Kaj pomeni varnost? Ali pomeni imeti deset ključavnic in alarme na vratih, senzorje, kamere in table “Vstop prepovedan!”, nekaj pištol v predalu, svežnji gotovine v sefu?
Ali pa je varnost preprost dom z vedno odprtimi vrati? Preprost, saj razumete: poln nasmejanih ljudi, s toplo kuhinjo, ki jo krasijo božanske vonjave in z zelenim vrtom z obilo sadja in zelenjave? Mar ni to dom, kjer sosedje kar sami vstopijo v kuhinjo in si postrežejo s skodelico čaja? Mar ni varnost, ko to storite tudi vi sami v njihovem domu, ker so tudi njihova vrata enako odprta kot vaša?
Tako živijo ljudje v (nekaterih) trajnostnih skupnostih. Njihovo bogastvo ni shranjeno v denarju in materialnih dobrinah, temveč v odnosih, znanju, spretnostih, notranji prožnosti ipd. Občutek varnosti prihaja iz zavedanja, da bodo drugi poskrbeli za nas, ker jim je resnično mar, hkrati pa drugi vedo, da se lahko tudi oni v celoti zanesejo na nas. To je skupnost.
Če takšne skupnosti še niste doživeli – ali pa ste jo dako tolgo nazaj, da jo pogrešate – preverite med dogodki, ki se odvijajo na evropski dan trajnostnih skupnosti. V bližini je morda skupnost, ki bo na ta dan gostom od daleč odprla vrata in predstavila svoj način življenja. Tak dan odprtih vrat bo, denimo, 26. septembra v skupnosti Sončni grič v Slovenski Istri. Dobrodošli! What is safety? Is it having ten locks and alarms on your doors, sensors, cameras and “No trespassing!” signs, a couple of guns in a drawer, bundles of cash stacked in a safe?
Or is safety a simple home with doors always open? Simple, you know: full of people laughing, warm kitchen adorned with delicious smells, green garden brimming with fruits and vegetables? Isn’t safety your neighbours entering the kitchen and serving themselves a cup of tea? And you doing the same in their home, because their doors is as open as yours?
That’s how people in (some) sustainable communities live. Their riches are not stored in money and material goods but in relationships, knowledge, skills, inner resilience etc. A sense of safety comes from knowing others will take care of you because they honestly care, while knowing they can fully rely on you too. That’s community. If you’ve never experienced such a community — or if you have but a long time ago — check among events taking place on European Day of Sustainable Communities. There might a community nearby that will open doors to guests from farther away to show them how they live. One such open day will take place on 26 September at Sunny Hill community in Slovenia. Welcome!
