“How do I imagine a utopian community to live?”

Throughout the semester, we have read multiple books and written many papers that have helped shaped my vision of a utopia. I think I have a clear understanding of what my utopia would look like, with its ideals and social structure. But even after everything I have learned about utopias, imagining how this community would live is still somewhat difficult for me. This may be because my utopia is just that- it’s a utopia, an ideal world that does not exist. I have difficulty picturing how this community would live because this community is not practical. However, after experiencing first hand a form of a utopia, Twin Oaks, and conducting my own research on a utopian-like community, I think I can better imagine how this community would live. In my utopia, the way the community lives would reflect the beliefs and ideals of the community, and the overall quality of life would be a result of this lifestyle.

First and foremost, I think a utopian community would live an agricultural lifestyle. I have learned that being able to grow your own food is an important aspect of being a self-sufficient society. Part of what it means to be a utopia is being isolated from the rest of the world, and in order to completely isolate yourself, you need to not rely on the outside world for anything. Farming enables these communities to isolate themselves from the rest of society. It also creates a sense of self-pride and fosters a community of hard workers. When you work hard to provide food for yourself and your community, you feel good about yourself. Farming is not an easy way of life, and it requires long hours and hard work to ensure successful harvests and enough food to provide for the entire community. I imagine the members of the community fetching eggs early in the morning for breakfast before beginning their long day of work in the field. And after working all day, I imagine the members cooking dinner with the vegetables they have grown. It is this simple, but arduous way of life that I imagine a utopian community would live.

I think the idea of a hardworking way of life is an important aspect of how a utopian community would live. The members would work hard together everyday to ensure that they have enough food, supplies, and anything the community needs to not only survive but also to thrive. The members would not be constantly working, but rather, the time spent working would be spent most effectively. This cooperative, hardworking lifestyle rids the community of laziness and grants a sense of appreciation for what they have. There is no poverty in a utopia, and much of this is due to the hardworking nature of the community, for when they work together, they are able to produce more supplies than needed. These supplies can then be distributed equally among all members of the society. Knowing that you are responsible for supporting yourself and your community and that you worked hard to make that happen makes you appreciate what you have so much more. This appreciation for life is a key aspect of my utopia.

Another important part of the way a utopian community would live is that they would live communally. Although this may seem obvious, my version of communal living may not be everyone’s definition of communal living. To me, communal living means that everyone lives together on the same property, but each person or family has their own house or living space that they can decorate or customize as their own. I think maintaining a sense of individuality among a community that shares everything is important in upholding the culture and uniqueness of the community. Clothes could be shared, but you could also claim some as clothes as your own. As long as everyone in the community is clothed, I see no problem with people having a little something to call their own. All big items in the community would be shared, such as cars. Communal living ensures that no one is homeless or without clothes, and that no one is forced to stay on their property because they cannot afford a car. There would be a communal dining room where everyone would eat their meals. I think eating meals together is an important part of the way the community lives. This is a time for the whole community to be together to talk, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. Being together for meal time brings the community together and no matter what hardships or arguments any members endured that day, they are reminded that they are surrounded by a multitude of people that care about them and share their same ideals and values. This fosters a true sense of community, and is an important ideal of my utopia.

I think all these aspects of how a utopian community would live, a hardworking, communal and cooperative, farming lifestyle, really contribute to the overall idea of how I would imagine this society to live, and that is in harmony. The members of the community would live in peace and harmony with one another, and that is because of their ways of life. These ways of life rid the community of many social issues that we are faced with today, and it puts all members on equal terms. No one is better off than anyone else, and no one is reduced to poverty because all are working hard to produce enough food and supplies for everyone. Knowing that you have a house to live in, food to eat, and clothes to wear alleviates a lot of stress, and this increases the quality of life. If I were asked how I imagine a utopian community to live, I would say I imagine them living an agricultural lifestyle of hard work and communal living.