Utopia

Many people believe that a utopian society includes being financially stable, happiness, and equality. When people think of utopia they may imagine a wonderful place that may only be idealistic and is not achievable in today’s world. I believe the only way we can go to a utopian place is in our dreams whether it is when we sleep at night or zone out in the middle of class or at work. Maybe the only way a utopia might exist is when a person is able to envision their utopia, but is not be able to stay there for a long duration. People daydream about their utopias to escape from the problems in their realities and to go to a better place where everything is going great. In their utopia, they might imagine equality, peace, happiness, and stability.

In Utopia by Wislawa Szyborska, throughout the reading she explains a utopia that is on an island. Syzborska explains when people are on the island they have knowledge about everything, but humans are not allowed to stay in this utopia. “As if all you can do here is leave and plunge, never to return, into the depths. Into unfathomable life” (Syzborska). Personally, I believe a utopian society can happen when people are only allowed to leave and never return. As humans, we love to destroy things whether we take notice or not for our actions. In our dreams, we are only there for a short duration of time and usually do not return to that same exact dream. Our utopian societies cannot be destroyed if humans cannot stay nor return to our vision of utopia.

In Virginia, the Twin Oaks community is considered to be a utopian society. In Twin Oaks people are open-minded and everyone participates in the community. The citizens do not believe in gender roles and considers everyone equal. People who do not live in Twin Oaks are allowed to visit and take tours in Twin Oaks on the weekends, but they are not allowed to stay in Twin Oaks. The residents of Twin Oaks can leave anytime they do not desire to wish in the community anymore. I believe Twin Oaks is able to be considered a utopian society since all the residents are equal and people are not forced to only live in Twin Oaks. Also, I suppose utopias can only work in small towns or sections and not internationally. There are not as many things humans can destroy in a small town rather than a whole country.

Maybe Twin Oaks was one man’s dream a while ago becoming a reality. He envisioned that everyone must be involved in the community to be able to make the community a utopia. “The average stay of a Twin Oaks resident is about eight years” (Robertson). People change overtime and maybe utopian societies do not become a reality for most people because we constantly change our opinions and ideas overtime. We are not the person we are last year, today. Within a year we gain more knowledge and experience life in different ways that may influence our thoughts and actions differently.

Located in Lewis County, Tennessee, The Farm is a utopian society that was established in 1971. The Farm is a place for people to have peace and to be nonviolent. The residents at The Farm realize that their community is not perfect and most likely will never be. Although, the community has a remarkable ability to evolve and change. They adapt and survive through the good times and the bad, making this a realistic model for a utopia. The individuals in the community have a single purpose which is to make a positive difference in the world for future generations.

There are a few communities in the world that are considered to be a utopian society. Maybe those communities were created because someone wanted their dream of a utopia to become a reality where others can be a part of. People may always dream about their utopia, but they might be too frightened to make it a reality or do not know how to make it a reality.

Works Cited:

"Utopia" by Wislawa Szyborska
"A Cultivated Community" by Gary Robertson
The Farm Community Website

Briana L.

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