Generally speaking, the Amish have to deal with thugs already, and they’re pretty good at it. Only thing is, you’ll never notice it, because they seldom if ever are clumsy enough to go to war (it’s against their principals).
So I think they’ll be fine.
[quote=Merle2]Can something like this be set up as a constitutional democracy, in which anybody who qualifies can buy into it and become a full ranking voter in how it works, even to the point of voting the original leader out of office if desired?[/quote]I recommend Sociocracy, or Dynamic Governance as a basis for organization. Democracy is two wolves and a sheep, voting on what to have for supper. Democracy rarely respect minorities.
EcoReality Co-op uses a modified form of Sociocracy we call Stewardship. Stewards speak for resources that cannot speak for themselves, and operate as peers, so it is largely an anarchic, or "leaderless" system. Our governance is intended to empower those who have the most knowledge about a resource.
Of course, we've had our problems, and are still working things out, but I strongly recommend against simple democracy for governance.
Another system I don't recommend is pure consensus. We use a modified consensus as a delegation and ratification mechanism for empowering Stewards and for periodically evaluating their stewardship.
I also strongly recommend a cooperative legal entity for the IC, including ownership of land and structures. In BC (Canada), at least, co-ops have strong protection against their investors. (If you want to make passive return on investment, a co-op is not the place to go!) This is a hard sell, as most of us are indoctrinated into owning our "own four walls." Rather, funding at a particular level gives co-op members the privilege of permanent habitation, which cannot be transferred without co-op board approval (not unreasonably withheld).
I also highly recommend the works of Diana Leafe Christian for anyone contemplating such a move. In Creating a Life Together, Diana describes the process and pitfalls of forming an intentional community. In Finding Community, Diana looks in detail at joining an existing intentional community. Diana conducts workshops on these topics throughout the world; I recommend your core group schedule one, which she will tailor to your needs. (Disclosure: besides being a fan and personal friend, I also maintain Diana's website, EcovillageNewsletter, although I receive only $144/year for doing so.)
If you try to do the IC thing, you'll look back and say, "If I thought it was going to be this hard, I never would have started" Or, in Diana's words, "Forming an intentional community is the longest, most expensive self-help course you will ever take." But the rewards are many, which may include mere survival in an increasingly unknowable future.
I'm inclined to agree with Michael,The Amish have a ong history of having to resist discrimination and harassment. I suspect they have some rather effective means to discourage attacks. Just as some of the 'distinctions' they make about what use of technology is permissable depend on differences 'outsiders' have trouble seeing, I suspect unprovoked attacks vs self-defense may make some distinctions we outsiders would have trouble understanding.
I'm reminded of an old example of Quaker humor; An elderly Quaker ends a dispute with a neighbor by saying "Brother John, I would not think of harming a hair on Thine head, but it is proper to warn Thee that I am, very soon, going to discharge my shotgun right where Thee is standing."
Yes, having a constitution is important and good, but you can not believe that is the solution to everything, since all text depends on who interprets. This in mathematics known as the incompleteness theorem of godel.
As several people exposed in this forum democracy with its simple majority, turns out to be a pretty bad system. They have developed better ways to reach consensus as that of https://www.loomio.org/, which has even been developed with the support of many people around the world.
The underlying problem is not the mechanism of decision making, but can help a lot to have a good mechanism. The problem is the selfish mindset of man, this selfish manner is so imbedded within the human being, that when we do not even realize that governs us. So the solution is to treat this problem psychologically and continuously games and dynamics that lead us to sensitize for the collective good over individual welfare. That's what we do in
http://mutualresponsibility.org/roundtable/
The important decision is to be taken unitary, ie, where the most important thing is to take into account the contributions of all and not who is right or who does not. Thus a bad decision, it's no problem, since we are all in this together, and most importantly is the union, not the correct result. Although generally, using what is known as intelligence of the masses, the intelligence of a collective is greater than any individual, regardless of their IQ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz5AeHqUtRs
Based on what Chris wrote about the place and checking out the website, I will be locked in for a 6 person trip at the end of March for my teenagers birthday. I will be checking it out.
Long term, as the other comments say, the new canal the Chinese are funding might be a blessing or a curse for Finca Las Nubes… until then, were going while the going is good!
Thank you for the article on this Chris.
Greetings, how was your experience at Finca Las Nubes?
My family is considering that area to relocate and this community has piqued our interest. We share many of the concerns above about Leader-led communities and even moreso the lack of community built over 15 years. Can you shed any light based on your observations?