Page 19 - C.A.L.L. #26 - Winter 2005/2006

Here is a lovely story from the new 2005 edition of the International

Communities and Ecovillages in Europe Directory - Eurotopia.

The Community-Seeker

A story for this book and its readers

told by Dieter Halbach

stoned and chaotic for his taste; the spiritual
communities were so obsessed with love that
they had thrown sexuality out the window, and
the sexually liberated communities had done the
same with love.

My bookseller was just getting into high gear

Registration when suddenly a wistful, almost mystical smile
appeared on his lips: "But after so many years of
searching I've finally found it: my community!

They're just a handful of people, but somehow
Stopping by a small co-operative bookshop
they have managed to integrate all aspects of
recently I came upon a book with the modest
life." "Right, so why didn't you stay there?" I
title: "Eurotopia: An Index of European
asked him. "They didn't want me," he replied. "I
Communities". My heart skipped a beat: wanted the perfect community, but they
perhaps there was still a chance for me to find a
wanted the perfect human being!"
new life before death? The salesman behind the
counter looked at me through his nickel-rimmed
A short time later, after many
glasses, his eyes half more questions, I stepped
sympathetic, half amused, Eurotopia is the onto the street, the book
and said: "A good book for under my arm. I felt funny
people looking for most comprehensive inside. A blend of pain and
community! Yes, I was joy, spiced with a pinch of
and up-to-date fear, had settled onto my
searching once myself... and
what I found, I lost again. But
heart - which in turn was
I recently rediscovered part of
book about “living beating like a drum. Is this
what I thought I'd lost."
what the poets call "longing”?

After this somewhat nebulous in community” in "Only sunny eyes can see the
introduction, he began to Europe! sun," my bookseller called
relate his odyssey across the
after me, laughing.
globe from one community to the next. He was

nothing if not critical: no one could satisfy him
"And what about the butterflies in my
on his quest for the perfect community. The
stomach?" I wondered.
politically correct communities lived in a wrong
way and lugged around heavy ideological
So on shaky legs I stepped out into the
baggage; the economically successful ones were adventure they call life... my life, which has
sandbagged with work and management and
something to do with me and something to do
had turned conventional; the freaks were too
with community.

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