CHE and The Farm...in the middle of TN...

I'm here at The Farm right now, in the middle of Tennessee. Uhhhh, where exactly? hmmm...I hope I'll find my way out eventually...

We got up at 7 in Nashville and Phil cooked breakfast at the place we were staying for that night...a bachelor pad of sorts, with these two med-techs who were SUPER friendly and totally welcoming. We got to eat some greens not dripping in oil and have real non-diner coffee! I had to be at the Center for Holistic Ecology at 11am, so we made our way out into central Tennessee on back roads after breakfast. The landscape has changed from beuatiful mountains, to farm valleys, to now just farm fields and forests, like home. When we got to CHE, apparently there had been miscommunication and the woman thought we would meet her in another location 30 minutes away at 11 when we thought we were meeting at the office...so unfortunately I had to conduct a phone interview. Ah well, such is life. After the phone interview (which I will talk about in a future post) we went for lunch at ANOTHER mexican restaurant (3rd one in 3 days). I think the one in Chattanooga was the best of the three...Taco Mamacita, and then Local Taco in Nashville, and then this place, really in the middle of nowhere. I'd rate it similar to Gramma Mora's in Buffalo. The other two places were fabulous though! GOOD Mexican and good portions and good/fresh salsa and guacamole.

Then took a leisurely drive out to The Farm, which is where I am now. It's an interesting place to say the least. If you're not familiar, they're an intentional community started back in the 70s based on principles of nonviolence and love for the Earth. An experiment in communal living, though these days their numbers are very much reduced...went from 1500 to about 200 over the years, though recently there has been a returning of 2nd and 3rd generation "Farmies." Anyway, it was very calming to be there, and I can see why folks would find it comforting to live there. What I question, though, is...what are the merits of an intentional community?? Isn't that already exclusive in its formation? How are we as a society supposed to lift each other up if we selectively leave out some?

One argument could say that bringing together an awesome bunch of people into a living situation could spur positive change within a larger community, but how is that the case if the intentional community is so far removed from the rest of development (say in the middle of TN for instance)? What if something like the Farm is transplanted into the middle of a city neighborhood? Would it still be insular, or would it reach out to the outside community? I have yet to find really good examples of intentional communities who effectively reach out to a wider community, though I am willing to accept it if someone knows of one...

Is there a way to create an intentional community that is part of a wider community? Is it all in what passes as the intention for forming?