The Fourth Chamber Inwards

This week, explore your idealism by designing a utopian society where everything is as it should be - according to you. Some areas to consider: how to make agreements and resolve conflicts, guidelines for behaviour, community principles, systems for communication, housing, and the economy. You might borrow from existing cultures, creating a "bill of rights" or "twelve steps" as well as inventing new values and forms that incorporate your own ideals. DO not forget to include fun and pleasure and allow your imagination full reign. As you construct your utopia, study the culture in which you live now, noting what you would retain and what you would change. Here is how I began: I have named my ideal society Escapadia, where we live in small, self-governing communities. We live close to the earth, eating what we grow and trading skills, tools, and art with other communities. Violence is forbidden and nearly forgotten. We use computer technology to participate in global efforts, but our main concerns are listening to the earth, communicating with other creatures, and enjoying the beauties of this planet. Country line-dancing and two-stepping are national pastimes...

First of all, I could not do this exercise without admitting to absolutely hating the term 'Escapadia' and railing against people all-the-bloody-time misusing the term Utopia. Utopia does not mean 'perfect place' it means 'no place' and I personally believe More was using the work as social satire on the state of England during his time, not something he could actively do outside a body of fiction. Additionally, I believe using the term encourages us to actively look outside of ourselves to find a state of ideal perfection. That is not going to happen until we achieve inner balance, and once we have that, then our inner world eclipses the outer and there is no need for the fruitless external search.

Ideally, though, people would live according to their means and needs. Nature would be respected as a finite resource to be managed sustainably and nurtured. Development would be smart and implemented with the aim of benefiting all, not just the developers. Individuals would be honoured for their gifts, not for contorting and squeesing themselves into cookie-cutter moulds and denying their personality.

In short, the ideal society would begin by adopting and implementing sage advice from a few thousand years ago: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.