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There is still more to come!

Allgemein
familiafeliz cover 2025 - review
familiafeliz cover 2025 – review

Every year, we change the cover image on our website’s homepage. Before the cover disappears into the digital archives, we write an article and reveal the secret behind the images. Over the years, this has provided another way to reflect on the passage of time.

This idea of ​​an annual review isn’t as old as this website itself. We uploaded our first article back in 2016. But there’s still plenty to discover.

Now it’s time to look back again. And once again it becomes clear what is easily lost in everyday life; it becomes clear how successfully we move through time, what we accomplish in such a year, and what we inspire and motivate in the people who are connected to us, who visit us, and who draw strength and joy from this shared endeavor.

(1) Pasa Pacha Mama in the street named Patio is a small house, but with a big story. It began 37 years ago with temporary furnishings, continued with the complete reconstruction of the interior structure, and a new facade featuring the large mosaic that gave the house its current name. After that, it waited a long time for further construction. A lot happened in 2024. A highlight was certainly the construction of the fireplace. It now protrudes from the terrace, awaiting cladding, finishing, and embellishments. There is still more to come!

(2) CASAdelDRAGON has an extension, which also contains a bathroom. After more than 25 years, it was time to renovate this bathroom. Dörte dedicated many days to this task. She meticulously crafted, selected, glued, and grouted tile fragments. It was certainly also a mental effort, connecting with the place and its history, and absorbing the energy that this place bestows upon its inhabitants. There is still more to come!

(3) For the upcoming workshop on the #BUENVISTACERVERA project, the terrace was used as a pallet storage area. More than 100 pallets made their way to the House of the Dragon in five separate deliveries. Tine and Dirk, Francesca, Jens, and Dilan were particularly helpful in preparing the pallets for the workshop. The last of these pallets were only dismantled at the end of 2025, and their wood has found its way into various other projects, including the puppet theater project and the construction form for the Gothic arch in the Patio La Osa Mayor. There is still more to come!

(4) Fashion design has long been a part of the family history of co-founder Petry. This is how several industrial machines and other old sewing machines found their way into CASAdelDRAGON. For many years, they stood unused in the corners of the house, scattered across several rooms. The idea was to stock a range of tools for textile artists. CASAdelDRAGON is a residence for the members and visitors of our community, but also an artist residency, and thus a creative space. Now, Francesca has restored one of the old machines and is working intensively with it. The first results are visible: clothing is being repaired and curtains are being sewn. And it’s great fun. There is still more to come!

(5) Gwen and Ben are a couple. They have three children. And they are in love with the region, with CASAdelDRAGON, and the concept of our open community. They are slowly preparing to move to Spain, having found a beautiful house nearby in another mountain village. In the picture, they are sitting at a small wooden table made from pallets. The tabletop is cast in concrete, and they are gluing a tile mosaic to it—one of the rare moments of togetherness in a relationship. At that moment, it wasn’t yet clear that they would soon buy their first house together. Another story behind the stories behind the stories of these pictures. There is still more to come!

(6) Ben and Gwen’s eldest son had watched us build the first pallet furniture. After a while, he asked if he could help. Of course. These models were made for the later workshop. Owen was an attentive and quick learner. Imagine what it means when you explain to a growing child how to use a jigsaw and then let him make his first cuts without (!) watching any further. That feeling of confidence and success, indescribable. That’s informal learning. That’s how it should be. There is still more to come!

(7) Art continues to be produced at the artist residency. A laser cutter is also used in the process. The laser can be used to write on wood (the laser beam burns the top layer of wood). This is how the lettering for the benches, tables, and chairs of the #BUENAVISTACERVERA project is created. There is still more to come!

(8) The CASAdelDRAGON ArtCamp is a regular meeting place. We extend the invitation, provide the infrastructure, and everyone brings something. No one really organizes it; it just happens organically. There’s always plenty of bread and drinks, and we always discover new and delicious dishes. Often, those invited bring new people who are experiencing familiafeliz for the first time. Social time in a social setting, and nearby, the rooster crows. There is still more to come!

(9) Yoga has been a topic of conversation in the community for some time. It was Francesca who completed a year-long specialized training course in Lleida. But it wasn’t easy for her to take the step of teaching herself and offering regular classes. The training focused on yoga specifically for older people. After overcoming her initial nervousness, the first classes began, and as expected, it was a resounding success. The students love their teacher for her patience, attentiveness, kindness, and competence as an educator. Now, the yoga class for seniors is a regular part of the village’s cultural activities. There is still more to come!

(10) Francesca’s son Dilan also helped build the first prototypes for the pallet wood workshop. He’s more interested in the design and finishing of the furniture. And he, too, opts for informal learning through the activities of CASAdelDRAGON. There is still more to come!

(11) This photo is unassuming, but there’s an unusually long and profound story behind it. The story is told here and here. Taking this photo was a particular pleasure. The young woman was part of a group led by Serban from Romania, who had once again brought young people to the CASAdelDRAGON for an educational project: the white dragon – the construction of a large tile mosaic for a playground in Cervera del Maestre. There is still more to come!

(12) When you visit CASAdelDRAGON, you never quite know what to expect. There might be only a few people there, or the house might be packed with people from many countries and regions. Note the ratio of young people to adults; sadly, this has become a rare sight in many people’s lives. Only by connecting these young people with life at CASAdelDRAGON can they experience that there are alternatives to getting lost in the mainstream. It’s a big task, and one that requires perseverance.There is still more to come!

(13) Dirk and Tine came up with the idea of ​​building a board game from pallet wood and other scrap wood. It’s called KUBB. Together with Dörte, we made it and even inaugurated it on the village’s pelota court. Afterwards, it was given to the local primary school. The game lasted about six months. After that, the wooden box broke and some of the game pieces were shattered. The game is currently resting in CASAdelDRAGON, waiting for a new home, a “game bank.” There it will find a place again, and we will refurbish it and return it to the village.There is still more to come!

(14) A special moment. Antje arrives at CASAdelDRAGON for her birthday, completely unaware of the surprise. Friends and family had gathered in the living room above the kitchen, and at the moment the photo was taken, they all began to sing.

Happy birthday… a wonderful start to a new year of life. And it wouldn’t be the only surprise that day… There is still more to come!

(15) …because in the months leading up to it, we had secretly built the elaborate spiral staircase together with Oscar. This staircase stands in the center of Casa Pacha Mama. It connects four levels of the house. Tine and Dirk helped build the steps. This allowed the birthday boy to walk through his house on his own and begin to appreciate the immense progress made during construction. There is still more to come!

(16) The Familiafeliz community is not a corporation. It doesn’t produce goods, it doesn’t offer services. Nevertheless, anyone living on this planet has to make compromises. We can give everything away, but we don’t receive everything for free. Our aim is to build a peaceful social space for personal happiness. However, it remains up to each individual resident of CASAdelDRAGON to decide where and how they contribute to this endeavor. Dörte decided to collect about a ton of carob. We transported it to the cooperative. And the money went towards maintaining the house and necessary purchases. Thank you, Dörte. Not only for your work, but also for your commitment to dedicating your time to a great cause that likely began before our time and may well extend far beyond our own. There is still more to come!

(17) Mina is a young Spanish woman with a great talent for drawing. She always carries a pen and sketchbook with her and dedicates several hours to her work. Like many young people, she is very insecure about important life decisions: choosing a school, her career, where to live, and managing her time. As a creative space, we can only offer suggestions and extend an invitation. The story behind the photo is probably bigger than you might think. Mina is sitting on a bench she helped design—the Dragon’s Bench. This bench is now part of a permanent exhibition in a small museum in Quedlinburg, Germany. So, even before her career has begun, this young artist has already arrived in the museum world. We wish her all the best for the future. There is still more to come!

(18) Food has always been important. As it increasingly becomes a focus of politics, it’s all the more crucial to know its sources and how to prepare it deliciously. At CASAdelDRAGON, it’s about well-being, and that has a lot to do with enjoyment, which in turn has a lot to do with food. People from other countries visit us regularly and bring recipes with them. We cook together and discover new things. We enjoy ourselves. And we share that enjoyment with those who come. There is still more to come!

