Here’s my thinking on community and society, parsed through my lived experiences…
but first, some context on what prompted this:
Here on FIC, there have been both the discussions of what is lacking in the greater society, and how “ND” folks can be part of the community, or “where is the community FOR “ND” folk?”
Now, I am autistic, and have found, in “The Real World”, that this is an extremely tough thing to convince others of… the literal “you don’t LOOK autistic” response comes to mind. I got that many, many times, as I came to terms with my learning what my “issue” truly was. At the age of 40. As well, what became painfully clear then, is the SUPPORT for us with this “hidden” aspect of autism is greatly lacking in the greater society.
At this time, I was living with my former SO, and she and I were meeting ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE who held the same beliefs we did, as in, the VERY REAL NEED for EDUCATION of the Natural World to be introduced to the greater society. THIS… this is what is lacking. A movement to get everybody on the same page, and one aspect of that is teaching People how important the Natural World truly is.
In this cohort of People was one family who had a young adult autistic child. Everyone in this immediate group totally doted over this boy. He and I were very similar in many ways, but he was far more child like, and “rigid”, as well as not nearly as verbal as I was. 2 points for, one, the community… they were/are all Baha’i, and 2, the ease there is for People to recognize disability when the disability is outwardly noticeable.
Further, this specific community, and the wider “slow food”, “urban ag”, “homesteading”, “recycling”, “sharing” (that one not so much, bc capitalism), and other, similar movements found in that area, at that time, strikes me now as THE “intentional community” the Human Race needs to be focusing on. A specific way of living that touches far more People than just one farm does. A viable movement on the scale of CITIES, as opposed to small villages outside of the cities. Yes, villages are easier to set up, and easier to manage, but think…
NEIGHBORHOODS. Villages within these cities. Let’s remake THOSE. Use all the distinct communities together, working towards the same goal.
Now, I KNOW this a very tall order, but let me tell you, this what was going on in that city some 10 years ago. Granted, not to the scale needed, nor did they function quite the way they were truly needed, being that they existed in the socioeconomic system that works directly against such sentiments. YES, we need a system which would grant much better freedoms for the Masses, for these kinds of endeavors. I will leave that for some other discussions, but please consider working to transform your immediate neighborhood, for lack of any ideal one, one that only exists in some far off time and place. Focus closer to home.
We are in the Here And Now. Let’s act accordingly.