Craig Ragland, Cohousing

Name: Craig Ragland
Age: 50
Location: Songaia Cohousing, Bothell, WA
Occupation: Executive Director, Cohousing Association of the United States
Marital Status: Married since 1980. One son, age 24.

"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, yeah, you just might find you'll get what you need."

I simply cannot answer the question "What is the meaning of life," as I do not embrace the inherent assumptions. First, "the meaning" assumes there is a singular purpose. Second, I believe life is a vast, interdependent array of processes - countless species interacting with each other and their environments so not only is it incredibly arrogant for a human to state "life's purpose," but it really is a meaningless act.

I believe that purpose or meaning can only arise from mind purpose is a projection of ideas, emotions, and values. When we speak of our purpose we share a story of our lives - and of how we, as discrete individuals, relate to "the other" - other humans, other living beings, and the universe.

What I can comfortably address is "the meaning I hold for my life." I feel fortunate in having the freedom to look beyond my basic physical and emotional needs to define and try to live out a purpose that matters to me. My purpose is to creatively grow goodness and to do it with other people. This can be done many different ways. While what I believe to be "good" may not ring true for you, this very ambiguity adds real zest for those of us who try. Specifically, I focus a great deal of my life energy on the intentional creation of sustainable, human community. I do this by supporting people who come together to form groups to consciously live life together in the form of Cohousing communities.

Cohousing is a particular model of intentional community a collaborative form of housing in which a group of people create a neighborhood for themselves, their families, their future neighbors, and the earth. I embrace the way that the co-creation of cohousing empowers people to step above the consumer-limited culture to make more conscious decisions about their lives. A life in cohousing is one of relationship, rather than isolation of shared, local culture, rather than consumer-focused mass-media. For many years, I have actively worked and played to help create and sustain Songaia Cohousing, a specific cohousing community near Seattle. More recently, I've assumed and embraced a role helping to lead the broader Cohousing movement with the Cohousing Association of the United States. This non-profit is about helping more people discover and thrive as they create a better earth, one cohousing neighborhood at a time.

I invite you to learn more about Cohousing and consider whether this type of living may meet more of your needs whether a life in community might empower you to better understand, define, and live your purpose.