Where idealism stops

When we bought into an eco-village, quite a long time ago, we bought into an idea of an alternative way of living with like-minded people having a freedom we couldn’t experience in the wider world. We were naïve. The village is in fact just a microcosm of the that big, wide world we thought we were escaping from! A mirror image with some blurry edges.

Your neighbours in the wider world, and especially in cities, have their own lives, separate and private. In a small community the blurry edge is that your neighbour often thinks that they are part of your life. They can be more relentless than any family member in the belief that they are entitled to share, criticize, and advise on even the most intimate parts of your life. It is possible to get paranoid about this and hide your toilet roll purchases in the fear that rumours circulate about a bowel problem.

Another blurry edge is the communally owned seventy two hectares of land, which instead of being a thing to rejoice over it is something that is constantly in dispute with much of it growing rampant kikuyu grass. We have got plans to plant more trees though.

People are for it. Mostly. But this is time for opinions to be aired in no uncertain terms. It brings the idealism out in people.

Fencing has now become an issue as it is in the village agreements that no treated timber is used unless unanimously agreed. That is another blurry – a hundred per cent consensus for anything. Very little gets done. It took four years to agree to repair the communally owned barn roof.

Back to my point. An email went out from an owner to all owners about the fencing stating that they would not entertain using treated fence posts even though we could get a grant to do so, and they would not encourage anyone to touch treated timber.

I have no problem with that opinion, everyone has a right to theirs. What did have me rolling around in mirth was the fact that during the panic-demic this person had had not only been one of the first to roll up their sleeve to have the jab they had sent an email to encourage others to do the same.

Now don’t think that my sense of humour is being judgemental here, every one is entitled to have their own outlook on life and choices. Absolutely and always. But when it comes to treating our wonderful mother earth with a benevolence that we don’t afford ourselves – well I ponder. The irony of it makes me laugh – and perhaps even cry a little!

Margie