Code, Coffee, Community
I spent the month of May staying in a co-living community and am now convinced more people can benefit from living in communities like this. But before I explain why, let me set the stage a bit.
We live in an interesting time. For most of human existence, we lived in small communities as hunter gatherers. The coordination of a group to hunt and forage was critical in order to survive. When the world shifted to the agrarian/farming age, we continued to depend on communities. Farms needed a large number of hands to manage a variety of plants and animals. Around the 1700s, industrialization began a migration to large cities for work. Unlike the work of the past, much of the new work was compartmentalized and individual. People were replaceable units. Communities were not necessary in order to survive and our lives became more and more isolated from each other. As I’ve heard from many people, cities can be a lonely place.
Humans are inherently social beings and building communities are natural extensions of this trait. They provide us a sense of place and belonging. They help support the members of a group. They typically form around shared goals, beliefs or practices. They bring us happiness. Without strong communities, we lose our support networks, a feeling of belonging and can suffer symptoms of depression. While our work becomes more independent from each other, it is now more important that we find new ways to introduce communities into our lives.
The community I found was called the Invisible College which brought together hackers, makers and creatives from around the world. Everyone came with different backgrounds and interests which led to plenty of interesting late nights. We learned how to pick locks and basic cryptography. Had conversations about blockchain. Tried Soylent and made french toast. Bonded over shared experiences. Delved into the details from our different backgrounds.
While I was there, I was introduced to the idea of an Arcology that takes co-living to the next level. Imagine a densely populated, efficient urban habitat. Residents would have the privacy of their room while sharing a variety of flexibly designed spaces including kitchens, offices, park space, stores and gardens. These shared spaces would create serendipitous interaction and strengthen the bonds between its community members. The amenities would attract people from a variety of backgrounds. Young people building a career could benefit from the office spaces. Families have park space to raise children. Elderly benefit from rich social interactions and an opportunity to pass down their experience. Children could roam the space freely and find support from every resident. Everyone shares a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables coming from the garden and have the kitchen space to prepare them. This small self sustaining village would draw strength from its members with a variety of different backgrounds.
50 years ago, the dream was to one day own your own home. Without day to day shared spaces, these homes become isolating from each other. Today, maybe this is beginning to change. The happiest moments in my own life have always been with people. I admit this may seem a bit far fetched and idealistic right now but moving just a little bit closer to this vision might just make the world a happier place.
