Dancing Rabbit’s Gift to the World
https://www.dancingrabbit.org/newsletter/what-is-dancing-rabbits-gift-to-the-world/
December 26, 2022
There are, of course, the classic material gifts (frankincense, cozy socks, puppies, etc.), but family is also a gift, and clean air, fertile soils — and hope — are gifts too.
I want to share with you what I believe to be Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage’s unique gift to the world. After living here for almost three years, there are times when I question how impactful DR is, especially given the scale of the problems that we are trying to address. But in the end, I believe that we are doing something truly transformational by re-examining the basic assumptions we’ve inherited from the dominant culture and creating a community which nourishes the planet and ourselves. Taking the long view of humanity, this is nothing new; it’s how many Indigenous peoples lived for millennia. But re-discovering and re-inventing a life of balance in this modern era presents a unique challenge, and our success or failure in this endeavor will profoundly shape the lives of future generations.
A bit about my personal journey: I come from a middle-class background; my mother was a school teacher and my father was an administrator for our local parks system. I studied anthropology in college and quickly learned that there are many types of societies and cultures, none of them inevitable, including the one we’ve inherited. Not wanting to perpetuate a way of life which I saw as unsustainable and isolating, I became deeply interested in the ecovillage and permaculture movements. This was all still very theoretical, so once I graduated, I set out to learn firsthand how people can prioritize ecosystem and community health. My search brought me all over North, Central, and South America. Eventually, it led me to Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a place which I now call home.
I started my life at Dancing Rabbit as a work exchange intern for the Dairy Co-op. Since animal agriculture is typically done in a manner which is harmful to both the environment and animals, I was eager to experience how it could be done in a humane and regenerative way, particularly in a community context. To my delight, this is indeed what I found, and it aided me greatly in finding my place in a new and different environment. Being part of the Dairy Co-op gave me an immediate purpose, meaningful responsibilities, and a group of people to bond and cooperate with over the shared purpose of producing high-quality, ethically-raised dairy products. One of the beautiful things about Dancing Rabbit is that there are many ways to plug in to the community; since living here I’ve also been a part of two kitchen co-ops, a land management team, and our nonprofit. All these things have contributed to fulfilling my need for connection, meaning, and conscious engagement with the natural environment.
While I’m not going to pretend that we have all the answers, I believe Dancing Rabbit’s gift to the world is in demonstrating that we can address social and environmental problems by radically changing how we live in relation to our neighbors and our environment. There are many ways that we are achieving this: sharing and cooperating in many facets of our lives which reduce consumption and increase community cohesion, adhering to our ecological covenants, self-governance, building homes using natural and sustainable materials and techniques, and developing a culture which is both deeply rooted in place and outwardly focused.
We have the greatest impact on the broader culture when people visit us and experience first-hand community-based, ecological living. They may decide to move here and help to grow our village, but most often they take what they’ve learned back to their own communities and adapt the lessons within their own context.
Eric Mease, Administrative Assistant
Center for Sustainable and Cooperative Culture at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage
