If only we could Cob.

[Craig Hull]

On Mon, Oct 19, 1998 at 05:05:57PM -0400, Unleesh at aol.com wrote:
> "Heck I'm to the point where I invite people to come and just talk to me while
> I cob. Free beer and food too, and I don't get many takers. "
> 
> Boy, do I know this one! It seems like cob kinda demands a community, and I
> think doing cob can demonstrate just how lacking we are in basic community
> networks and structures. The basic permaculture of our social organization is
> frayed apart and near death! No wonder we need jails and psychiatrists, et al,
> when there's really no fundamental fabric!

To a large extent our social organization is so frayed that it is 
destructive. Rather than being supportive our neighborhoods are likely 
to turn on those who need help or just want to celebrate something. If 
you are different you are suspect. If you are suspect we had better 
investigate you or call the police child welfare of someone to check 
you out. If someone is concerned enough to call and anything looks odd 
or different these people must be up to something so we had better dig 
deep. After all, if you haven't done anything wrong you have nothing to
fear, right? If these people are being investigated then they must 
really be terrible people, and all these rumours must be true. (What!
No rumours? Well, that's easily solved.) And then these rumours get 
reported as evidence, and on it goes.

Not all neighborhoods/communities are this bad, but too many are.
That's why we should be glad for any supportive groups or communities.
Even those whose goals, values or interests we do not share. Those
who build an impression of support by encouraging fear of outsiders
scare me. But any group that reaches out to and supports it's own
deserves some respect. And those who will offer support for those
who don't fit in deserve a lot of repect. And those few, rare, groups
that will actually listen to and learn to understand others from their
own perspective, I don't know what they deserve, more than I know how 
to give.