So I was accused recently that IAM is not a community, nor is there any body modification related community — that it's all an illusion. I wanted to quote from Daniel Yankelovitch, a social researcher (this quote is from New Rules),
Community evokes in the individual the feeling that "Here is where I belong, these are my people, I care for them, they care for me, I am part of them, I know what they expect from me and I from them, they share my concerns. I know this place, I am on familiar ground, I am at home."
I don't know about you, but I feel that way here, and I feel that way at BBQs and other events. I really do feel like people here are family — family more so than just friends even I think. It's a different sort of bond. Anyway, this community is here for a reason too. Bill Bradley, an engineering prof at Western Mass College said,
I'm convinced there's so much loneliness in the world. We've moved away from family and roots, so arranging ourselves into larger groups or intentional communities makes sense.
I really think for so many reasons it's important that we move toward doing this full-time in real-life (not just online). When the Roman empire was falling, the one group that survived coherently was monasteries — which were, in effect, communes. They were literally the most stable, orderly, and productive communities of the time, and traded goods, kept schools, and distributed culture. Not only that, but most of the inventions and new technologies of the time came from the monasteries, as the monks were the best farmers and craftsmen of the time.
Or if you want a simpler reason, here are two quotes; the first from Rick of the successful Alpha Farm commune, and the second from Tom Paine;
All we have to do is get along. If we do that, it's revolutionary.It is in our power to begin the world over again.
Anyway, more on that later — I have a fun new project that many of you know about because I've told you in person but I'll share some diagrams and such later today.
bobbin has again generously volunteered to host the BBQ video, so I'm going to now remove a few pieces that are probably not fit for general public consumption (things that are illegal basically) and render a version for online use. The DVD is currently a more “raw” version that, like I said, really is quite demented and over the top. Watch for it later today or tomorrow morning.
