DAMANHUR... a Laboratory for the Future

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DAMANHUR... a Laboratory for the Future

Damanhur is a collective dream transformed into reality thanks to the creative power of positive thought.

It is a laboratory for the future, a seed that has been growing for over thirty years, constantly transforming and renewing itself so as to bring to life the reality its citizens together dreamed of and built. From the founders, a mere dozen people, to the thousand living today in or near the communities, the history of the Federation is witness to a project that has come to life, has grown and today is reaching out with a planet-wide commitment, as a new people bringing innovation and values, interweaving sociality, spirituality and respect for the environment, the recovery of ancient traditions and advanced technological research, with its roots deep in the territory, service and voluntary work conjoined with attention for everything happening in the world.

It is a profound vision of the ideal with its feet well planted on the ground.

Thinking of the future in a positive manner and translating ideas into actions and concrete achievements are essential steps to build the new culture of peace, so needed in this age. This is the commitment of Damanhur for the future.

Daily Life

Daily Life is based upon sharing, on exchange with others and on the commitment of everyone to bring alive their own dreams and their shared one.

The social structure and the political system have been changed many times over the course of the years, from the first communities up to the present Federation, giving rise to a democratic system with representatives and elected bodies based upon the active participation of all the citizens in public debate.

All the changes to the rules and regulations are ratified in accordance with the Constitution, which has been updated several times, so that it always reflects the aims of the citizens of Damanhur. Damanhur offers various possibilities for citizenship according to the level of commitment that each person chooses: from those who live full time within the community to those who are linked to the project of the Federation while still living outside.

The citizens who chose the community formula live in large houses where nucleo-families are formed of around twenty people.

In the same house there are couples, couples with children, single people, young and old people living in the communities. This permits an exchange of experiences among all the different age groups.

Everyone has their own personal space and shares with the others the communal areas such as the kitchen and the meeting rooms, the gardens and the territory.The houses and lands belong to building and agricultural cooperatives of which all the resident Damanhurians are associate members.
   
According to their own preferences, the Damanhurians live in apartments in the villages of the valley, or in houses or on farms in woodland or in rural areas in contact with nature. Often experiments are carried out in the field of self sufficiency.

Every Damanhurian chooses where and with whom to live, according to their own personal inclinations and their own goals. The children live with their parents and every citizen feels responsible for their well-being and is involved in looking after them and supporting them.
   
In the summer of 2007, a new experiment was started, suggested by the older children: some teenagers live together in a nucleo entirely organised and managed by themselves. For the elderly people, there are structures set up to take care of each person’s needs. Giving attention to the elderly is a point of excellence of the Damanhurian social system, which tends not only to guarantee the very best practical conditions for an individual, including any assistance that might be needed but also to value the experience that living a long life can provide to the others.

No smoking, please! It is forbidden to smoke anywhere on the territory of Damanhur, both indoors and outdoors, as a form of respect for all living forms both physical and subtle.It is also forbidden to use narcotic drugs and make excessive use of alcohol or medicinal drugs.

Source: http://www.damanhur.org