A House Full of Strangers Series - Insight No. 1 --Human Dynamics in Building Community Brings Constant Change

in #colorphotography7 years ago

Imagine opening  your home to hundreds of people.
People from all over the world,
from different walks of life, with different backgrounds,
talents, desires, dysfunctions, and personalities.


Imagine, that at any given time,
there are approximately 15-25 people living in your home or on your land.



Imagine that, for a multitude of purposes, all of these people find you.
Some make plans to join you for years, and others get inspired in the spur of the moment.


Some people come because they hear of your purpose,
and are inspired to be a part of the dream.
Some come out of curiosity about living in a conscious community.
Some come to better understand the meaning of sustainability.



Some come because they are fed up with,
and some even running away from, the life they are living.



Some come to heal their minds, their bodies, and/or their souls.




Some come because they have no place to go, no food to eat,
or no one to love or be loved by.


Some of these people are doctors.
Some are former police officers.
Some are builders, gardeners, plumbers, chefs, or mechanics.



Some are web designers, organizers, technicians, hackers, or entrepreneurs.
Some are travelers, artists, musicians or dancers.
Some are film makers, photographers, or writers.
Some are people who just want to lift heavy things.



Others are homeless, former drug addicts and/or alcoholics.
Some have no skills and very little life experience at all.



Some are leaders and self-motivated, capable and dependable.



Others are followers, in need of direction.
Still others who are unmotivated, uninspired, having completely lost their zest for life.



Some come with pets they say are their family.
Most leave them behind when they go.



Imagine hosting meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans, and raw foodists.
Christians, Buddhists, Wiccans - and people from many faiths,
as well as those who consider themselves to be atheists.


People come with already established families.
Some are single mothers or fathers, with, or separated from their children.



Some  have been surviving on their own for years,
others are experiencing their first time at being away from home.
Many, if not most, are people in their 20s and 30s, finding their place in the world.
Almost all wishing to be part of a family that really loves them.



And to recover from life long stress, being ill, abused, controlled, and living a life of slavery.




Imagine those in your home are active and excited, healthy and inspired.



Others curious, timid, outgoing, boisterous, secretive,
confused, abused, traumatized or afraid.



Some are even too weak or sick to barely lift themselves out of bed.



Some sleep daylight hours, others at night.
Some are engaged and helpful, 



others reclusive and no help at all.


Everyone comes with their ideas of what is appropriate, inappropriate, good bad, right, wrong, acceptable and unacceptable. 



Imagine how interesting your life would be with an ever changing and very diverse group of people creating a life together in your home.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


At the @gardenofeden, we have been building community for over 8 years.


No two days/people are the same, and one never knows what to expect with so many people up in the mix.  Life is not boring....to say the least!!

Relationships are definitely the most challenging part of community living.
Most people even have difficulty living with their chosen spouse or roommate for any period of time, let alone so many once strangers.  Since we do not hand pick people to join us, but they choose us instead, we never really know who or what we're going to get, until we get it.



Each person that comes into the @gardenofeden brings on an entire new energy, which affects the entire group on some level.  Having a dozen or two mirrors staring you back in the face can always help you see yourself, rather you want to see yourself or not.  It is an ebb and flow of juicy dynamics that spurs personal growth in profound ways.




We find the most valuable and holistic way to deal with the group dynamics is for each individual to take responsibility for everything they are are part of.  Excuses and blaming bring down the vibe, and laughter and an inservice attitude, raises it up.  It takes real dedication to stand together through the tough times, which brings forth new levels of divine connection with each other and ourselves.

I believe that we are growing gardens, implementing sustainable building solutions, animal husbandry and other homesteading activities to keep our bodies busy while we do the real work!  

Conscious evolution.  



It isn't always easy, though the majority of the time interesting and enjoyable.  For me it has always been worth the effort regardless of the challenges.  It feels good to witness people rising above their dysfunctions, and taking the opportunity to change their lives for the better.  I am also incredibly grateful for the opportunity for personal growth, greater awareness, and the chance to experience unconditional love.

There is so much we can do when coming together for common purpose.  
If we can all get on the same page, we can change the world.  



I hope to continue sharing with you life in community, and some of the intricate facets of what we have found to work and not work.  In building community here on Steemit, we too can come together for common purpose and make great change.  

I'm grateful to be here with you.



@quinneaker is the visionary, founder and space holder at the @gardenofeden.  He has helped thousands of people change their lives through conscious evolution, providing insight, opportunity, and support through his dedicated service to the betterment of mankind.  Check out his blog and the @gardenofeden to read more about Quinn's cutting edge perspective and how he has put it into action. 



Here are a few more of my posts on community living:

Grateful for all the love
My intro post
A Glimpse of Paradise Through my Eyes
Building Community

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Nice photo :D

Thanks for sharing a little bit of insight into our life.

Blessed are we!

Hello my friend @everlove, how are you doing? I hope you are well! It's an honor for me to say hello. This post in the personal, has something super valuable and special, such as appreciate life, share different cultures, customs, experiences and religions, share with doctors, engineers, former alcoholics, former drug addicts, all deserve an opportunity to change their lives for good and to support and love each other, I really feel proud of his trajectory during 8 years of his community, continue to set an example to the world, we need more people like that on the planet. I hope you can see this msj at some point.. I send a big hug to all the members of the community @gardenofeden, from Venezuela, blessings for all..!!

I am indeed grateful to connect with you @marioberlese. Our founder @quinneaker has always believed that everyone should have a chance, regardless of what they have done or who they have been. We feel like we are a living example, showing what is possible and the love we can activate by showing up with each other. There is a LOT of trauma on this planet, and it truly is a challenge, but together we really can do anything!

Thank you so very much for the comment. I greatly appreciate you showing up on my blog and sharing the love.

Nice post dear...keep it up...god bless u

Thanks, I will!

What an amazing thing to do! I look forward to reading more! Upvoted, resteemed and followed! Much love :)

Thanks @smylie2005 I'm grateful to share something that has changed my life so profoundly. I appreciate your comment and your support. I hope to not disappoint you.

Youre most welcome! :)

These pictures are so hearthwarming and make me smile! This is a great community where people really love each other! I wish i would visit it some time...

That would be a dream @kalemandra. I have dreams of Steem Castle!! Imagine us all Steeming together, making art, great feasts, building an empire, and our children all playing together in freedom! Ohhhh....what a dream! Hope to see you here someday!

I hope so, too! I would like to spread Steem here in Hungary, but it's difficult yet. People are afraid of different things and changes.

I understand that. People are afraid here too. Most people have based their life on money and survival, not responsibility, freedom and love. Maybe one day......!!!

Fortunately, there are some changes. There will be a meeting in Budapest in some weeks, and I'll talk about steem for people.

It's a great thing to spread around. Go for it @kalemandra. You'll be doing us all a service.

How nicely you word it, Love.
8 years. Wow.

8 years...maybe more! An incredible journey in sooooo many ways. Great to see you here @snake73.

uniting and accepting everyone the way they are is a virtue everyone should have. this post is a great remindance of that. I believe life for sure can never get boring when you study everyone's behaviours and accept them the way they are. if you don't like them, then try changing the trait they have that you don't like about them. but let's not turn our backs on new people coming into our lives, irrespective of the differences they have
We too are greatful to be here with you

Life is NEVER boring at the @gardenofeden. One of the biggest difficulties is truly living for common purpose. Everyone has their own perspectives and things of importance. When we truly come together in service to humanity, many of the difficulties can fall away, as we can place importance on the well being of everyone, and stop living for our own agenda. It's quite a large picture to paint, especially for those who know not this path.

Thanks for your comment @arlysonhabe. I'm blessed to be here with you too.

I must confess that you are too creative. Do you love writing stories? This is a good attribute of a good story writer. You are too much......keep it up

Thanks @eyinlojuoluwa. I write the story of my life everyday, though it doesn't always get down in print. I appreciate your appreciation and your comment here on my blog. Thanks for being here.