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Cultivation for Community goes beyond acquiring a piece of land (or rights to it) and preparing soil for the growth of crops.
Persons coming together in Community will often find themselves in a personal Journey of sorts. The precise nature of the Journey will depend on the individual, their background, and their life Story (see our article on Story). As well, there may be personal matters they are working through (see our article on Wellness and Mental Health).
Or, they might feel okay about their life, but they are looking for greater economic resilience for their family, a reduction of living costs, healthier eating, and good friends close by. They might want a simpler life without the rat race and excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) producing activity: they see value in having daily essentials close by.
For example, some cities are pursuing a “15-minute city” model. What a 15-minute city means is that it will take you 15 minutes by bike or foot to get you to your basic needs for life. The French urbanist Carlos Moreno set forth this model.
Author-Editor’s Note: See the World Economic Forum article and a discussion on CBC for additional considerations and viewpoints.
While there are pros and cons to the 15-minute model, this type of thinking with everything close by is not new.
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Historically, villagers in all continents often lived out their lives in something close to a 15-minute approach to life. European, Asian and African villages, and Indigenous communities practiced this approach. It is not uncommon to find smaller villages in the Americas (South and North) where 15 minutes by foot or bike is possible and routinely practiced by locals.
Motivations for a walkable or bikeable villages and neighborhoods vary. For many, it will range from a lifestyle preference (e.g., exercise, convenience) to a matter of conscience surrounding the environment. Whether historical motivations were out of necessity or for practical reasons, less distance between one’s needs means fewer emissions.
For individuals or families used to urban sprawl, long commutes, or being a corporate road warrior, having everything available within a short distance may seem odd or even impossible. However, our Western societal approaches are not the only approach.
Global citizenship is an “umbrella term for social, political, environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals and communities on a worldwide scale.” While we as individuals may not have aspirations at a global level, what matters is practicing approaches to life that benefit the whole (Community) and not just the individual. When our approach to Community at a local and daily level is appropriate, the broader needs of society and the Earth’s inhabitants benefit.
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To truly pursue Community, we often need a cultivation of our hearts and minds. We often need new definitions of normal, new expectations, and an openness to what defines a full life. We need to explore our assumptions of what is normal and what is the way to do life. We need to Reimagine and Rethink our perspectives, hopes and dreams.
Cultivation of the ground is the means by which a farmer or gardener prepares the soil for the planting of crops. They use various means. Some are dramatic (and more invasive) and involve tractor-drawn discs or rototillers. Others may be more gentle (and easier on the soil) using a broadfork that reaches deep into the soil to loosen and aerate it—and incorporating compost—without excessive disruption of the soil layers.
Sometimes, we need more aggressive approaches. A weed in the garden needs to be pulled out by the roots or its leaves burned so that it can’t grow.
Note: flame weeding is suitable only for certain types of weeds.
Similarly, when we permit the cultivation of our hearts and minds in pursuit of Community, we can use processes that are invasive. Or, we can use processes that are more gentle and in touch with “how we as humans (naturally) tick inside.” For weeds in our thinking or societal approaches, we might need a more invasive approach. In CR2, we might use a rant when we want to comment on what appears to be a “weed.” As for the author of this article, I have pulled out a good plant thinking it to be a weed. This was much to the dismay of the head gardener! I have learned to ask when in doubt.
A gentler and more organic approach to cultivation of our hearts and minds is central to CR2 thinking. We do not intend it to be heavy-handed (as in you must do it our way or else!). We do not intend it to control you or unduly alarm you (example: “Any 15-minute approach to a village is subject to government overreach.”). It is not a set of rules and regulations or over-stoked bureaucracy and policy.Yes, we should be aware of government overreach in our interconnected technical society.
Rather, cultivation of our hearts and minds is simply a gentle tilling of the soil of our hearts and minds that good seed, a good planting, can flourish.
We can liken CR2 to gardening and cultivating, with success being a healthy planting of Community.
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