Page 5 - C.A.L.L. #22 - Fall 2003
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No Heavenly Delusion? Issues and Thoughts.
By the author Michael Tyldesley
The researching and writing of No Heavenly Delusion? raised a number of issues in my mind, and some of
these have only really crystallised now that the book is finished and published. In no specific order let
me go through them.
Looking at movements (Kibbutz, Bruderhof and they are “stuck” there, with other options looking
Integrierte Gemeinde) that had their background to rather risky? There are, of course, good reasons
some extent in the “German” Youth Movement for communes adopting such procedures; how can
raised the question of the roots of the movements. a commune possibly plan a course of development
It was interesting to see how these different if it stands to loose a huge proportion of its
movements felt about their roots. The Bruderhof resources at a moments notice? Although the
take a broadly positive view of the Youth Integrierte Gemeinde is not a commune per se it is
Movement from which they emerged in the 1920s. a very real community. Perhaps its modus
For the Integrierte Gemeinde, on the other hand, operandi of combining continued personal or
the break with the traditional Catholic Youth family holding of resources, with community life
Movement of immediate post World War Two and also with a system whereby potential new
Germany was a vital step towards becoming members undergo craft apprenticeships in order to
something ‘new’, a very important point for them. ensure that they will always have a trade to fall
The reality of the Holocaust and the failure of back upon should they choose to leave the
Christians in Europe to prevent it made any return community, has a lesson for communards to
to earlier forms problematic. The Kibbutz simply ponder.
seems to see the Youth Movements as one of its
sources. It speaks with a less unified voice than The final issue that came to mind is what one
the other movements, and there are certainly might call the “City on the Hill” factor. Communes
voices to be found in Kibbutz history who have are often set up in order to teach the rest of us
raised serious questions about these movements. some lessons about life by witnessing to strongly
That said, I found it very interesting that it is from held beliefs about the right way to live life. As I
the classical Zionist Youth Movements that a said earlier, to change the world – obviously for
possible source of renewal of the Kibbutz is the better. To rephrase Paolo Soleri, communes
emerging: the Urban Kibbutz. This is a fairly new are often “social laboratories”. Communal failure
phenomenon, and we cannot as yet judge what its is easy to report and deride; see the mainstream
lasting impact will be. But this does suggest that press, who love to unearth this kind of failure and
Youth Movements can represent sources of mock it – often with the subtext that “normal”
renewal for communal movements, bringing new bourgeois life in modern, developed societies is
generations with new ideas to longstanding bodies. the best of all ways for us to live. Let’s remember
that often communes DO have important lessons
The second issue that has struck me as being for the rest of society. Anyone who has spent any
important was that of freedom and free choice in time at a Bruderhof will be aware of the way in
commitment to life in community. This, I think, is which the older members of that community are
a question that goes beyond the three movements socially integrated into the life around them, as
I studied, with a wider relevance for life in against the segregation of old people into social
communes. When people choose to live spaces that the rest of us very rarely go into, like
communally, how can that commitment remain a “old folks’ homes”. The rest of society has quite a
freely given one? If all that the communards own bit to learn from that – to cite just one instance
is given in to the collective at the point of joining, that comes to mind. To end on a positive note;
and perhaps no guarantees given about its return perhaps communes and researchers into communal
should communards choose to leave, then does matters should be prepared to be a little bit
continued membership still reflect deeply held clearer about such instances. It’s perhaps too
beliefs or might it result from inertia? Could easy to get involved in considering the micro-
people who joined a commune in order to change politics of communes and writing about
the world end up remaining there simply because spectacular failures.
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