A Community of Change

Although my ideal community has intriguing innovations why would you want to live there? One of the most important reasons is that your voice will matter. Your input will be used to shape and form the community as it grows. This not only allows you to suggest new and innovative ideas but also allows for ideas that are not working to be revised or disbanded.

Another important reason to join my community is because it will save you time, money, and resources. By having a community power grid that is fueled by alternative energy sources your energy costs will decrease. This will occur because the power grid production will be shared equally between members of the community. In addition, because the power grid is dispersed among many small units it will reduce the amount of money that is invested when a power source needs to be replaced or upgraded. The water system used in the community will also cut costs because it will ensure that less water is used among its members. This will reduce the amount of water that has to be processed at treatment plants and will prevents public money from being siphoned off to fund new and larger wastewater treatment projects that can cost millions of dollars. The public transportation system will also save you money because you will no longer have to pay for a car, mechanical repairs, or insurance. In addition, the public transportation system will save you time because you will be able to get from point A to point B without waiting in heavy traffic or at stop lights.

Although the above items of my community will help you keep more money and waste less time what else does it have to offer? Even more important than money is your health and the relationships you develop. Because of this my community offers an ideal environment for improving both of these. Your health will improve because walking will be encouraged by having a pedestrian “chip” which allows you to get across busy streets without waiting. In addition, community meetings and person-to-person interaction will encourage healthier relationship as you walk around town or ride the public transportation.

The above commentary on my community outlines the advantages of living there. However, how easy would it be for me to convince people to live there and what difficulties would I encounter. I feel that one of the major hurdles I would have to overcome would be people’s independence. People in America are fiercely independent and convincing them to give some of it up to join my community would prove difficult. I think one of the hardest things to ask people to leave behind would be their car. Not only does a car function as a symbol of independence but it also allows people to go where they want when they want. Thus, having people join my community where personal cars are discouraged could be very difficult. Another aspect of my community that I believe would be difficult to sell would be the water restrictions. This aspect also deals with independence because it limits how much water can be used each day. Finally, I believe that community meetings could be another obstacle for people joining my community. Because people have a vast spectrum of opinions I feel that community meetings could put a strain on the members who are not as agreeable. Thus, I feel that there are some tough issues that I would have to address in order to convince people to join my community. However, I also realize that the struggle to convince society to accept innovative ideas is not a recent phenomenon. People before me have also struggled. Mahatma Gandhi faced these difficulties when he was trying to advocate for the independence of India. Martin Luther King Jr. faced these difficulties when he tried to convince the United States to legislate equal rights for people of color. Jesus also faced these difficulties when He came to earth and advocated for a society in which the least were the greatest. Visionaries have always faced opposition. Because their ideas are different people are wary of accepting them. However, I feel that it is only through new ideas that change can truly happen.