Contemplating Cohousing: A Paradigm for Modern Day Tribal Living

Jan. 24, 2020

Recently we’ve had remarkable guests on the podcast highlighting areas of evolutionary mismatch. It’s clear our society has disconnected from real food and good sleep, but we’ve also detoured from what’s optimal in how we congregate, educate, and support one another. We’ve divided ourselves into nuclear families, often leaving our children in the care of strangers so we can go to a job we don’t care about, in order to earn money to pay for our segregated lifestyle. Social isolation has become so common we barely realize the madness of it - until we need help and find that there’s no one nearby.

In this interview, I’m joined by my wife, food scientist Julie Kelly to talk about how our society could benefit from a cohousing model, transcending the current paradigm that leaves parents exhausted and young adults unable to afford housing. We discuss our own living situation and that of neighbours and friends, many of whom could benefit from living with others to share resources and skills. We’re in the contemplation stage of actually doing something about this, and would love to hear from you about experiences you’ve had - good or bad! - with cohousing or communal living.