(19) With the help of some volunteers, we’ve started to reclaim a piece of land with many olive trees. The grass was overgrown, and the wild shoots were drawing a lot of energy from the trees. Now, the olive tree isn’t actually a tree, but a shrub. However, it’s pruned into a row to ensure a good yield (without pruning, the olive tree would prefer to propagate via side shoots). Working with Corinna (who understands her craft and contributes her expertise) is a pleasure. Miet’s 4×4 also enabled us to transport the large pieces of wood to CASAdelDRAGON as firewood. It’s Vincent’s land, and his dream can come true. We’re finding people to help him with his life’s work, and we’re preserving a cultural landscape, managed extensively rather than intensively, to improve the soil and increase the quality of life for future generations. There is still more to come!

There is still more to come! – This is the refrain of a song we sent to friends and supporters of our life’s project at the end of the year. The line has been stuck in our heads for a while now. Maybe we’ll even film it sometime in connection with the puppet theater project.

Casa Osa Mayor – the courtyard of humanity

Allgemein, Casa Osa Mayor, CASAdelDRAGON, HU Cervera del Maestre
osa mayor cervera - secure the facade - november 2025
osa mayor cervera – secure the facade – november 2025

This is a story about the starry sky, a story about a nighttime companion, a story about a strange bathing party team, and a story about Epicurus and his garden. But ultimately, it’s also a story about you.

Almost forty years ago, we began to look at a ruin in front of CASAdelDRAGON. We wondered who had lived there. We wondered what would become of this house, threatened by decay.

In the evenings, we sat on the terrace and gazed at the silhouettes of this ruin in the moonlight. In those early years, there was hardly any street lighting in the village of Cervera del Maestre, and certainly not on the street with the many ruins—our street.

When we raised our gaze to the starry sky, we saw the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). That constellation had always been something special. Wherever we came to rest in the evening after work wherever in Europe, wherever we had said goodbye to the day and welcomed the night together, this constellation was always present before us. Over the years, it had become a reliable companion. And this companion gave each of these places a feeling of home.

osa mayor cervera - secure the facade - first old ceramic stones - november 2025
osa mayor cervera – secure the facade – first old ceramic stones – november 2025

All of this is long past, but it is the foundation of my knowledge, upon which I can stand comfortably and which I have been able to develop further over all these years. I read the stones. I listen too. They speak to me. When I lift such a natural stone, move it in my hand, then I read it. It is not me who assigns the stone its new place; it is the stone that tells me how it should best lie and how I should align it in the best way. Some stones joyfully say YES, some are reserved, and some say NO. I listen to them. I respect their reply. When I read the stones, I also read the traces of the previous working of maybe free masons. Some of the stones in the ruins in Cervera were cutted out from the rocks. You can recognize them by the fact that they have been little or not at all hewn. They were mostly used as building blocks within the natural stone walls. The “beautiful” stones were all hewn. They show traces of human workmanship. But these traces are much older than expected. The older houses in the village of Cervera del Maestre are largely built from the natural stones of the castle. Poor families from the north were invited to help revive the village in the 15th century, and they were granted the right to use the old castle ruins as a quarry.

The ruins in front of CASAdelDRAGON are also made of these stones. They weren’t hewn by the masons when this house was built; they were hewn when the castle was constructed, more than 1,000 years ago.

When I hold one of these stones in my hand, it’s a magical moment. I read the stone, I listen to it. It tells of that ancient time. I have great respect for what this stone has witnessed. And I am grateful that I can give it a new, important place.

osa mayor cervera - secure the facade - recycling of old construction materials - november 2025
osa mayor cervera – secure the facade – recycling of old construction materials – november 2025

Just as you can read and listen to the stones, you can also read the facades of old houses. You can tell whether the people who built them were wealthy or poor, whether they had time for details or only worked on their homes briefly after a hard day’s work in the fields.

The houses of wealthy people usually have stone lintels above the window reveals and doors and gates, while those of poor people tend to have wooden beams. Wealthy people could often afford stone arches, while poor people could hardly afford them. Wealthy people have facades where all the outer stones are hewn and worked, while poor people used a variety of materials, and you often find broken bricks mixed in with the natural stones.

Those who had to save money when building their homes did as the Romans did. They reused old building materials as much as possible. And that’s exactly what we’re doing now with the reconstruction of the facade at the House of the Big Bear.

At the lower entrance, on the left-hand side, there are some very special clay bricks. These stones come from a construction waste dump in Vinaros, a city nearby. On the north side of the main beach, where a small forest with fitness equipment has now been built, there used to be a large dumping ground. The sea is eroding the land in this area, and the loose natural stone there offers little resistance to the waves. So, in the last century, construction debris was often dumped on the beach to slow down the erosion.

Many old clay bricks from castles, fortresses, and stately homes were also dumped there. The surf had washed many of them clean, removing all traces of mortar.

When we drove to the seaside in Vinaros after work at CASAdelDRAGON with our helpers, each of us carried two buckets. It was a strange sight in the summer. Several construction workers would arrive at the tourist beach with buckets, and before going for a swim, they would search for clay bricks in the spoil heap. Almost every trip to the seaside ended with us returning to Cervera with buckets full of these old clay bricks.

The tourists didn’t understand us, but a few elderly pensioners, who watched us with amusement, knew what we were doing and why.

These bricks had adorned castles and palaces, and we would give them a proper place in Spanish architecture again someday. We used many of these clay bricks in the CASAdelDRAGON. Some survived the passage of time in the cellar of Casa Pacha Mama. Now their time has come; they are finding a new home in the facade of Casa Oso Mayor.

osa mayor cervera - secure the facade - vinaros memories - november 2025
osa mayor cervera – secure the facade – vinaros memories – november 2025

When Epicurus decided to establish a university, he didn’t want to build a palace like so many other schools for the children of the wealthy in ancient Greece. He chose to create a garden, and anyone entering through a gate had to agree to a condition: in this garden, all people are equal. This was a humanitarian demand of the human family, and in ancient Greece, an outrageous provocation.

In recent years, we have rebuilt or helped rebuild several houses in Cervera. At the moment, we aren’t considering rebuilding old Vincente’s house as a residence. We are considering dedicating this house to the human family. Instead of a building, we want to create a patio, preserving and securing the existing structures of the house. This is the work we began in November 2025.

If you, too, would like to listen to the stones, if you want to become part of this story, then find your way to Casa Oso Mayor in Cervera del Maestre (Castellon / Spain).

Alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond

Allgemein, CASAdelDRAGON, EL-DRAC Gallery, HU Cervera del Maestre
CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - final stage
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – final stage

The famous quote about the dice being cast originates with Caesar. His decision to cross the Rubicon defied the law. There was no turning back; it was fight and victory or death. Whatever the future emperor said at the time, it has become an expression of the belief that actions are irreversible and that it is wise to be aware of this before taking action.

CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - the casting mold
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – the casting mold

In 2011, I began organizing exhibitions titled “Amor en Guerras Civiles” (Love in Civil Wars). The signs of an impending war against the citizens—every war is ultimately directed against the citizens of a society—were unmistakable to me. My contribution to this project was “Amazing Citizens.” I wanted to give the citizens a face, because they would once again suffer the most from the war and would once again have to bear the burden of reconstruction.

CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - in the mold
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – in the mold

At the end of the economic miracle years, I asked my grandmother, an actress and author, how the Second World War could have happened. Having been bombed out twice, a single mother with two children, and having stumbled through the war, she had, as always, a concise answer: Victims were offered absolution by being perpetrators.

CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - 25 kg of art
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – 25 kg of art

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. After three or four generations, memory fades and joining in becomes difficult. Who really wants to look at what others have done wrong, so as not to repeat it themselves?

CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - with joint compound 2
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – with joint compound 2

Nothing is accidental: Newspeak, thought control, the power to define the space for debate. Whether it’s the Rütli Hat or cognitive dissonance, subjugation is the goal.

CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - with joint compound
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – with joint compound

Sloterdijk’s fragmented society is reflected in his disintegrating circle of friends; there’s no mention of inclusion whatsoever. He even adds: “There is no moral obligation to self-destruction!” That, too, will probably be considered far-right by 2025.

CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - trencadis 2
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – trencadis 2

The fact itself is a taboo broken, exclusion instead of debate end of 2025. Halfway there, we are rapidly approaching 2030. In a recent conversation with a friend, I had a remarkable experience. Invited to share my thoughts, I let them flow freely. I spoke about everything I’d seen and heard in recent weeks, all the political upheavals, and the social and economic consequences for my fellow citizens. Parts of Europe are a madhouse. And while some fear the future because they see their privileges dwindling, others fear an undemocratic future—if it hasn’t already begun. Only a few remain active and content.

CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - trencadis
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – trencadis

“I don’t watch television anymore; what good are all these bad news stories to me? I don’t want to hear them.” That was my friend’s response to his invitation to share what was going on inside me and what was on my mind. Was that a prohibition on speaking, a prohibition on thinking? What does friendship mean these days, and what does friendship even mean?

A hiker in Ares del Maestre agreed with me: “What mainland Spain was in the Spanish Civil War, Ukraine is today; back then, they tested all the new weapons and weapon types for the Second World War. Tanks, carpet bombing of towns, and targeted attacks on industry and civilian infrastructure were tested also.” What tanks were then, drones are today. The testing ground is grateful—or not. What comes after this new test?

CASAdelDRAGON - alea iacta est - over the Rubicon and beyond - final stage
CASAdelDRAGON – alea iacta est – over the Rubicon and beyond – final stage

When the Twin Towers in New York were brought down, we converted the ground floor of CASAdelDRAGON into an exhibition space, driven by contemporary social art and not by money. When the War on Terror was declared, i created a family constellation of the European family as part of an art exhibition in an exhibition space in Rheinbach near Cologne in Germany – with refugees from Syria. When the children were being tested en masse in the classrooms every day, we organized guitar lessons for the older ones, and the younger ones played with the wood by the stove, together, singing and without fear. Now ships are anchored off Venezuela, Gaza lies in ruins, and we continue to work on a social meeting place, a place for members of the human family, an open house of encounter.

We don’t live in the best world, we live in the best possible one. The key is to remain active, to enjoy life. The allure of fear is ever-present, and a wise rejection is called for. It’s not a good idea to turn away from the world and shut ourselves off from its signals. It’s a good idea to receive those signals, whether we like them or not, and to act in such a way that we can look into the eyes of small children without regret, without fear, and without anger. We continue.

monthly wrap – written words

CASAdelDRAGON, HU Cervera del Maestre
monthly wrap - written words - chimney in a lost place
monthly wrap – written words – chimney in a lost place

Whatever happens, if it’s not documented, will rarely be remembered. And if the few who take action neglect to write it down, the others will think nothing happened. This is a monthly overview, from the beginning of September 2025 to the beginning of October 2025. It may seem rather disjointed, but it’s a time-lapse of all the many small and large things that happen.

The written word is greatest sacred documentation.
Lailah Gifty Akita

One day after our return, we had a mission in Llerida. The task was to repair a chimney damaged in a storm using simple means.

Back in Cervera, a few benches were distributed around CASAdelDRAGON. These will probably be taken over by the municipality later and placed in special locations.

monthly wrap - written words - buenavistacervera - urban gardening
monthly wrap – written words – buenavistacervera – urban gardening

Another workshop on building street furniture had only one participant, Miet from Belgium, a friend and very connected to our community. In three days, she had built her first bench, with the support of Francesca.

monthly wrap - written words - buenavistacervera - miets workshop - destiny next
monthly wrap – written words – buenavistacervera – miets workshop – destiny next

Visitors from Halle and Berlin helped out and prepared more wood for the street furniture construction.

monthly wrap - written words - buenavistacervera - with a little help of some friends
monthly wrap – written words – buenavistacervera – with a little help of some friends

After growing a lot of vegetables and lettuce during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our own garden was somewhat neglected. To kick-start our gardening again, we planted lettuce and vegetables. We used the raised beds left over from our aquaponics project with the University of Halle.

monthly wrap - written words - abandoned aquaponics - planting food again
monthly wrap – written words – abandoned aquaponics – planting food again

After we had buried the electrical cables 20 years ago, we began wiring the sockets and switches. That was a big moment for everyone. We also had to determine whether this installation would still be viable after so many years.

monthly wrap - written words - enlightenment in the house of Pacha Mama
monthly wrap – written words – enlightenment in the house of Pacha Mama

For almost 40 years, we looked at a ruin. We will have the story of the “House of the Great Bear” to tell later. After starting work on removing the ivy, we are now clearing out the construction debris and garbage. Natural stones and recyclable building materials are being separated from the soil and rubble. The soil is being moved into the garden, and the garbage is being separated and disposed of. To date, we have already cleared out about 6 tons.

monthly wrap - written words - la osa grande - excavation first
monthly wrap – written words – la osa grande – excavation first

The terrace in the House of the Dragon was completed over 30 years ago. After that, a parapet was added. This has been awaiting completion for 20 years now. At that time, there was a small room for art in the building. And soon, it’s set to continue.

monthly wrap - written words - cube one (of four)
monthly wrap – written words – cube one (of four)

Casa Pacha Mama is our second major construction project in Cervera del Maestre. That, too, is a long story. This made the completion of the electrical installation on the upper floors all the more significant. The fuse box is state-of-the-art and already provides all the electrical circuits, including those for the ground floor and basement, where interior work is still underway.

monthly wrap - written words - fuse box set up
monthly wrap – written words – fuse box set up

I wished I could keep everything I witnessed like a photograph, to forever hold this electric aliveness.
Aspen Matis

After designing several urban gardening models for a Belgian fan base five years ago and building them on the terrace of CASAdelDRAGON, it was now time to dismantle these installations. The used pallet wood will be thermally recycled, while the better pieces will be used in street furniture production and will be used in new benches.

monthly wrap - written words - food for tomorrow
monthly wrap – written words – food for tomorrow

The soil from the planting trays and raised beds was enriched with chicken manure, and lettuce, onions, and cabbage were planted.

We always see what hasn’t been accomplished yet. But at least while writing this, we have the leisure to reflect for a moment on what is already history.

The new adventure in Cervera del Maestre

Allgemein, Casa Osa Mayor, CASAdelDRAGON, HU Cervera del Maestre
the new adventure in cervera del maestre - ivy
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – ivy

This is a story about my grandmother, a Cologne author, radio presenter, and actress. It’s also a story about building (houses in mountain villages in Spain). And it’s a story about Vincente, an old farmer in such a Spanish mountain village. And it’s the story of the beginning of a story whose end we don’t yet know. Perhaps it will be told here digitally one day; it will certainly be passed on later in analog form, maybe in an open patio in Calle Las Parras, by sitting in a bar, talking about the history of this beautiful village.

My grandmother was able to teach me a lot. She had a special way of preparing the ground for learning. Her comments and wisdom usually came rather casually. But somehow she had a good sense of when the right time was. So many things are solidified and constantly available for navigation. When we once talked about careers and career choices, she said: “Don’t make what you really enjoy your job!”

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - more ivy
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – more ivy

Later, I was faced with the choice of whether architecture or fine art was the right course of study. I chose neither. But later, I created many works of art and even built a few houses.

The first house I actively worked on wasn’t my house at all. It was my great-uncle’s house in Dattenfeld an der Sieg, a German village near Cologne with 1000 inhabitants. I was 10 years old and enthusiastically demolished an old chimney. I particularly remember throwing the old tiles from the roof arch through an open wall onto the trailer behind the tractor as fun.

