Oldal 272 [272]
Figure 6. Eco-community of Nyim, Hungary, 2022. Photo: Judit Ruprech
of schools in or near the community; the early separation of children from the
family for lack of schools; what happens when someone is physically weakened,
whether through illness, accident or simply old age; what happens when parents
who live far away need care; how to deal with situations when an individual becomes
disillusioned with the community or lifestyle; what happens in the event of divorce;
or if they cannot find a suitable mate in the community? How can one find a
balance in their lives between ideology and principles on the one hand and feasibility
and reality on the other, without breaking down physically and spiritually?!* “We
didn’t start this life to be broken, to be physically and spiritually crippled and end
up hating it all. We want to live happily” (K.E. 2010). Ecovillagers and ecocommunity
members have many experiences of all this. In many cases they have found balance
in their lives and can help newcomers avoid making the same mistakes.
Afterword
When I started researching and talking about ecovillages in Hungary around
2007, I had to explain in detail each time what an ecovillage was, what
environmental, economic and social problems their existence reflected, and what
an ecological lifestyle meant. Companion planting, composting toilets, mulching
or the shopping community were mostly unfamiliar concepts. This worldview and
way of life aroused interest and curiosity in some people, but also puzzlement in
others. Many, as the American political scientist Karen Litfin put it, saw the
Fluctuation is high in the communities, for the reasons listed above, among other things.
I have been carrying out cultural anthropological research in — primarily Hungarian — ecovillages
since 2007. The methods I use are customary in anthropology: participating in observation,
making interviews, collecting and elaborating written sources, doing online fieldwork.