I have an ambitious idea for a story. No clue if I will actually write it. I tend to come up with a lot of ideas and snippets of ideas, but one of these times it'll stick, right?
Anyway, here's the gist.
A rich guy builds his own utopia, a small-town community. He invites various people to join him in a 5-year project. The ultimate goal is to show the rest of humanity that solving the world's problems is within reach.
The main storyline will include the struggles they face as they build this utopian town. It may also include interactions with the outside world. The overall message will be positive but not naive, blind to the pitfalls humanity faces daily.
Benchmarks for a successful community
All members of the community will have their basic needs met.
- Shelter
- Food
- Clothing
- Education
- Healthcare
Another benchmark of the community will be the level of fairness and equality. And to some degree, the story can explore the different interpretations of equality, giving some commentary about which version is the fairest and least likely to fail.
Capitalism or Socialism?
The rich guy wants to create an economic system that doesn't use money or at least not like it is used in the economic systems humanity bundles through in the real world.
The members of the town will not be paid for their work. Whatever money is generated by the town will be used to bring in resources from the outside world, resources the town cannot provide for itself.
Though a long-term benchmark will be self-sustainability. Can the town or network of future towns provide everything for each other without involving the outside world? If the answer is Yes, maybe the outside world will learn from them.
What I have just described is as close to socialism as one can get. However, in crafting this story, I will not be thinking of it as socialism and instead ask myself what sort of world would I like to live in, and then have characters make decisions based upon that ideal.
Another problem with the term socialism is that a lot of people don't really know what it means. They think of the failed attempts from corrupt governments and bloody revolutions. Humanity has never created a truly socialist society.
How you can help
What the community in my story looks like will be based upon not just my thoughts on solving humanity's problems but also from the input of others. Even if I don't write it, perhaps it will get a conversation going.
- How can we fix the world's problems?
- What obstacles would happen along the way?
- Would the system be exactly like how true socialism is described or will it include aspects that aren't considered part of socialism?
- How will the characters deal with other issues that aren't directly related to economic concerns, such as discrimination, bad actors (rule-breakers), freedom of religion, freedom of choice, and any other freedoms the community deems as basic?