It’s always fascinating to see people’s responses to our posts and any feedback is gratefully received. Yesterday gave us a little challenge as one response in particular got me thinking, ‘Why do we do what we do?’
I posted an explanation as to how we’ve achieved living in a 5 bed house with an acre of land without having to raise any extra investment ourselves other than what was raised from selling our three bed house. One ray of sunshine suggested I “do one” – but in slightly harsher words! Thankfully, it got me thinking which then led to a chat with my husband and Kazia while we were taking a break from putting up our poly tunnel.
What are we doing here and why are we doing it?
It’s easy not to put yourself out there. To look after yourself and protect yourselves from as much negativity as possible. I have yet to meet someone on Joinavision who hasn’t experienced some kind of trauma. Therefore, trauma seems to be the thing we all have in common. A long chat with our house-mate yesterday lunchtime made us see that our traumas can be turned into something positive. We can learn from them.
What does trauma teach us?
If we are learning something from our trauma do we want to then harm others, or would we want to help others instead? From the very beginning of Joinavision I have been passionate about living a different way than we were. I’ve known since the birth of our eldest that life shouldn’t be this hard. We can support each other during our challenges and be there for each other no matter what lies ahead. I have always envisaged a system where investors support non-investors. People on benefits can join with investors or people who can afford a mortgage – we don’t have to separate ourselves because of our financial situations.
Learning about empathy
Trauma teaches us empathy; how to heal from it and how to support others who are going through something similar. A life where we look after ourselves and say, ‘I’m alright, Jack,’ is a life that is not complete. We are all here to serve others – share our skills, help people and, of course, bring light and positivity back into some fairly dark times. There are so many good people out there – why shut them out just because of our own limitations?
Can sharing on social media ever be a good thing?
Freedom of speech is our priority. We’d like it if people would avoid swearing at each other, but we decided to leave the comment up there so people can make their own minds up. Was their response correct, or did it expose an inner hurt they haven’t dealt with yet? Do they use social media to lash out at others because that feels easier than looking inwards?
We are sharing our journey because we want to show others they can do the same. Yes, there are four investors, but we also have one non-investor, a volunteer who stays in exchange for free food and lodging, and two volunteers who live in flats with no access to gardens. This is just the beginning – we haven’t been here three months yet. Because of the following we have people who are learning to open up more. We now have a number of people who say they’d consider renting a room out or having someone live in a caravan on their land. They are seeing that there are a lot of amazing people out there.
We’ll continue doing what we do
Because we have a passion for helping people. We want investors and non-investors to connect and learn to live together. This year we are planning community camps where people can come and meet other people wanting to achieve a different way of living. For those who don’t want to camp we are going to use local people who have a spare bedroom to rent out. This will allow both parties an insight into what living with others could be like.
Be kind and if you can’t be kind ask yourself why
Whenever we see anger, frustration, sadness and/or name-calling we need to find out if it was warranted or whether that person is projecting their own anger etc. onto others. It’s a release for them. Dealing with trauma is hard, it’s a long journey but a deeply rewarding one. Once you’ve emerged you are there to help others and you’ll never stop learning and empathising. That in itself will help you on your own journey of healing. It’s the most beautiful exchange.
