I am a fan of Star Trek, and have recently been re-watching Voyager. I watched an episode with the Borg, and it reminded me of something that came up at the National Cohousing Conference last year- assimilation.

If you aren’t familiar with the Borg, here’s an overview. They are “bad guys”- a collective of cybernetic humanoids (drones) linked with a hive mind. They assimilate populations and those innocent people become Borg. They are very persistent and adapt easily. Resistance is futile. But of course, our heroes always manage to defeat the Borg, even if it takes a few episodes to do it.

Back to the cohousing conference- one of the workshops I attended was about welcoming new members into the community. The presenter said new members must assimilate, or be exiled. We all chuckled, but recognized some truth to it. The presenter continued explaining, that when new people come, they have new ideas, and new energy. Which means “different” ideas and “different” energy. Which then means, it’s not the same way we’ve always done it, which means change, which is scary! And that can often result in conflict.

So what happens with that conflict? The new member gives up and assimilates to the old way, or they push their new ideas and become exiled. If that’s the case, often they are unhappy and end up moving out, which just begins the cycle again because there will be new people with new energy.

It was an eye opening lecture and discussion. It made me look inward and think about how have I responded to new ideas in the community? How was I treated when I first came and began participating? Am I one of the “bad guys” forcing assimilation? How can I help to welcome new members and encourage their new ideas and energy?

We have been facing a lot of change this year, and many of us are just worn out from all of it- the pandemic, the wildfire smoke, politics, and endless lists of stuff that needs getting done in the community with no energy to do it. Our meetings are virtual and our opportunities for connecting with one another in person are sparse. The pandemic has disrupted and limited our opportunities for connection. It has been tough for me to be a good community member right now. So I wonder, what kind of a community are we welcoming new people into right now? Would anyone want to be assimilated right now?

Since I’ve been here a while, I know this place to be a caring and supportive community with respectful people of varied interests and abilities. It is a community that strives to meet our mission, vision, and values. Community members are interesting and creative, and I am confident we will figure out new ways to keep connected as this pandemic continues. I am happy and grateful to live in this community.

I hope that prospective members will see that this is a vibrant community and great place to live. And maybe assimilation isn’t as bad as it seems on television.