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - and more ivy
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – and more ivy

The second house is still standing in the South of France. Nine years later, I helped a friend rebuild an old stone house in the Corbieres. The alcoholic carpenter wasn’t really up for it. This gave me the opportunity to build the first roof truss of my life. I stayed until the roof was finished. And it was a special experience.

The third house was CASAdelDragon. With the help of over 150 people from all over the world, we rebuilt a ruin. After 20 years, we were able to celebrate the – provisional – completion of this construction site with our first art exhibition on the ground floor.

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - backside
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – backside

After that, and at the same time, there were other projects in Europe. They were our own or projects by friends. The focus was always on fun and the joy of building. And that remains the case to this day.

An old farmer lived on our street. He is no longer alive. For many years, Vincente walked through the streets of the mountain village with a cold cigar in the corner of his mouth, nodding in greeting or raising his hand, speaking little.

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - a bit more ivy
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – a bit more ivy

He knew that I was very interested in his aunt’s ruins. He had inherited them but never rebuilt them. Every day, he sat for a few hours on his terrace and listened to the people on their paseo, a common walk through the village in the milder evenings at the time. He looked at the ruins from his terrace. I looked at the ruins from our terrace.

Many years later, he became very ill, and one day, no one knew where he was, and everyone in the village was worried. I fetched a ladder, and a neighbor climbed into his house via the first-floor balcony. Vincente was lying in the bathroom, still alive but unresponsive. He woke up disoriented. The ambulance took him away, and I never saw him again.

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - a bit less ivy
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – a bit less ivy

Years later, a relative approached me. Vincete told her: “I will never do anything else with this ruin in my life. When I’m dead, give it to the German from CASAdelDRAGON.”

Now we have cleared this ruin of ivy and begun to remove the rubble, debris and garbage. This is a first step. We did this as a token of gratitude to Vincente and his family. And we also removed the ivy from the neighbor’s facade (with her consent).

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - a bit of bio mass
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – a bit of bio mass

While doing this work, I remembered my first weeks at CASAdelDRAGON. Back then, we spent a week hauling rubble and garbage. The entire left side of the ground floor was almost completely full of the garbage of a 12-person household, accumulated over the years.

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - the next step of cleaning
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – the next step of cleaning

Back then, the village still had a construction waste dump, and we drove there frequently. When the trailer was loaded mostly with construction waste, the farmers would ask us to use it to repair the roads. Than we unloaded on the way.

Back then, there was no waste separation. And I didn’t realize how much recyclable material this construction debris contained.

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - waste separation
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – waste separation

We have now cleared out a quarter of Vincente’s old house. We are carefully separating the waste and saving all the natural stones. Most of them come from the castle (and were quarried there 600 years ago by Vincente’s ancestors). When they expelled the Moors, the conquerors invited poor families from Catalonia to settle here and quarry stones from the castle to build houses underneath.

Every stone here has a long history. And we are preserving these stones with respect, thus making this history available for future generations.

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - harvesting old construction materials
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – harvesting old construction materials

This is a first step; many more will follow.

The plan is to develop this house as a social meeting place. An open kitchen in an open patio, a dry toilet, a small storage room, a bar, and perhaps two sleeping spaces for pilgrims and other guests of this village. The house is intended to be open for the visitors of CASAdelDRAGON, but especially for the residents of the old quarter of Cervera del Maestre. We also want to commemorate a time when residents would sit in front of their houses in the evenings, hoping that others would pass by on their paseo and be ready for a chat. These conversations were often prolonged with pastries and drinks. This is how it can be again, once social media has found its way back from the digital mess to the analog beauty.

the new adventure in cervera del maestre - el gran ós
the new adventure in cervera del maestre – el gran ós

Vicente’s house has now waited 50 years. Its time has come. We will report back.

Now we are thinking about the right name.

  • Pati de l’Óssa Major
  • Bar Regalo / Regalo Bar
  • Casa de l’Óssa Major
  • La Botiga Gratuïta
  • El Pati

What is you favorite? Let us know. Come around for a chat. The gallery is open all weekends in summer.

In times of FIAT money and Digital Currencies

Allgemein
anyfree.org - donation without expectation - machines
anyfree.org – donation without expectation – machines

There was a time when the majority of humanity had no money at all. It was a time when the majority of humanity lived in rural areas, predominantly in small hamlets and villages. At that time, money – in the form of coins – was only known in larger cities.
Nevertheless, even the so-called common people wanted to trade, and at some point a gift was needed to make progress. The harvest had been poor, hardly any seed had been developed, tools had broken and a storm had damaged the barn roof. Instead of exchanging goods or services for coins – as in the city – people in the “village” community acted differently. They knew the gift. The gift was a process of unintentional giving, knowing the condition of a shared fate to life in the same village. Those who have lived together in one village for ages don’t need to keep score. Over time, all accounts are balanced. It simply made no sense to strive for profit, for added value or for economic success. The “village” community of shared destiny was a higher-level organism and was perceived as such. It was legitimate and advisable to pass things on within one’s own group and thus keep them within the group’s grasp. There were other villages, after all.
Coins – once valuable – were replaced by paper money. The link to the precious metal gold was lifted, and the printing presses ran hot. Wars were necessary to destroy valuables. Then, during the reconstruction phase, they could be sold again.

anyfree.org - donation without expectation - sewing machine
anyfree.org – donation without expectation – sewing machine

For a few years now, an open bookcase has stood at Calle Las Parras 19 in the mountain village of Cervera del Maestre (Castellon, Spain). The books are a gift for those who are interested. This bookcase has two additional compartments, one for other gifts.
Now, you can also find power tools and other items there. They are given without any intention.
Gift-giving itself is almost perverted. We constantly suspect a trick. We’re not even familiar with people giving freely, without any obvious or hidden intentions. The inner dialogue can be seen again and again in people’s faces when they stop in amazement in front of the cupboard, connecting what they see with their knowledge. And they look around carefully before they reach out. But reaching out also involves understanding.

anyfree.org - donation without expectation - heavy tool
anyfree.org – donation without expectation – heavy tool

For the last 5,000 years, we have had a money-driven history, and the villages resisted this for a long time. The villages will be the first to return to the gift. Enjoy it!

Success is timing, and so is failure

Allgemein
some plants in the color garden of CASAdelDRAGON in Cervera del Maestre
some plants in the color garden of CASAdelDRAGON in Cervera del Maestre

I wrote the following comment on an article on Reddit – a former website that was previously assigned to so-called social media – in a group about intentional communities about “the fear of encountering toxic people in a community and the resulting anxiety about joining communities”:

Fear is an evolutionary mechanism that prepares the body for fight or to escape. If fighting or escaping doesn’t follow, it triggers stress, aversion, powerlessness, and other symptoms.

Going into a community with fear, especially with a fear based on the perception of a threat within that community, is probably not a good idea.

In anxiety therapy, one tends to recommend exposing oneself to the source of fear. This is often an invitation to externalize this source. In fact, oneself is the location of the event. Looking for the solution outside is a mistake.

If one faces one’s own fear and asks oneself where it comes from and whether it is truly justified, one will come to realizations (about oneself). Fear is a rationalized emotion. It is based on experiences in the area of self-perception. If you can’t easily distance yourself from the desires of others and repeatedly experience how you suffer from a lack of respect, then a pattern easily develops. Anticipating the emotional consequences of this danger then becomes the basis of observation and frames perception. There’s the beautiful concept of “self-fulfilling prophecy.”

If we generalize “toxic people” to “incompatible people,” then the fear somehow disappears. Because you don’t want to have much to do with incompatible people anyway. Right? Then we don’t need the fear anymore. Right? What remains is the balancing act. If I stay in my comfort zone because I’m afraid of the saber-toothed tiger, I won’t be eaten, but I’ll starve. Then it’s a matter of waiting until the hunger is so great that the chemistry of fear in my own body disappears, and the chemistry of hunger prevails.

Often, the fear isn’t even felt as such; instead, it must serve as a social construct of justification, generally accepted. “I’m staying in the cave because it’s too dangerous out there!” – That’s what the roommate likes to hear. There’s more food left for him out there. Still afraid?

