lenses and life lessons

In 2006, I decided to apply to live at an intentional community which I will call Sun Valley (not its real name). At the time, I felt like I was in a rut that I didn't see a way out of, and I wanted a change. I wanted to be part of something that that was moving the world towards solving its problems. I didn't expect that my being blind would present a significant obstacle in terms of my being able to live there. After all, egalitarianism was one of their core values. They had rejected the capitalist tendency to judge people by how productive they were, and they wanted to create something better. Or so I reasoned at the time. The main issue I foresaw had to do with another aspect of egalitarianism being one of their core values. Would they want me to liquidate my IRA? If so, then would I be willing to do it? So I contacted them and planned a three-week visit to begin the process of applying for membership.

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