Preliminary Thoughts on an Intentional Community on the Big Island of Hawaii

Have you ever have the desire to live in a real community of friends instead of in our modern world where everyone is so busy and aloof that true connections are rare? Life in a community is a vital and instinctive part of being human. Look at our primate cousins; they all live in groups. Look at our human ancestors; they all lived in tribes.
I have been doing some reading on intentional communities and, in particular, those qualities common to the most successful communities. I have been toying with the notion of starting or sharing in the creation of an intentional community on the east side of the big island of Hawaii probably the Puna district.

Qualities to aim for in an intentional community:

• A strong shared vision fostering a sense within each person that everyone in the community is part of everyone else. This is the most important quality, around which everything else rotates. The strong shared vision also acts as a first-level filter, so that only people with congruent visions are likely to apply for membership into the community.
• A balance between individual growth and a sense of community. Barbara Fiske of the Quarry Hill community writes, “Communities, like all intimate relationships, have to solve the problem of preserving both closeness and individuality. One danger is that the individualistic refugees from social repression who are drawn to voluntary communities will be so bent on “doing their own thing” that the community will fly apart into anarchy. The opposite danger is that the community will be so insistent on total absorption into its goals that personal individuality will cease to exist.”
• Develop clear procedures to avoid misunderstanding. Community should be an adventure among friends, not an exercise in bureaucracy. The painful experience of many groups makes it clear, however, that a little bureaucracy is both necessary and helpful. Specifically, it is wise to develop clear, written procedures for decision making, resolving disputes, handling finances, and determining membership.
• Putting the strong shared vision into action. One possibility might be a community business that members could participate in and receive compensation based on their amount of work. There would also be a distribution of profit based on each members percent of ownership of the community. A couple business ideas that could be a good fit into the economy of Hawaii would be a bio-diesel company or a solar panel sales and installation business.
• Shared concerns for the Earth and its inhabitants. Again, this goes hand-in-hand with the shared vision.

The most important thing to avoid in an intentional community is the possibility of becoming cult-like. Defining cult-like as a regimented or controlling governance that usually proclaims some path as the “right” or only way. This usually occurs in communities founded by a charismatic leader or under the auspices of a fundamentalist religion.
I want to form an intentional community in a rural area of eastern Hawaii close to Hilo. We would grow a large portion of our own food; this is aided by the 365 day growing season and abundant rainfall. We would create a profitable small business that would provide a benefit to not only our community but to Hawaii in general. This business would free our community members from being tied to the standard commuting and working grind. We want to respect the land that we live on and engage in a sustainable way of life.

The community I envision should have:

A strong statement of vision. I’m working on this.

Democratic governance. Questions to be resolved: Should each person have one vote (like the Senate) or should each person have a percentage vote based on their monetary buy-in (similar to the House of Representatives)? This presumes that some people may buy in to the community with different amounts which might not be the case. Or perhaps a family of six buys in for the same amount as a couple, should the family of six have six votes and the couple two? Perhaps both should be used. If the vote involves spending community money or selling assets; the percentage vote should be used. But if the vote is about some community issue like “should we allow cats to run loose in the community commons”, then each person should have one vote. Should voting be limited to adults?

A corporate-like legal structure. The mention of the word “corporation” leaves a bad taste in my mouth but we would need a legal structure that would allow people to leave and sell their share. Buying into the community would be similar to buying shares in a corporation. Community assets would be held in common (individuals could own their homes) and if you wanted to sell your stake and leave, you could either sell back to the community or to someone wanting to join (with community approval). A good place to start is to contact successful communities for suggestions.

More to come on an intentional community in Hawaii as I research and learn more.

Comments

[Tarika Lea]

Hello Michael and those reviewing these comments!
I knew this must be happening. I saw it. I feel it. I say yes to all of your efforts and may they gather a web of clear hearted beings celebrating, creating and breathing Aloha.

I hope to meet you some day.
I dont know if this is to be part of my created destiny or not.
Its just remarkable as I googled intentional communities and from the long list this is the only one I felt resonance to open!
ALSO I was just on the Big Island just a few weeks ago and have a strong pull and many reasons to continue to explore relocation from Alaska.

I will forward your website to one of my graduates in Hilo...she will be more than curious.

Blessings,
Tarika
907-479-3820

[nicholas]

Hello, I much like your site and your articles. I am moving to the Big Island in a few weeks and I share many, if not all, of your interests and ideas. I have been thinking about the same questions for a while I think we could have some good discussions. I believe anything is possible. Maybe we could help each other.