This is the story of a man who planted trees. This is the story of a search for the right place. This is the story of a journey to oneself. It is the story of art, creativity, uncertainty, hesitation, courage, and wisdom. It is the story of three people who meet for the first time in this story.

More than 100 years ago, in 1913, a young man set out on a hike in Provence, France. He hiked away from towns and settlements for days. One evening, he found shelter with a shepherd he had met, who offered him water to drink. The young man asked for a place to stay for the night and received it. The next day, he accompanied the shepherd, who had carefully selected 100 acorns the evening before. That next day, the shepherd drove an iron rod into the ground 100 times, turned it a few times, and placed one of the acorns in the hole. He repeated this throughout the next days. The shepherd had time.

Success is timing, and so is failure - buenavistacervera - perro martin - teruel
Success is timing, and so is failure – buenavistacervera – perro martin – teruel

Perro Martin is a bon vivant. He lives in Teruel, a barren and predominantly dry region. But where the bon vivant has lived since childhood, a river flows through the village even in summer. The river is called Guadeloupe. It is fed by large dammed lakes and, in parts, cascades into the narrow valley of his village. Perro Martin lives on little money. Art is more of a passion than something that provides a steady income. In recent years, he has planted a forest, and in this forest, he has planted fruit trees. And between the trees, he has created many small gardens. Perro Martin has time.

Jennifer and her two children came to the lower Maestrazgo (Castellon province, Spain). There were many reasons and causes. The journey took them through many stops and many countries. She chose to send her children to a very special village school. The school in Cervera del Maestre has only 26 students, but six teachers. That in itself is extraordinary. But even more extraordinary is that more than half of the students were not born in Spain. At school, they learn Valencian and Castellan, and English. And they speak their mothers’ language. Jennifer’s children were also born in another country. She speaks Swedish with them.

The hiker then said goodbye to the shepherd and moved on. Somehow, however, this encounter had touched him, and he resolved to visit the shepherd again later. A war broke out. The hiker postponed his plans. After the war, he was drawn back to this lonely landscape and visited the shepherd. Something wonderful had happened. Many of the acorns had grown into small, strong trees. The once barren and barren landscape turned green. Grasses, ferns, and flowers spread everywhere under the shade of the trees. Birds could be heard. Bees buzzed. And still the shepherd took his iron rod and rammed holes into the ground. He had moved a bit further and thus had shorter routes to the places where he hadn’t yet planted anything. The shepherd has time.

Perro Martin had collected building materials. He reclaimed what others had thrown away during demolition. A stately home was created from a ruin. He exhibited some of his sculptures on the ground floor. He set up a workshop in the basement. The house stands on a slope. This allows him to access the cellar through a door on the valley side. He digs into the mountain. A storage room will be created. With a small hoe and a bucket, he carries the earth out of the cave. He uses it for bricklaying and plastering. When he’s not working in his gardens, he builds his sculptures; when he’s not working on his sculptures, he makes music. When he’s not making music, he plants more trees. Perro Martin has time.

Jennifer is a single mother. That’s not uncommon these days. What used to be the exception is becoming the rule. Children are often a reason for separation. The extended family has been falling apart for 100 years. Now, the small family often begins to deteriorate before the children even leave home. The elementary school in Spain keeps the children for over five hours. That’s a long time. They also receive freshly prepared meals. The cook lives in the village. Everyone knows where she lives. The food is delicious.

The hiker has visited the shepherd in Provence repeatedly. The trees are well developed. There have been setbacks with some tree species, but overall, the forest has continued to grow. The shepherd no longer has any sheep. But he still plants trees. His actions are being noticed by public authorities. People are resettling in abandoned hamlets. There is water, firewood, timber, and animals to hunt. The shepherd has grown older. But he still takes his stick in the morning, rams it into the ground, and plants trees. The shepherd has time.

Perro Martin welcomes guests. You can visit him in his small village. He likes to show you his gardens. He has plenty of food, far too much for one person. The river brings large amounts of water into the valley. The soil is very fertile. The trees grow very quickly. They provide shade and help the small trees growing in the undergrowth. The fungi attach themselves to the roots and distribute the food, keeping some for themselves. Some beekeepers speak of the bee colony as an organism. The forest is also an organism in this sense. Everything is connected to everything else. When you walk into his forest with Perro Martin, there are no paths. He walks slowly so that guests can follow. He explains, demonstrates, waits, and answers questions. Perro Martin has time.

For people like Jennifer, it would be good if she had a large forest full of fruit. It would be good if she could harvest what others had planted before. It was probably like that in earlier times, too. One generation devoted its lifetime to creating the conditions for the next generation. Jennifer wants to plant a garden, but she’s also considering how to secure her long-term financial future. Her day, too, only has 24 hours. The children demand attention and care. Society remains reserved. Most people have their own problems and prefer to console themselves by blaming single parents. This offers the opportunity to remain morally at peace with themselves. Everyone is the architect of their own happiness.

Success is timing, and so is failure - buenavistacervera - manel - vallibona
Success is timing, and so is failure – buenavistacervera – manel – vallibona

Manel is a contemporary witness. He, too, spent most of his life in a small village in the Maestrazgo Mountains. He worked as a photographer. His love was always black and white photography. As a son of the village and a companion to the few families in the village, he repeatedly found opportunities to portray the people. The desire to capture the strength and beauty of everyday life, no matter how hard and expendable, in a photograph is easily recognizable. These photos will endure the test of time and tell the stories of life for years to come. Manel feeds the village cats. The cats live wild, but in the village. They keep the rodent population low and demand additional food as tribute. Manel always feeds at the same time. The cats arrive. They eat. The place where they eat together isn’t assigned to a cat territory. Otherwise, they go their separate ways. Life in a mountain village has its own rhythm. Manel feeds the cats first. Then his wife hands him lunch, always at 1:30 p.m., every day. Manel moves slowly and takes a seat. Manel has time.

The hiker and the shepherd are part of a novel and thus fiction. The other three people are real and actually live in the Maestrazgo, a very mountainous region of Spain. They live in three small villages. They have only been connected so far through this story. And they are connected by a bench on which they sat. This bench allows them to choose a desired interaction with their fellow humans.

Success is timing, and so is failure - buenavistacervera - jennifer - calig
Success is timing, and so is failure – buenavistacervera – Jennifer – calig

Perro Martin wished for “a smile,” Manel for a “hug.” What the hiker would have wished for remains hidden from us. Jennifer wanted someone to talk to her!

Sustainable development – a contradiction

Allgemein, HU Virtual, UNIIE
sustainable development - a contradiction - Ronny in his storage
sustainable development – a contradiction – Ronny in his storage

This is a story about the word sustainable. It’s a story about Game A and Game B, about the will to do things differently and at the same time to belong. It’s a story about this time, from the perspective of this time. It’s also the story of the digital Forum Romanum and its narrowing. And it’s actually just one story: yours.

“I was asked what the essence of Familiafeliz’s activities was. My answer, as always, was based on the first sentences on our website: to create a social space for personal happiness. The question came immediately: Where would we create these spaces and invite people to use them? The answer was again: Where we are right now. (Juan Petry)”

A networking meeting in Halle an der Saale, Germany, provided the framework for this dialogue, which was to be followed by many others. Ronny runs Öpunkt – Nachhaltige Haushaltsauflösungen, a socially and non-profit-oriented, owner-managed enterprise whose mission is to reduce the amount of waste generated by affluence, through reuse where possible, or to find some other form of further use. Only the truly unusable residue should be separated as accurately as possible and sent for traditional recycling. Finally, it is thermally recycled, but that will come later.

Familiafeliz visits places like Ronny’s. On the one hand, recycling and upcycling are often a more cost-effective solution, and on the other hand, networking events are important for bringing together stakeholders in new circular economies, just as was the case back then with the hunting club, the carnival club, the charity club, or the meeting of the guild of master craftsmen. People know each other, they help each other, but only if they know each other. New generations engage in different activities, and so they also try out other forms of gathering. The goal of the actors is modern: to establish a sustainable form of resource use oriented toward the common good and, through this, to create true social justice.

