Our utopia:
The weather is cool at around 50 to 70 degree Fahrenheit (or 10 to 20 or so degree Celsius) around the year, sunny almost all the time, the water is plentiful with no water restrictions in the summer, there are no floods, no earthquakes, the occasional wildfire that is effectively controlled with firefighters' effort, it's close to the sea with long sandy beaches.
There is effective public transport, where trains and buses whiz us everywhere around the settlement fast and reliably.
The cost of living is manageable, incomes are high, there are plenty of jobs to do, and there is welfare support for all. Including compulsory health insurance, especially.
The air and waters are all clean for us to jump in, and are not polluted by industrial needs.
There are good teaching hospitals, there are good universities with great professors who do a PhD program in whatever disciplines we want to pursue in (and research on). Everyone who's good enough to do a higher degree can have the resources to complete it (it helps if all education and healthcare services are free), and everyone who has a degree gets an appropriate job. And yes, the whole education should focus on developing the person and his/her place in the economy, so academia, workplaces and even the household are all good places for success. In the end, there will be multiple peaks of excellence in a mountain range of success.
Under such a society, I can be content as a copyeditor of a publishing house, and I can afford a heavily taxed but reasonably modest lifestyle, with a good enough pay.
The rents of our houses are acceptable. The houses are on quarter-acre lots, on cul-de-sacs for privacy (and optionally gated), though there are choices to live in apartments. The yards are all beautiful. The houses are secure even without gates. And shops are plentiful, and big (though they don't over-dominate the landscape). The factories are productive and are working hard to cope with a thriving economy with a lot of opportunities. All around the world.
There is reasonable government efficiency in everything they do, which spills down to daily aspects of everyday life.
The tax rates can be high, but not too high to discourage hard work and effort, and government must be effective for the tax they charge on us.
The land we live in should not be invaded by other countries easily, like what Kuwait had experienced in 1990, and Falkland Islands in the early 1980's.
There are an enforced set of Bill of Rights, with additional provisions for people with disabilities and different races, even different sexualities.
There are historical buildings all over the place, with their wonderful stories.
There are a variety of choices of food. I can try comfort Cajun and organic vegetarian cuisine, all along the same street. And yes, we shouldn't pay excessive amounts on real, good food.
We are accepted for who we are.
On a personal visual thought, I hope to be the guy on the streets who really wants to wear a large white T-shirt, long baggy shorts and sneakers, with a oversized hoodie or basketball jersey occasionally, all the time, can go to the 24-hour library and read about anything under the Sun after every gym, singing or dance session.
In simple terms, it would be just the western part of Los Angeles (minus the natural disasters, hopefully), with some positive German/Swedish features that overarch the not-so-good parts of the American model. Like lack of public transport and lack of support for all deserving citizens who need more support.
Even though most of us don't live in 'perfect climates', or 'perfect geological settings', but for all other controllable factors, to make us a productive middle class-based society, which would be stable for most lands. I hope we will work towards them to build a more gracious, happier and well-rounded society.
The weather is cool at around 50 to 70 degree Fahrenheit (or 10 to 20 or so degree Celsius) around the year, sunny almost all the time, the water is plentiful with no water restrictions in the summer, there are no floods, no earthquakes, the occasional wildfire that is effectively controlled with firefighters' effort, it's close to the sea with long sandy beaches.
There is effective public transport, where trains and buses whiz us everywhere around the settlement fast and reliably.
The cost of living is manageable, incomes are high, there are plenty of jobs to do, and there is welfare support for all. Including compulsory health insurance, especially.
The air and waters are all clean for us to jump in, and are not polluted by industrial needs.
There are good teaching hospitals, there are good universities with great professors who do a PhD program in whatever disciplines we want to pursue in (and research on). Everyone who's good enough to do a higher degree can have the resources to complete it (it helps if all education and healthcare services are free), and everyone who has a degree gets an appropriate job. And yes, the whole education should focus on developing the person and his/her place in the economy, so academia, workplaces and even the household are all good places for success. In the end, there will be multiple peaks of excellence in a mountain range of success.
Under such a society, I can be content as a copyeditor of a publishing house, and I can afford a heavily taxed but reasonably modest lifestyle, with a good enough pay.
The rents of our houses are acceptable. The houses are on quarter-acre lots, on cul-de-sacs for privacy (and optionally gated), though there are choices to live in apartments. The yards are all beautiful. The houses are secure even without gates. And shops are plentiful, and big (though they don't over-dominate the landscape). The factories are productive and are working hard to cope with a thriving economy with a lot of opportunities. All around the world.
There is reasonable government efficiency in everything they do, which spills down to daily aspects of everyday life.
The tax rates can be high, but not too high to discourage hard work and effort, and government must be effective for the tax they charge on us.
The land we live in should not be invaded by other countries easily, like what Kuwait had experienced in 1990, and Falkland Islands in the early 1980's.
There are an enforced set of Bill of Rights, with additional provisions for people with disabilities and different races, even different sexualities.
There are historical buildings all over the place, with their wonderful stories.
There are a variety of choices of food. I can try comfort Cajun and organic vegetarian cuisine, all along the same street. And yes, we shouldn't pay excessive amounts on real, good food.
We are accepted for who we are.
On a personal visual thought, I hope to be the guy on the streets who really wants to wear a large white T-shirt, long baggy shorts and sneakers, with a oversized hoodie or basketball jersey occasionally, all the time, can go to the 24-hour library and read about anything under the Sun after every gym, singing or dance session.
In simple terms, it would be just the western part of Los Angeles (minus the natural disasters, hopefully), with some positive German/Swedish features that overarch the not-so-good parts of the American model. Like lack of public transport and lack of support for all deserving citizens who need more support.
Even though most of us don't live in 'perfect climates', or 'perfect geological settings', but for all other controllable factors, to make us a productive middle class-based society, which would be stable for most lands. I hope we will work towards them to build a more gracious, happier and well-rounded society.
