Smoke Trails #15 GANAS I guess that's just the way the universe works. You have to give up all hope of ever finding the holy grail, and that's when it appears right before your eyes, lands in your hands. In my last few days on the continent, I accidentally stumbled across another amazing intentional community in the least likely of places. And now I've extended my ticket for a couple of weeks in order to delve deeper and gain a greater understanding of what makes it tick. First of all, a few words about New York City. I never imagined that I would develop fond feelings for this place. When I was last here three and a half years ago, I was aghast at the intimidating architecture, felt oppressed by the massive skyscrapers. But that was during Giuliani's reign of terror, under the iron fist of the Bush regime, and in the cold grip of winter. Now Bloomberg has relaxed the police presence, and Black people in the street are in a good mood buoyed by the Obama victory, and of course the summer sun is shining in the sky. Old friends and new friends have made me feel right at home, really quickly. And now by comparison, every other place feels positively provincial. Here, fringe subcultures flower into full-fledged cultures, and endangered sub-species can be spotted on the streets often. Yeah, it makes me want to figure out how I can stay in New York City for longer, where Afro-Punk isn't an internal contradiction or a freaky fusion, but a colourful not-uncommon occurrence. So, it turns out that there is an intentional community within the municipal boundaries of New York, and it's on Staten Island. Staten Island? Yes, Staten Island! Famous for the rap supergroup Wu-Tang Clan and little else, Shaolin Island gets so little respect, that in a newspaper feature about New York's forgotten boroughs, they wrote about Queens and they wrote about the Bronx -- but forgot to forget Staten Island! But maybe that's a good thing; the hipsters haven't invaded yet. Or maybe this community is the hipster vanguard, and they don't have any competition for cool. But because it's not Brooklyn, it's possible to buy up buildings for far less. Less demand also means that developers don't put up high-rises, the built environment here is on a human scale. And because you have to take a relaxing half-hour ferry ride to get here, it creates a psychological break from the hustle-bustle of the inner city. Compared to the other boroughs, the island is hilly and green, making it aesthetically pleasing, but still close to the cultural core. And it cannot be overstated how important that cultural core is. It's bad enough that most communities have very little racial and religious diversity. But once you walk out the gate, you are completely surrounded by -- and I don't mind saying this, because it's uniformally true -- racist Republicans and homophobic honkies. It's not just that it's a cultural wasteland -- I seriously fear for the time in the not-too-distant future when the oil starts to run out, food and water become scarce, and the rednecks arm themselves with all the ammo they can carry, and go house to house reappropriating resources, starting with the dirty hippies. If they're disgusted by the idea of people sharing and caring now, while there is relative plenty, I don't want to stick around and wait to see how they play out the endgame, when there will be a lot less of everything to go around. I'm not trying to romanticize working class people of colour, but at least they're less likely to be racist and understand the value of extended family and alternative economies. Utopian communities have a tendency to be focused on their own lifestyles, hold themselves apart, and often above, of others, but at Ganas, they can't possibly separate themselves from the rest of the population. They co-own eight homes that are either adjacent or across the street from one another, with wild green gardens running between the buildings. But because they are urban, they interact with the multicultural mosaic daily, and participate in block parties. And they don't only live in New York, they also operate three local businesses that reflect their value system. They run a used clothing store, a used furniture store, and a used bookstore-slash-cafe, all called "Everything Goes". Keeping perfectly good second-hand stuff out of landfills and helping poorer folk have more for less is an honest living. And these enterprises are social equalizers, I've seen all segments of Staten Island come in to stop and shop. Ganas itself may be mostly white, but it's diverse in disability and age, size and sex. But Ganas' strongest suit is its social dynamic. Every weekday morning, they meet for two full hours, and hash out every issue, political and personal, in an open forum. They keep it on track so that it stays focused and doesn't drag on forever, but they most certainly insist on opening up the conversation to include not just what's in everybody's head, but also what on your own heart. There is also a separate session that occurs in the evenings once every week or two that allows people to bravely receive straightforward feedback from other community members, to clear the air and unblock energy. When everyone is this honest with one another, there can be no gossip, no passive-aggressive resentment, and these are the biggest black holes in intentional community. It may take more time to come to agreements, but the comprehensive solutions and family feelings that result are priceless. There are at least two other communities in the world that behave in this way, but this is the only one I know about in North America, and there are none in Israel as of yet. The cherry on top is the evening meals, which are not vegetarian, organic, or otherwise politically correct in any way. But there is a lot of food and there are a lot of options, and they are prepared well and with love. Everyone eats together in the dining room and takes turns doing all the dishes. Afterwards, whatever isn't eaten is taken to the "leftover kitchen", which is even more orderly and accessible than the main kitchen. I may not be a separatist, but I've discovered that I am most certainly a "foodie", a person for whom good, wholesome food is an absolute must, non-negotiable. It would be better if there were more residents of Ganas that were willing to forego affordable food for moral food. But if I have to choose between crunchy granola navel-gazers and conventional-food conscious people, I choose the latter! Hurray to Ganas for inspiring me to not give up my quest for communityÉ you saved the best for last!