It is by no means the case that these kinds of thoughts and ideas exist only in the minds of members of a living community. Analogous to compost in the garden, an entire subculture oriented toward the common good has emerged, often driven by public funds and willing self-exploitation, seeking to utilize for good what, in established turbo-capitalism, appears to be no longer usable. The up-cycling of household goods intertwines with the up-cycling of brownfield sites and old living and utility spaces. For the property owners, this often means recycling leftovers at the scrap heap. In the end, it is thermally recycled, but that will come later.

When the old no longer works, and the new is not yet fully recognizable, it is important to persevere and save oneself and one’s assets into the new era. This is also motivated by the hope that these resources will still have value in the new. Game A – the traditional economy – is sleepwalking into its own downfall, traveling further into the abyss than some would like, and at the same time less than others would like. In the end, it will be thermally recycled, but that will come later.

The protagonists see meaning in their actions and regularly confirm this in their exchange of code words. The common good and sustainability are highly valued. Finding a common language has always been a good thing, in every hunting party, whether in front of a pig in the forest or in front of a canned food in a container. Those who cultivate a common language can understand each other in a smart way… in the smart city.

So some people set out to ponder Game B. Everyone agrees. It will be a different game, much bigger, more fundamental, and it’s long overdue. Game A was results-oriented and ignored the time after the quarterly financial statements. Game B sees everything more in terms of movement, in the process. You start running differently when it’s definitely only 100 meters than when it could be a half marathon. The next 100 meters don’t come suddenly and unexpectedly. Or not?

sustainable development - a contradiction - Industrial wasteland in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
sustainable development – a contradiction – Industrial wasteland in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

In the chain, after the household clearance comes recycling and further use: secondhand, flea market, further processing, or even metabolization. But the question does arise: what is sustainable? In the end, it is thermally recycled, but that will come later.

The delicate thesis that sustainability is bad requires a good foundation, especially among the hunting party in front of the dumpster. It all probably starts with recognizing that terms from classic Game A are reused and reinterpreted, loaded with different conceptual concepts, and then, unfortunately—upon closer inspection—are no longer of much use in Game B.

As a young boy, I quickly realized that becoming an adult would also involve displacing old ideas and their protagonists and making room for my own, new ideas, namely, innovation. There was little desire or interest in preserving the old, tried-and-tested. As a young person, one saw all too clearly the finite usefulness of these old concepts. In the end, it ends up being thermally recycled, but that will come later.

So we turn the thesis into a mantra: Sustainability hinders innovation. And that’s not a bad thing. A counter-force can motivate, sort things out, and point the way.

As a young person, I wished for older people who would encourage my drive to bring the innovations I had in mind to life by simply clearing away what they themselves needed for their existence. There is no such thing as sustainable fashion. What should – and can – be sustainable when clearing out a household? The ice quickly becomes very thin when the terminology is strained by the demand for the content it conveys. The repetition of the term in a group promotes social interaction, and with clever placement, even one’s own status. But does that bring us closer to Game B?

This article first appeared in the blog of our decentralized community. Perhaps it is being read there right now, in its first life. It could have gained a second life in the form of a compendium in book form, as part of a common thread in the endeavor to rethink the concept of the term “community” – albeit with old brains. The article could gain a third life in constant citation, as a source for a story about Game B, perhaps written in C. For now, it remains digital. This article has no physical representation, apart from the accumulation of electrons in the RAM on your device at this moment. That is very fleeting. This website is attacked by 1,000 bots every day. The battle in the digital debate space claims its victims. The promise that better digital surveillance of citizens can put an end to this activity is absurd; even more absurd is to consider it possible, and even more absurd to believe it.

Perhaps this article will disappear altogether. The overhead costs of defense rise with the real threat. AI is helpful. The publication has no profit motive, but the use of bots does. It then looks as if a small community is losing access to the digital Roman Forum. The real loser is somewhere else. Do you have any ideas?

The landlords of leaky, poorly heated old industrial buildings are the recyclers of a declining industrial culture. They are still firmly entrenched in Game A. Ronny has somehow stepped out and changed gears and is searching for new relative equilibria in the chaotic system of life. With the sword of Damocles of constant rent payments, fixed costs, and the venture of being a sole proprietor in a post-factual society on the Magic Mountain, he is also firmly entrenched in the old Game A. In the end, it will be thermally recycled, but that will come later.

sustainable development - a contradiction - Industrial wasteland in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
sustainable development – a contradiction – Industrial wasteland in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Nature, on which all these games are based, appears to be the only sustainable thing. As subsystems, however, they can represent neither meaning nor sustainability. They come and go in the process of life. The sad thesis of the second law of thermodynamics will come to an end with the same prophecy. The process heat while reading this article provides a clue.

Ronny has quit his job in the public sector. After more than 10 years, he could no longer stand this working situation. He is committed to the common good. He himself speaks of his mission. Ronny left the civil service and landed in the public service. Now it is his self-determined service to and for the public.

As in so-called science, every attempt at a definition ends with a declaration of faith. Define sustainable. Define common good. Why the Indian mother sends her six children to the dye factory as child slaves is examined from a moral perspective, why she has so many children, fewer, and what her real alternative would be, probably not at all. As always, it gets complicated.

sustainable development - a contradiction - Industrial wasteland in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
sustainable development – a contradiction – Industrial wasteland in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Meanwhile, investors are buying up old debt securities cheaply so they can auction off attractive real estate even more cheaply. That’s totally Game A. Or not?

At the end, it will be thermally recycled, but that will come later. Or not?

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Allgemein, Bio garden, HU Windeck, Poultry keeping
One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - in-sights of a community - coming home
One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – in-sights of a community – coming home

This is the story of someone who set out into the world to find what was within him from the beginning. It is the story of a conquest in two steps, with almost 30 years in between. It is the story of a great love and it is the story of a humanitarian who couldn’t decide between cynic and hermit. And it is the story of people like Rachel, who wants to control a group by creating dependence on her. And above all, it is your story.

“Those who talk most about the system are those who want to step out.”

Some people know the famous film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by director Miloš Forman, starring Jack Nicholson as Randle Patrick McMurphy. 30 years ago, I would have written “everyone,” but the fragmentation of society has already progressed far.

In all ages, people set out to leave old communities and seek new ones. Some then find them. The old communities are often their own families, the neighbors’ kids down the street, colleagues at school and university. The many people who also knocked on our door in search of the right community often initially describe a longing for peace and quiet and a rejection of the intrusive norms and rules of a post-capitalist – now already post-factual – society. They are drawn to places where people meet without a sense of roles and devote their attention to what truly interests them – at that particular moment. After a short time, a sense of lack often sets in. On the one hand, they recognize that this way of life promises no security – nor does it contain any; on the other hand, it is laborious to recognize the new modes of real coexistence that arise from the composition of the group. A clear structure, the formulation of goals, milestones along the way, and, above all, good planning – against entropy and senseless redundancy – would be a much better endeavor. Instead of a “better” life, they are offered only a “different” life. In Familiafeliz and many other communities, we sometimes call these seekers “community tourists.” In fact, these people set out to find something ideal, put in a lot of effort, and are often very helpful and friendly. Some exploit themselves, others are happy to be exploited. Sometimes one gets the impression that failure is anticipated, and that the real reason for the visit is the search for proof that one’s own wish cannot be realized.

Then tension sets in. What was initially the tension of realizing that one’s own expectations and wishes are not adequately accepted and realized by the group of people one meets at Familiafeliz expands into tension with this group of “others.” And once again, one is left with the realization that one has not found the right thing, even though one had given so much and contributed so much to its success.

