We are a collection of people from many walks of life who are interested in a more natural, ecologically sound and balanced lifestyle.  We see a great need for an alternative to the modern lifestyle, which is based to a large degree upon principles that are destructive to the planet and the residents of the planet, including humans and animals. 

We accept that:

No sane person would knowingly destroy that which is the source of their livelihood and their very sustenance.  Left to ourselves we personally might not - but somehow or other on a collective level this is exactly what we’re doing. This means that as a whole, in the long term we are essentially destroying ourselves. The changes in the condition of the planet over the past 100 years alone are a prime symptom.

The worldwide condition of human society itself is another symptom. Many modern attempts to solve one problem result in a plethora of others. There is little regard for the consequences of our actions. We have developed very complicated, difficult and artificial lifestyles that frequently cause great stress. Greater numbers of people are taking pharmaceuticals every year to try to alleviate their personal problems. More and more people worldwide are still heading to the cities, or to more affluent countries to live in their cities.

The extremely high concentration of people in our urban metropolises is a recipe for disaster.  We are hopeful that the alternatives presented here will be appreciated and taken up by an intelligent pioneering segment of the population. Nearly all current efforts to provide solutions to various problems do not provide viable and sustainable alternatives, and in fact are small Band-Aids on very deep global and societal wounds.

The drive for personal satisfaction, comfort, and sensory stimulus at the expense of others is not the hallmark of an intelligent culture.  Personal satisfaction cannot come at the expense of others, or of the environment. The accumulation of money has become an all-consuming drive for most of us because it is perceived as the source of happiness due to the comforts, personal gratification and security it can provide. Nevertheless, we all experience suffering in various ways despite the amount of money and amenities we have. Paper money and modern material inventions cannot bring about real happiness.

Life is spiritual, and ultimately has a spiritual source, and not a material one.  The only difference between the body one second before death and one second after death is that the soul or spiritual spark has left. The body is still there, and will eventually transform into other forms of matter since the individual consciousness or soul has moved on and is no longer controlling and maintaining that particular conglomerate of matter. We accept that all living entities are individual spiritual beings, presently occupying temporary bodies on this planet. A particular system of belief or theology is up to each individual, but cannot be opposed to this most elemental understanding without being partially based upon ignorance. Real knowledge therefore begins with understanding the difference between spirit and matter.

Human beings are physiologically vegetarian.  We don’t have the claws, teeth, digestive enzymes, short intestinal tract and overall bodily structure of the carnivores. Every part of our physiology is designed for a vegetarian diet. When human society turns to killing animals for food all kinds of problems ultimately arise - both for humanity and for the environment. People who live in extremely cold climates have no other option than eating animal flesh - but that environment is not meant for human habitation. If given a choice, an unconditioned or unbiased person would choose a temperate or warm climate on this planet. Most of us are conditioned by our upbringing and culture, yet those cultures typically have little real knowledge of what or how to eat. We have become victims of the corporate food giants and the modern way of life.

Human beings are gregarious in nature.  Alternative communities are therefore necessary - as long as we stay in the city environment it is very difficult for us to individually swim against the powerful river of various trends in  modern society. We need to form communities that are based to a much greater degree upon sustainable principles, and when others see such communities they will see that it is possible, and understand how to do it and be able to follow. It is not as difficult as it seems when done by an entire community, when sufficient knowledge is acquired, and when sufficient planning is done.

We want to establish communities based upon more sustainable lifestyles.  Establishing sustainable agrarian societies is only the beginning - although possibly the most crucial step. Human society should also be naturally organized, but this starts by living in harmony with nature and with each other. Establishing a culture based on sustainable natural living is the solution to many of the problems we face today, such as those involving hunger, pollution, healthcare, education, depletion of natural resources, and social disorder.

This begins with each one of us personally, with our personal lifestyle choices.  It then extends to families, and from there to neighborhoods, and then finally to entire communities. We are looking for people who want to be part of such communities by personally living a more sustainable lifestyle.

Some aspects of sustainability may be difficult for us, as we are accustomed to modern lifestyles.  In a perfect society we would not have electricity, for example, since to generate it requires dependence upon modern factories, even if only for making solar panels, wind turbines, and refrigerators, which automatically includes everything associated with the manufacturing, fossil fuel, and transportation industries. This once again spells some amount of grief for humanity—whether due to toxic waste and pollution, artificial lifestyles, war over natural resources, artificial economics and methods of transportation, dependence upon oil, or hard factory labor.

Therefore we may have to accept some amount of compromise.

Acceptance of compromise means finding a reasonable and ongoing balance between:

a) sufficient comfort necessary for ourselves in our present state,

b) striving to simplify our lives and minimize our dependence upon artificial amenities.

Secondly it consists of finding ways to provide those comforts and necessities that have the least negative impact upon the environment, other species, other humans, and ourselves.

This balance may be different for each one of us.  Therefore our communities will have different neighborhoods, some of which may be farther along than others in minimizing artificial dependencies and making progress toward more sustainable lifestyles.

We are so conditioned to modern lifestyles that we may have to wean ourselves gradually.  Our community planning includes long-term phases to gradually become more dependent upon natural resources and techniques and less dependent upon an artificial and destructive modern society. This weaning is too difficult in the city environment, and we need good association with others on the same path. It is a gradual process. We can start communities now and minimize some of the less essential modern amenities, and gradually make progress toward long-term goals. 

Next - (Background) Lifestyles