Best of Communities: XIV. Challenges and Lessons of Community

XIV. Challenges and Lessons of Community This Challenges and Lessons of Community collection focuses on some of the tender and hard-earned lessons of community living. It’s not all sunshine and ravioli. This collection of 19 articles shares from the heart, simultaneously presenting what’s compelling and what’s at risk when living closely with others. As much as the inspiration for community is divine, it’s always created by humans who bring all their flaws to the attempt. The Challenges and Lessons of Community digital issue offers insight and poignancy as groups have stubbed their collective toes, and then gotten up to try again. This Digital Issue on the Challenges and Lessons of Community includes: 1. Noble Suffering and Appropriate Sacrifice by Ma’ikwe Ludwig, #115 2. More Confident, Less Idealistic (How We Grow in Community) by Keenan, #86 3. Balancing Justice and Mercy at Aprovecho by Laurie F. Childers, #85 4. The ‘Shadow Side’ of Community: Denial and the Demise of Kerista by Mitch Slomiak, #97 5. The Hard Road to Accountability by Anne Blaney, #105 6. More Change . . . 100 Mile House & the Emissaries Today by Anne Blaney, #105 7. Healing from Sex/Power Abuse in Community by Shri Estes, #87 8. Hard Lessons from Our Children by Anonymous, #84 9. Twin Oaks’ Labor Credit System: How members of one income-sharing community feel about their labor-contribution system by FEC, #135 10. Hard Times at Orinda by Kristina Janzen, #144 11. Building Community in Hard Times by Randa Johnson, #144 12. Cigarettes, Alcohol, Visitors, and Events by Beatrice Briggs, Tree Bressen, Caroline Estes, Laird Schaub, #142 13. Avoiding Abundance’s Traps by Laird Schaub, Tree Bressen, Diana Leafe Christian, #144 14. Balancing Inner and Outer Ecology by Tree Bressen, Beatrice Briggs, Laird Schaub, Paul DeLapa, #143 15. From Visions of Utopia to “The Many Faces of Community” by Maril Crabtree, #146 16. Gifted, Mad, and Out of Control by Alexis Ziegler, #150 17. Diversity Issues in Los Angeles Eco-Village by Lois Arkin, #155 18. Vision and Reality in Ecotopia: Making Lemonaid out of Lemons at the Port Townsend EcoVillage by Helen Kolff, #156 19. Gratitude, Loss, Rebirth, and Community by Chris Roth, #157