One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - in-sights of a community - post - industrial
One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – in-sights of a community – post – industrial

What began as a spatial journey always ends as a journey within oneself. It is not new to realize that one always brings oneself with oneself to the new place. Whoever wants to be happy will find this happiness within themselves. Circumstances may or may not contribute to the amplification, but ultimately it doesn’t matter: Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, or Al-Andaluz. This was a list, by the way, not a comparison. Today’s arts pages often denounce what appears to be a list and is intended to convey to the viewer as an outrageous comparison.

“Sovereign is someone who says no without justification.”

The beginning of Familiafeliz also has something to do with the reconstruction of a ruin in eastern Spain. The deliberate dedication of one’s life to rebuilding a ruin in a small mountain village and thus revitalizing the village is simply presumptuous because its effects are unforeseeable. Starting something without being able to assess the consequences—and knowing them—is a building block for one’s own happiness. Seeing failure as an opportunity is also helpful. With the purchase of the garden land, we were able to express that this desire to settle down goes much further. However, it was not intended as an appropriation and accumulation of values; rather, the acquisition of land was intended to contribute to one’s own nutrition and, above all, to offer future generations space for settlement and activity.

One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - in-sights of a community - trees falling
One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – in-sights of a community – trees falling

There were also magical moments: the first bag of cement in the house, which was mixed with sand and water on the floor with shovels, just as we had started with Lilli and Karl Heinz in France. And there was an iron rod that we had driven into the garden as a reference for all the flowerbeds and infrastructure. Every measurement begins with arbitrariness. And thus every measure also begins with arbitrariness.

A visitor once remarked that this weak community with such strong members must recognize that there are many weak people who are incapable of such arbitrariness and who nevertheless also need space, affection, and love, and who also deserve a chance. She’s right. But where this space lies is up to each individual.

In the face of the ignorance—even among friends—that is evident in decaying societies, one can become a cynic. If you’re also extroverted, the doors to the world’s stages are wide open, once at the theater on stage, now YouTube and Tic-toc. In these antisocial media, these cynics struggle for clicks, likes, and reach, yet, like all social beings, they lose themselves in the quest to be heard, if not listened to.

An alternative community then becomes the stage for their own performance, the audience claps because they think just as alternatively, and for a moment, there’s satisfaction that they’re not so alone after all. When the minority fantasizes about the future in the back room, the brave new world is possible, at least for a moment.

“Anyone who says it can’t be done without money wants to make a difference.”

Alternatively, you can seek the open spaces, distance yourself as far as possible from the structures of these societies. A community away from the villages, in a sparsely populated area, might be just the thing. There, nature touches you. The interfaces of society no longer hurt as much. That’s where you want to stay, with an in-house job on the field, with your own chickens, and only with your friends around you, who are also fed up with a society that is clearly falling apart, that dances on its own magic mountain, calls to arms, and already looks at the culprit. Anyone who doesn’t go along with it is an enemy. They are met with contempt and hatred, driven by their own insecurity. The cave becomes a comforting place of rest, and the shadows on the wall fade in the circle of fire.

In the showdown, these two groups meet in the alternative communities. The stage is set by the strong pioneers who begin without knowing where their journey really leads. They invite people with the desire to find like-minded people who also want to set out, who can lend a hand, who know about the hardship and aren’t afraid of it. And then come the cynics, who have chosen language and writing to get out and don’t understand that you build toilets first, then libraries. And then there are the dropouts who can’t leave and who want a safe space of peace. They all sit together, and it feels like a community, but not at all like the community one would like to be part of.

One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - in-sights of a community - trees
One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – in-sights of a community – trees

Randle Patrick McMurphy wants to escape forced labor in prison (the system). He simulates a mental illness. The system (society) reacts as expected. He is forcibly admitted to a clinic. There, however, he isn’t supposed to receive treatment in the sense of recovery; rather, he is supposed to learn the rules of the system. Don’t stand out, stay calm, adapt, take your pill. Efficiency then also requires conformity. The individual only gets in the way. And having fun is certainly not on the agenda. Humor is disruptive. Randle provokes and pulls some out of their lethargy. The consequences are catastrophic, for his fellow sufferers, and ultimately for him as well. The so-called system always reacts the same way. It treats the symptoms and is efficient in defending the status quo. Although these conditions may be described as “unsustainable,” they are perceived as fairly solid and lasting. But more than that, they are the recurrence of similar processes that build on one another and alternate. Every empire has its heyday, but also its before and after.

The people who gather on the hill at the edge of the wall, far from the village and the city, want to escape exploitation and arbitrary rule. But they are preparing the ground for even greater arbitrary rule.

“It’s the people who should be loved who can do something and don’t do it.”

The village of Cervera del Maestre in Castellon has always been a special place. Under the Moors, it was a strategic military pillar for occupation and defense. With its fall, a void was created that was filled by migrants from Cervera near Igualada in Catalonia. The poor families set out, quarried stones from the ruins, and used them to build the village we know today. They reclaimed the fallow land and, amazed, restarted the water management system of the old lords. These were pioneers who had no idea where their journey would lead. A community certainly also formed, one that spawned such clever initiatives as a “poor man’s bank.” It was also enough to build and fortify a mountain village, a safe place to harvest the crops despite the cold. The village was a village of Catalans in the diaspora. Surrounded by Valencians, they retained their language and culture and were successful in agriculture and trade. The Cerverinos—as they still proudly call themselves today—were so successful that one night the residents of Traguera came by and slaughtered most of the men to dampen their success somewhat. That’s how the old folks tell it.

All of this is history. All of this is a process. These processes follow one another, merge into one another, and alternate. At some point, it appears as a pattern, becomes obvious. And the thought arises that it is a kind of repetition.

Here, one read about the introverts, the extroverts, the doers, and the participants. A bridge was drawn from the old to the new history, and from the communities of yesteryear to the alternative ones of today. It was a journey through the thoughts of a person living in community. One might get the impression that all the protagonists of this story are the many, and that oneself is the individual. But isn’t it also the story of oneself, one’s own soul, inhabited by all the players with their roles, struggling for the best path through life.

When you watch a small child play, you can enjoy how one moment they are a construction worker, the next a policeman, the next a bus driver, and then a child in the sandbox. The child switches roles so quickly, seamlessly, without the weight of adults. They try things out, or they are tried out. Perhaps all these individuals live as memes in the soul and are nothing other than the archetypes of societies. And in the child, they try things out and take on this essence. In the end, one often gains the upper hand. The others sink back into the unconscious.

One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - in-sights of a community - climate change
One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – in-sights of a community – climate change

When all these role models meet in the subconscious soul of each person, and when all these archetypes find themselves reflected in life around the fire circle, then the soul is the place of the event. Then the first great love would be love for oneself—and for one’s strengths and weaknesses. Then the first peace would be peace with oneself.

“Sinnhaft ist auch Haft. (A play on the words in German, meaning: whoever seeks meaning also locks himself in.)”

Coming from the Savannah, we are able to find our way in manageable groups. Two hundred people are too many; a clan of 64 is still manageable.

According to Bernstein and Lowy, the life of a group can be divided into several phases: orientation, power struggles, familiarity, differentiation, and separation. What would a world look like in which these phases find space simultaneously, within oneself and within one’s own group? What would happen if one allowed all these phases to exist within oneself and within one’s own group?

“It will be as it is.”

The photos in this article are impressions from our home in Windeck near Cologne. They tell many stories that are only revealed to those who ask. They were taken at the same time as this article was written. The quotes are from encounters with people in the Familiafeliz community.

One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - in-sights of a community - the bird flu control group
One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – in-sights of a community – the bird flu control group

“The best thing we can do is go on with our daily routine,” says the repressive Head Nurse Ratched in the famous film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Most people seek support in structures and then lose themselves to those who provide them. The price is sometimes their own life.

Just for You!

Allgemein, CASAdelDRAGON, HU Cervera del Maestre, sculpture garden
buenavista cervera cologne - cathedral - bench communication
buenavista cervera cologne – cathedral – bench communication

This is an article just for you. Yes. It’s published here on the Familiafeliz community website. This website is accessed from time to time by many friends. We keep them up to date on current developments and projects. Thus, most articles, written and edited by one or a few, are aimed at the many out there who use the media to learn about what’s happening here.

