar housing, live in tents until they're done...
buy land somewhere where it's warm enough for this to work.

First thing would be to meet each other though to know if we really get along, and if we wanna do this.
Second step would be to locate some land, have ppl make suggestions. See if we can put the money together. If not then we need to think of ways to make money by for example organizing events/seminars/parties to get the cash together to do this.
Everyone can bring something to the table.
Of course I find the idea of ownership of land sucks, but currently I see no way around it.

Finally we have to make a plan on how to do make the community sustainable - from energy to food to currency to exchange with other communities/the rest of the world. I suggest finding a place that is somewhat remote and has nice nature and create a kind of natural reserve/eco tourism thing, inviting ppl to join for a low price and participate in the community/camp on our land/visit nature/practice yoga/learn about sustainable living/participate in whatever seminars we can offer/participate in healing rituals etc. etc. Accept donations for these things rather than put a price on them.
If our community is build upon the principles of things like permaculture and uses solar and wind power we won't need much...

All we need is to get started.

Where can we get cheap land?

I think it would be wise to at least meet in person before hatching plans for land acquisition.

Has this community ever attempted a meetup? A semi-regular schedule of meetups at varying locations around the world would be the first step towards the rather lofty goal of getting people to uproot their lives and dedicate their finances to establish a psychedelic wonderland.

Actually, i was more suggesting that we get more often together with our neighboors, friends and family to do things together to build and maintain real physical contact and cooperation where we are now, rather than suggesting that some of us nexians get together to start a community.

But the idea does have a nice appeal, living together with others (especially cool nexians!) who share the same ideals, probably because of this sense of building something together from the start with a collective commitment. Probably more appealing than the idea of knocking on your unknown neighboors' doors to organize skill sharing sessions, with the risk of discovering that half of them are racist intolerant conservatives.

Having myself and a few others started almost exactly the community you describe, Enoon, and having lived off the land and built my own house, i have a pretty good idea of some very important key aspects necessary to the success of such an endeavour, and i know some questions that must be seriously be reflected upon, and could spare some heartache later on. Read on if these interest you.

The first cornerstone is of course the humans you will be working together with. It's one thing to get along with people just talking, but physical work reveals some other aspects of people, for good or bad. And if you can't get along at work and truly share an atmosphere of genuine and fair cooperation... Then again, if you can, things go up fun and fast

You might also be living together, sharing common bath and kitchen and whatnot. Personnally, i won't ever risk that again, unless it's for a short time. Private space and facilities are necessary imo, simply because people have different concepts of cleanliness.

The second cornerstone is money. Setting things up from scratch, especially buildings, costs a fair bit, maintaining also, and there's always something that needs to be bought. Which leads to the essential question of what job will you find to finance all this until cash comes in by other means? When you get older and can't work, what will you live from? Financially, it could help to do be in warmer climates, no need for heating or big insulated buidings, less clothes, all year round domestic food production... That's probably why there are lots of communities in Hawaii. But land is not cheap there, land is only cheap in poor countries...

The location. The heart of it all. The following questions are already important if you stay in the same country, so if you change country, especially for a poorer one, they become a unknown mountain of adventure. Are you really ready to live far from old friends and family? How far? Blood is the strongest bond, and as your parents get older, you might want to be close to take care of them? Will there be any cultural life nearby? Other young people to have fun with? Eco tourism opportunities? If you have children, will they have little friends to play with? Education nearby? Doctor? Decent hospital? Stores? Job opportunities? What are the local people like? Will you ever really feel at home there? Drinking water? Building permits?

Gee, guess i'll stop the avalanche, but i know from experience that none of those questions should be overlooked when starting a community. And of course, there's nothing better than to visit some already established ones, and speak with the more experienced there to get an idea of community reality. Many accept volunteers and wwoofers. And new members...