Once upon a time in Amaurot, 1505
A day in the “original” Utopia.
More than half century ago it’s just another sunny day in Amaurot, the vibrant and thriving capital of Utopia. And at this very moment in time a little bit outside of the city a young man enjoys his free time in a beautifully green and silent place. He could not have picked a better location to escape the vibes of the city.
While overlooking the hilly green lands which stretches all the way towards the blue sparkling ocean, he comfortably sits in the shadow of a tree atop a hill. It is easy to day-dream away but he is persisted to read and learn as much as he can from the books written in the old world far away called Europa.
For him it feels magical that through books you can read the minds and thoughts of the masters in Europe. And while words and sentences connects him to the great minds of the old world, he only knows the new world called America. Moreover, he might never go to Europe and being able to meet those masters, cause why would he want to go back to a less-ideal place?
He knows the old world through stories from his parents and other elders that left the old world to find and build an ideal place. What he understands is that compared to Utopia the old world has become too overcomplicated, crooked, dangerous and chaotic at the same time. While the elite holds-on to their acclaimed privilege’s and wealth the growing group of dissatisfied common folks desire and more often demands change.
His parents often describe Utopia as Paradise-like compared to the old world which in their view approaches the Hell-like status and always conclude by saying “god bless them”.
It might be a bit self centered but hearing these stories of Europe always makes him feel grateful to have such a comfortable, harmonious and fulfilling life in Utopia.
And I hear you think, what, where and when was this place called Utopia?
Utopia was a fictional land located in the new world, somewhere along the coast of present day south California. In terms of size it was pretty much comparable to present day Taiwan or Hawaii. To enter Utopia one had to navigate through an narrow, rocky and impossible channel. This protected the island from unwelcome foreign fleets, no matter the size!
Local sailors however knew the channel like the back of their hand. For them a convenient dock awaited along the glorious coastline in the bay of Utopia, as soon as they had defied the narrow and rocky entrance once again.
The bay was the gateway to the more than fifty large and well established cities in the hinterland including Amaurot the capital which was naturally located in the center. The positioning of cities was well thought-out, in fact, it never took longer than one day by foot to go from one to the other. Cities slightly varied in size and shape but no city had ambitions or intentions to expand beyond their boundaries since the landlords considered themselves tenants of collective property. This, among others, made Utopia a peaceful and harmonious civilization.
In the rural areas in between the larger cities numerous farmhouses were strategically spread over the island to ensure sufficient and proper distribution of provisions at all time. Each farmhouse was well equipped for country labor and in order to maintain a proper workforce at each side reinforcements from the cities were send on a regular basis. In this case all country families had at least forty men and women, besides two slaves. And while a magistrate overlooks thirty families in a region, each family has a master and a mistress. A clear and efficient way to govern the island.
The credo of life in Utopia was solidarity. Everyone helps each other in case of need and surpluses are equally distributed among one another. In addition, all gold was stored only to be used for the civilization in case of an emergency or disaster. In this civilization showing-off is out-of-the-question! Whether a peasant or a noblemen, elevating oneself through fine clothes decorated with gold and other jewelry is despised and seen as pathetic and childish. Only for strictly practical purposes one would wear distinct clothes, badges or accessories to distinguish for example gender, slaves or the married from the unmarried.
Slavery, by the way, was also a form of punishment for disobeying citizens rather than the death penalty. Only when all else failed the death penalty would apply. The civilization only has few, clear and simple laws so everyone could understand and comply. It showed an alternative to the old world where laws became unreasonably complex and vast in proportion therefore making them unreadable for the everyman. And how can one expect someone to obey a law if they are unable to remember let alone understand them.
Education is above all considered an integral part of society and one lives by the principle of a lifelong-learning. People wake up early to work 6 hours (only) and go to bed at 8 o’clock in the evening. The remaining hours are free to spend but ought to be spend wisely such as reading. Due to this discipline, citizens are in almost everything at least as wise as the famous ancient Greek philosophers. Therefore the place also thrives in new discoveries and inventions which enhances the comfort of life.
Besides agriculture and reading, which is a common activity for all, every man has a personal trade most applicable to their skills. Women are, however, expected to do the milder work such as preparing food, cooking, deal in wool and flax. Men, in contrast, do the tougher jobs such as producing wool, flax, masonry, smith’s work and carpenter’s work. Dirty and unpleasant tasks are done by slaves. The leaders see to it that each citizen contributes to society, work hard and in no case is idle.
Long story short, a perfect and ideal civilization, don’t you think?
Well, whether you agree with it or not, it was an ideal civilization in the eyes of Thomas More and his contemporaries in the 16th century. In fact, it was described in great detailed in the original Utopia first published in Leuven in 1516.