Photo: Stock Exchange/2-story Southern charm

Does the economic collapse have within it the seeds of social change that will set us on a path to a more stable society? Just as the seeds of certain pine trees are released only by the heat of a forest fire, this collapse is forcing many to consider alternatives they would not have considered in a more comfortable, secure time.

Housing, for example. How and where we live, and with whom, are all ripe for evaluation. The following list is intended to broaden your perspective by considering  eleven benefits of house sharing:

1. Better food: An essential element for life, food can be both a joy and a nuisance. Food runs the gamut from delicious and nourishing, to dull and uninteresting, to harmful and even toxic. How and what you eat has a direct impact on your health and your wallet. Living with people who enjoy food and  plan menus, shop for ingredients and prepare interesting, healthful meals dramatically increases your odds of eating well and enjoying better health.
2. Better stuff: Admit it. Wouldn’t it be great to be less attached to your stuff? Of all your possessions, probably only a few dozen are genuinely important to you.  Living with others is an opportunity to choose the best of the best. Put the rest in storage, have a garage sale and donate the remainder to charity. Sorting and deciding is the hardest part.
3. Live better for less money. Living in a household committed to thrifty, ecological living can keep money in your pocket. Imaginative and creative menu planning, taking your lunch and snacks is healthier for body and bank account. Clear-eyed budgeting and management, combined with a handy knack for fixing things can make a big difference. Even doing laundry at home puts money in your pocket.
4. Division of labor. If your idea of cooking is picking up a slice of pizza on the way home, perhaps your skills and interests run to cleaning, household repairs, household finances, gardening or car maintenance. In a well managed household, it all needs done. Children, who seem naturally conversant with electronics, can make valuable contributions too. Dividing the labor among more people increases the likelihood that you can do more of what you enjoy and fewer tasks that you detest.
5. The joy of generations. Living in an inter-generational household can be a grounding, rounding experience. Single people who have not changed enough diapers are missing an important part of life. Both children and adults benefit from elders’ wisdom. People living alone become accustomed to their routine, less adaptable and their social skills get rusty. The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
   
6. Livelier social life. The people who are inclined to this lifestyle are probably interesting and engaged with the world and this makes for a lively atmosphere.
7. Live better. Living in gracious surroundings, with a compatible group of people who choose each other wisely, show up on behalf of the household, work out their differences in a healthy, mature way can be delightful. This arrangement brings amenities such porches, gardens, yards, and vintage homes within affordable reach.
8. Have your friends come to your house. Opening your home to others is one of the joys of having one. Being a guest in home has a different quality than gatherings at restaurants or hotels. In a large home, you could host holiday festivities. Providing that household members agree, being the home base for family reunions is conceivable. Household members may choose to take a trip themselves, giving you and your guests more accommodations and privacy.
9. Healthier lifestyle. Although many are shy and private, healthy humans are naturally social beings. The independent lifestyle that we take so much pride in, for many is isolating to an unhealthy degree. Many seniors contemplate assisted living arrangements when they mostly need to be around people. Even a grade schooler or a teenager could qualify. Many children go to an empty home until their parents arrive from work. A healthier environment for everyone would be one with people that they are attached to and rely on. Nurturing those bonds takes time, attention and care.
10. Help when you need it. How comforted would you feel knowing that a responsible adult was there if your child had to stay home from school? For serious illness, caregivers for chronically ill people burn out quickly, in part because too few people share the load. If round the clock nursing is required, converting a spare bedroom may be a better choice than a nursing home. The Census Bureau reports that there were 2.4 million registered nurses in 2005. A considerable number have let their licenses expire, although they still have the knowledge and skills. Keeping people who need care at home and having a nurse stop by makes sense.
11. Experience a deeper connection to others. If households form wisely, and consciously work through their issues, connecting with others is a natural consequence. The experience of living with others can bring great joy. The other side of that coin is that it can bring great sorrow as well. You can’t be open to one and not the other.

Connecting with others, for many, is the elephant in the room that we don’t talk about. It is perfectly conceivable to have no meaningful contact with others in the course of a day, week, month or year. This reality spawns misfits and violence that are all too familiar. Although we tsk tsk that things have gone to hell, the dysfunction that is embedded within our culture is not going away until we replace it with healthier customs.

Change is banging on our door and calling us to a new lifestyle. It is within the capability of some to make this leap. New Community Vision will be working with community groups to host gatherings to discuss the potential of alternative housing. Please visit Alternative Housing Models to see the varieties of housing that are possible in our new world that is on its way to becoming brave.

For more info: New Community Vision is eager to work with individuals and groups, such as Sound ConneXions, to spawn a movement to think about our social and housing paradigms in a new context. Community gatherings to address our universal challenges are the fertile soil in which durable solutions take root. Stop by often to learn about the creative approaches to taking a whack at these issues that undermine our families and our culture. Please subscribe to this blog and contact us for more information.