But this article is only aimed at one person. So, it may be that you are that person, but it would also not be unlikely if you were not the recipient of this message. What would then be a good reason to continue reading? A good reason might be to continue reading to find out if you could be the person addressed here. And if, at the end, you think you aren’t, to ask yourself why not.

When we founded the Familiafeliz community many years ago, we wanted to bring to life an idea of how people could organize themselves beyond economics, without hierarchies, without power constellations, without profit-taking, without fear.

We wanted to establish a holistic, open idea that would find its own way through people’s minds and hearts.

Above all, we also wanted to create a community characterized by the fact that the places (of this community) woo people, and not the other way around.

Historically, our community grew out of the experience of a temporary international community whose goal was to rebuild CASAdelDRAGON. And life in this temporary community—usually around Easter and for 1-2 months in the summer of each year—was strongly influenced by the life partnership of two founding members.

buenavista cervera cologne - cathedral - bench alter ego
buenavista cervera cologne – cathedral – bench alter ego

Along the way, there were far fewer decisions to be made than one would like to claim in retrospect. The ego wants recognition, but in doing so, it often obscures the fact that success is always something for the many, and rarely something for the individual.

And success is always about timing. Sometimes it was right, but often it wasn’t. In retrospect, it’s always easy to find a common thread running through a story. Then everything makes sense. Anecdotes follow one another in an entertaining way, and in the end, everyone comes to the conclusion that – in this case – things couldn’t have turned out any other way.

It’s not just the temporary victors who practice falsifying history; people as a whole also tend to repeatedly tell history in such a way that they come out looking good, and that they couldn’t have acted any differently and thus essentially did the best they could.

It’s more likely, however, that everyone involved would have told this story differently, had they only been willing to publish their perspective here. They were always and still are invited to do so. While some viewed this platform as a news blog for a decentralized community, it is much more a document of the Zeitgeist, which manifests itself in the sum of subjective views, when they are published.

There we have it again, the difference between public opinion and publicly published opinion. Only in this case, it’s up to the actors and auditors themselves to decide whether they want to publish something.

This article is about the words trust and confidence, and about the words property and ownership. And it’s about what connects these two pairs of words.

Many people use the word trust very often. They usually also express appreciation. This appreciation also signals openness, a willingness to disarm, a willingness to abandon lines of resistance in order to be more receptive to the social, human, and interpersonal. I have the impression that this trust is mentioned and named, but that there is always a fear or anxiety about possible misuse, and that the person in whom the trust is placed is being granted an advance. This word thus extends into the realm of expectations.

Expectations are describable notions of expected behavior, in light of one’s own prior commitment.

buenavista cervera cologne - cathedral - bench shopping tour
buenavista cervera cologne – cathedral – bench shopping tour

I consciously tend to use the word confidence in my communication. I often receive special attention during conversations. Especially people who like to trust are irritated by the use of this other word. I like to use this attention to emphasize the essential difference for me and then explain why I prefer this word much better at this point in the communication.

Like trust, confidence is a mental concept that simulates the future. With trust, its occurrence is not only expected; it is practically morally required. Failure to fulfill it is often described as a breach of trust. After one’s initial effort, the expected result must occur; otherwise, one has been betrayed, is the often-argued argument. People who often use trust explicitly have also often been disappointed. Thus, the mental reward system pre-programmed the release of endophene even when disappointment occurs again. Then it happens again, and the victim remains comfortably in their comfort zone.

Confidence as a co-player—not as an adversary—releases the person so described into a freedom of action. When I trust someone to do something, I am only describing my simulation of their ability, but I am not saying anything about whether the application of that ability—which is positive for me—will then occur in the future.

I trust you to make me happy. That is a gift without a double bottom. It is not a Trojan horse as a vehicle for my wishes and desires. It does not restrict. It leaves the future open, for both. The person addressed in this way is capable of behaving exactly as he or she wishes or differently. They remain free in their reactions. I myself do not create expectations that, on the one hand, cast a veil over the reality of the reaction of the person so addressed, as I observe it; on the other hand, I remain open to neutrally observe and accept the predictable consequences of the other person’s reaction. I relieve the other person of burdens, and I relieve myself of burdens, when I communicate confidence instead of trust.

The tiger in the Savannah owns the hunted game. It drags it back to the tribe, takes its share, and leaves the rest to the clan, especially its close relatives. It marks the territory in which it currently resides. It claims the portion of the prey it consumes as its own property.

Early humans also knew something like possession. The voluntary, consensual or non-consensual claim to immediate, autonomous, and unrestricted use.

buenavista cervera cologne - cathedral - bench blooming landscape
buenavista cervera cologne – cathedral – bench blooming landscape

How the word “property” may have found its way into human thought structures is not so easy to discern. It appears to be an intermediate level, intentionally inserted between natural law and the moral idea of taking possession as a socially accepted act within the clan and community. This begs the question: by whom? Was it the chief, who, via the detour of religion and his authority to explain, interpret, and apply it based on religion, who created the idea that there was something more fundamental than ownership? And if so, what was his intention?

If property, as stated in the law, obligates and grants in return the sovereignty to temporarily lend one’s possessions – often in exchange – it declares a levy to the owner as legitimate. This explains why the introduction of the concept of property had value for a small segment of a community that, as stewards of the greater good, felt called upon to allocate or even withdraw this property.

Property as an idea is therefore an instrument of domination. And it is associated with expectations that it is the owner’s responsibility to fulfill.

In many so-called Western countries, the concepts of possession and ownership are unclearly defined and often confused, not least to obscure the true balance of power. Anyone who loses their home because they don’t pay taxes is probably just an owner, even if they are persuaded that they own it so that they can then be held morally responsible.

In international law, a state is considered sovereign if it can declare a state of emergency. In so-called democracies, the people are often referred to as sovereign. In recent years, this has seemed more like a misnomer. In ancient Greece, democracy was the cultural response to the ongoing murders within the ranks of the elite in the struggle for power. Back then, 1% of the population had granted themselves a kind of arena for intellect so as not to constantly be at each other’s throats. 99% of the population, mostly slaves, were never part of this opinion-forming process.

In ancient law, anyone who was allowed to carry weapons in public was free.

A true owner can be assumed if their availability is considered unrestricted, their destruction is permitted, and their continued use requires neither an explanation nor justification, nor a tax payment.

Squatting is thus a second-order seizure, since even the so-called owner is in reality merely a possessor who loses the property if they fail to pay taxes. In this way, only the state is actually the owner, and as an immature lackey, a guardian is required, which the respective elite is happy to provide.

In the tension between possession and ownership, just as with the concept of trust, expectations operate. The notarized transfer of ownership expects tax payment and the maintenance and preservation of a temporary right granted to the public (which generally also secures the right of first refusal). The temporary transfer of ownership to the tenant of the property is organized contractually and formulates a host of expectations associated with the transfer. Likewise, the owner expects the owner to maintain the property taken into possession.

Possession as a mental concept can still be imagined without expectations. Ownership, not so much. A child running across a meadow reaches for a flower. Without the concepts of possession and ownership, it grasps and appropriates the flower. Subdue the world as a mandate; know the unexpecting taking of possession, but not ownership.

buenavista cervera cologne - cathedral - bench silkroad
buenavista cervera cologne – cathedral – bench silkroad

This is not a call to violence. This is not a critique of capitalism. This is not a fact-checked narrative for or against anything. It’s nothing more—but also nothing less—than a mind game about the dominance of thought concepts in our heads, the consequences for their creators, for their carriers, and for the target audience, who—reflectively or not—adopt it and pass it on as a meme to future generations.

The thesis is bold. What would it be like in a world where trust is rejected and confidence prevails, where property as a concept is discarded and possession takes its place, accompanied by the moral appreciation of one’s own clan? It would be a better world!

But, and this is where things come to a full circle for you. Would it be your world?

… read also the reply to this article from Andreas here.