Here's a thought. Let's form communes again.

[county worker]

Sure most of them didn't work out way back when, but I'm thinking about someone who has land and can get together like minded folks and farm and do some light manufacturing and have a sustainable lifestyle until this all blows over.

In really think that some good is going to come from this mess we are in. Many of us will question the need for the technology we depend on so much and is it worth paying the monthly payments for something we use to get along without. I think that simplicity and sensibility will be some of the rewards of these years. We all have been silo-ed for a long time. Maybe we need to stop living for number one and do as the illegals do, help each other get along.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

1. They'll work as long as there's recourse for complaints

and a way to settle disputes justly and assign tasks fairly. Most of the communes I either read about or have seen first hand failed for that reason. Well, that and most of the participants were more interested in smoking pot and having sex all day rather than growing food.

[liberal N proud]

2. Here is one that did from 1855 to 1932 ...

The Amana Colonies

In 1855 they arrived in Iowa. After an inspired testimony commanded the people to call their village, "Bleibtreu" or "remain faithful," the leaders chose the name Amana from the Song of Solomon 4:8. Amana means to remain true. Six villages were established, a mile or two apart, across a river valley tract of some 25,000 acres - Amana, East Amana, West Amana, South Amana, High Amana and Middle Amana. The village of Homestead was added in 1861, giving the Colonies access to the railroad.

The Amana Colonies would become one of America's longest-lived and largest religious communal society.

In the seven villages, residents received a home, medical care, meals, all household necessities and schooling for their children. Property and resources were shared. Men and women were assigned jobs by their village council of brethren. No one received a wage. No one needed one.

Farming and the production of wool and calico supported the community, but village enterprises, everything from clock making to brewing, were vital, and well-crafted products became a hallmark of the Amanas. Craftsmen took special pride in their work as a testament of both their faith and their community spirit. The Amana villages became well known for their high quality goods.

Up before dawn, called to work by the gentle tolling of the bell in the village tower, the unhurried routine of life in old Amana was paced very differently than today. Amana churches, located in the center of each village, built of brick or stone, have no stained glass windows, no steeple or spire, and reflect the ethos of simplicity and humility. Inspirationists attended worship services 11 times a week; their quiet worship punctuating the days.

Over 50 communal kitchens provided three meals daily to Colonists. These kitchens were operated by the women of the Colony and well supplied by the village smokehouse, bakery, ice house and dairy and by huge gardens, orchards and vineyards maintained by the villagers.

Children attended school six days a week year-round until the age of 14. Boys were assigned jobs on the farm or in the craft shops, while girls were assigned to a communal kitchen or garden. A few boys were sent to college for training as teachers, doctors and dentists.

In 1932, amidst America's Great Depression, Amana set aside its communal way of life. A ruinous farm market and changes in the rural economy contributed, but what finally propelled the change was a strong desire on the part of residents to maintain their community. By 1932, the communal way of life was seen as a barrier to achieving individual goals, so rather than leave or watch their children leave, they changed. They established the Amana Society, Inc., a profit-sharing corporation, to manage the farmland, the mills and the larger enterprises. Private enterprise was encouraged. The Amana Church was maintained.

Today the seven villages of the Amana Colonies represent an American dream come true; a thriving community founded by religious faith and community spirit. Declared

http://www.amanacolonies.com/history.htm

[conscious evolution]

3. Its already happening.

In my nieghborhood there are several communes/intentional communities.Many have been around for years but a lot of them are just getting going.
One common misconception is that communes have to be out in the country.Not so.My hood is right smack dab in the middle of a major city.

[county worker]

7. Is there a blog about the new communes?

It would be great to see how they get along and what problems and successes they have.

[conscious evolution]

8. I'm sure there are

but I have not seen any personally.
Try googling intentional communities.That is the current term for communes.

[TNDemo]

4. The Farm in Summertown, TN has been doing since the

early 1970s. Things have changed and it's not nearly as big, but it's still there.

[bigtree]

5. oh man

. . . the arguments that come from folks living together . . . that's the main obstacle. It's fun and generally productive for a a few months . . .

[Mari333]

6. okay as long as I dont have to sleep on a mattress on the floor

and no one wears patchouli. and no arguiing over whose granola is in the fridge. and no Che posters.

[bikebloke]

9. Kibbutzim in Israel

I lived on a kibbutz in the early 80's, which had been going since the 30's. It was pretty secular and most of us "volunteers" weren't Jewish, so there wasn't any religious pressure. One inequality I noticed, was that kibbutzniks with well-to-do relatives were a bit bourgeoisies with more fashionable clothes and even colour TV's in their rooms.

I even considered staying and making my life there. It was a good life and I'm fairly communitarian. In the end, I realized that not being Jewish, I would always be an outsiders. There was a Dutchie who had been there 13 years who was an insider, but still an outsider - if that makes sense.

If you can get like minded people together, communes can work. But as anyone who's ever lived in group housing, there's always one bastard who isn't pulling their share. That can lead to friction.