Pilgrims: A Utopian Community

555 Words2 Pages

In many cases, people think of a utopia as a foreign concept. However, the concept and presence of utopias have been quite prevalent in the modern world. From the English Pilgrims who arrived to the New World on the Mayflower to the contemporary Amish communities, each of these utopias has a distinct set of characteristics that makes it utopian—a perfect society for those who live in that community. As such, there is not a list of traits that every utopian community shares; three characteristics that are pertinent to most utopias are prosperity, harmony amongst citizens, and equity. Utopias are created to advance the prosperity of both their citizens and the community. As such, the end goal is to meet the desired goals and necessities of the community. This is representative of a utopian society because being prosperous allows the citizens to produce an abundance of materials, live with economic security, and in turn aids in making the community successful and improves the overall happiness of its citizens. Citizens will not …show more content…

One of the ideals of a utopia is that individuals should give up a portion of their individuality and personal freedom for the common good. To reap maximum output for the community, each person is assigned a task that they are most skilled at. This can lead to individuals not having the opportunity to express themselves creatively and conforming to what society expects of them. Because of this lack of novelty in work, citizens may be irked with other peoples’ jobs in the community. This has the potential to destroy the harmony among citizens and can lead to inefficiency and unproductivity, which can negatively alter the cohesiveness and prosperity of the community. Thus, it is important for citizens to constantly reflect upon their reason for giving up some autonomy: for the general welfare of their

Open Document