I had a profound moment yesterday.Transcendentalists take note....

[BoratSagdiyev]

While visiting a friend,there in the distance was a eerie white structure. Upon inquiring I was surprised to discover that it was the lone remaining building of what was once a complex in what was a short lived albeit unforgettable experiment in communal living.

Darryl Parsons, Phaedrus, eek, what is your take on this?It is called Brook Farm.

The following was written by one of the members

what absurdity can be imagined greater than the institution of cities? They originated not in love, but in war. It was war that drove men together in multitudes, and compelled them to stand so close, and build walls around them. This crowded condition produces wants of an unnatural character, which resulted in occupations that regenerated the evil, by creating artificial wants.

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/peabody/roxbury-epp.html

I have been to this area many times as there is a cemetery there where I go to visit loved ones but I have never bothered looking into things.It is amazing what lies around us waiting to be discovered.

 

[Oceans11]

Looks a bit scary to me BS, in that it sounds too good to be true.(which means it probaly is)

Mutual civilisations that have done 'well' over the millenia have pretty much zero written records, like the Aboriginals and the Bushmen.

Writing seems to be an integral part of every hierarchical organisation.

Even with those they claim had 'no writing', its not a 100% thing.
The great pyramid had no writing.
The Spanish burned virtually every written record the Mayans had (because it was anti-christian and heathen)

You want equality?
Lose writing.

 

[DarrylParsons]

I agree with eek in that it is too good to be true.

The problem is that it expects people to make sacrifices for the sake of others. I say nobody has the right to expect OTHERS to make sacrifices on their own without some sort of incentive. It goes along with eek's former location line with the Adam Smith quote "to expect it from their benevolence alone is folly" or something like that.

The people who dream up plans like this tend to be "C" and "D" wolves on the Darwinian scale. Their aim is coerce "A" and "B" wolves into docility, which of course is absurd. If you are a "C" wolf and you want to become a "B" wolf, you must train and train until you can defeat some "B" wolves in battle.

The idea of living in small communties is a good one IMO because we still have programming within us from the long, long periods during which humans did indeed live like that. City life does in fact lead to stress, anxiety and other psychological problems, but it looks like most people accept these in favor of the material benefits it affords.

If one is sensitive to that type of stress, then one always has the option to move to Kazakhstan, find a small farming community and spend the rest of one's life there. Most people don't do that of course for obvious reasons.

Just like most religious fanatics, these guys are trying to make others make sacrifices so their lives can improve. It's total hypocrisy. If you think it's important to be "good", then do good things yourself and quit trying to make others change their lifestyles.

 

[BoratSagdiyev]

One of the main reasons it did not succeed according to the stuff I have found is that the soil on which the 174 or so acres they purchased was not that great for farming.

Another reason was that a structure that they were building which was nearing completion was burned to the ground just as it was about done. They didn't have it insured "yet". Would insuring it be something you think that they would have done or would that be anathema to their whole concept. Maybe someone deliberately burned it just as many uninsured ships have mysteriously sunk in the past.

 

[DarrylParsons]

Borat,

You are in dreamland buddy. The idea failed because it was fundamentally flawed -- it is based on expecting others to be altruistic -- an idea which has failed time and time again throughout history.

If it were just a matter of logistics ie. bad land, financial mishaps etc. they could have found ways to solve it. You know it, I know it, your dog knows it, and so does your grandmother from Kazakhstan. Get out of dreamland man and find your place here on earth, here in reality!

 

[BoratSagdiyev]

So basically we cannot count on some of our fellow humans to "do it for the cause" or if they do not receive a benefit themselves? So our system is in other words "each man for himself". Makes sense it seems that way. One can always hope that people do good things without expecting recognition of the act or something in return.

You can accomplish much if you don't care who gets the credit.
Ronald Reagan


<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Darryl Parsons:
Borat,

You are in dreamland buddy. The idea failed because it was fundamentally flawed -- it is based on expecting others to be altruistic -- an idea which has failed time and time again throughout history.

If it were just a matter of logistics ie. bad land, financial mishaps etc. they could have found ways to solve it. You know it, I know it, your dog knows it, and so does your grandmother from Kazakhstan. Get out of dreamland man and find your place here on earth, here in reality! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

[DarrylParsons]

Borat,

When a president says something like your Reagan quote above or like Kennedy said "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country", what do you think the purpose of that is?

A) It's an expression of unbiased observation by a cool-headed logician trying in earnest to understand the world.

B) It's a vehicle of power or propaganda to subordinate people to the aims of the establishment

C) It's an encrypted love note to Borat


Yes, one can hope, but just like the ripped up tickets on the floor after the 10th race or the empty beer glasses slowly eminating a stale stench in the recently emptied bar still reeking of the sweat of its poorly bathed patrons -- these are what remain of those hopes. Lifeless, frail, and decomposing, right until the cleaning lady arrives in the morning making the venue sparkle once more so the owner can light up his metaphorical neon sign for another night "Hope For Sale".