Communes and Social Change

by Raven

Although I have many reasons for wanting to live in a commune, I think their potential for aiding social change is one of the most important. I have often talked about communities as “laboratories for social change”. I would like to write here about how I see communes fitting in a social change framework.

I’ll start by outlining my view of social change strategy. I have been deeply influenced by the thinking of Joanna Macy as well as a chant I heard in Detroit (“agitate, educate, organize”).

Joanna Macy’s first pillar of social change is what she calls actions to stop or slow down harm. I see this as the “agitate” strategy. These are things like protests, direct actions, even voting. These do not actually create anything new, but they are absolutely necessary to buy the time to create new things. While folks from the communes often go to protests and direct actions, this isn’t where I see our communities playing a large part.

Folks from Rainforest Commons at a protest

Her second pillar is what she says is the “creation of structural alternatives”. (“Organize.”)

There’s a quote from John Gall which says, “A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works. The inverse proposition also appears to be true: A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work.” Kevin Kelly puts it, “The way to build a complex system that works is to build it from very simple systems that work.” I see communes as the simple systems that could be a starting place for creating the structures we need for a new society.

Communards from an FEC assembly

Joanna Macy’s third pillar of social change is to create a “shift in consciousness”. (“Educate.”) New models don’t mean much if no one knows they exist. This is where I see Commune Life playing a part. I have claimed that the real enemy is TINA (There Is No Alternative). As long as people believe that, they will go along with horrible situations because what else can they do? With Commune Life I want people to know that alternatives do exist.

People join communities and create communes for a variety of reasons, but I think this is one of the most important. I’m sure there aren’t that many folks in the communes who are concerned with social change but, as far as I am concerned, they are participating in a very important part of it.