"A voyage to Lilliput" in Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Jonathan Swift,etc.

The city of Lilliput was depicted by Gulliver- the main character in the story- with some interesting customs such as good education and sharing community rather than individual right and freedom, taxes on beauty and appearance,

http://hmbc101.wordpress.com/2010/09/

The education in Lilliput is emphasized when Gulliver mentioned that "there was a most ingenious doctor, who seemed to be perfectly versed in the whole nature and system of government". It is interesting that they have weird taxes on beauty and appearance but not on "honour, justice, wisdom, and learning" for both male and female. "The highest tax was upon men who are the greatest favourites of the other sex, and the assessments, according to the number and nature of the favours they have received; for which, they are allowed to be their own vouchers". "The women were proposed to be taxed according to their beauty and skill in dressing, wherein they had the same privilege with the men, to be determined by their own judgment." These taxes are really dystobias. We were born with different appearances which created by God, and we have to pay taxes on our own natural body.  
 

The city of the Sun by Tommaso Campanells

Tommaso Campanells depicts his Utopian world with almost all dimensions of human life. Among those, the physical environment is one of the essential one which provides readers a safe place to live.
http://www.universutopia.net/note.asp?L=EN&note_id=42


As Genoese Sea-Captain- a character in the text- describes, "the greater part of the city is built upon a high hill" so that the citizens can see what is happening outside the city easily while the outside people do not have a whole view of inside city. Houses are not built in square blocks like in the United States but in circles. There are seven circumferences which the outer protect the inner. There are only four entrances to get in the city which helps enhance security.
People in the city seem to have and share arts, honors, and pleasure equally, but they have to maintain it with so many magistrates. This makes me feel like they are in control all the time. Besides, "men and women wear the same kind of garment, suited for war". In my opinion, being beauty is the most important thing that makes women happy.
I agree that the physical environment can be considered utopia but the society.

"The Riches of Salomon's House" in The New Atlantis by Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon depicts a Utopian land with a wonderful combination of thought when he cleverly connects the creator and science in his work - The New Atlantis. In the text, we can see his vision of a new better world for European christian and true scientists who lived in the transition of Renaissance and Modern age.
In that transitional stage, christian religion was corrupted; natural philosophy was dominated with competing school of thought. European can be considered to be living in dysutopian world during that period.
As we know, people usually have contradiction between God's lessons - bible- and science. However, Bacon can prove that believing in God and in science is actually one. He shows us that God allows people to explore all the things that he created. As a result, Bacon makes "the house of salomon", where all types of sciences can be explored and conveyed to all people, be the heart of the Utopian island.


http://www.sun-nation.org/sun-quest-ages-bacon.html

Island dreams by Jim Warren.

People nowadays are seeking themselves when they are close to nature.

What do you feel when you see this picture - Island dreams by Jim Warren.

In the Island of Utopia by SIR THOMAS MORE

In this text, the physical utopia is depicted really well in my opinion.

http://libcom.org/library/politics-utopia-frederic-jameson 

This island is isolated from others with a shape of crescent. it is secured with water, wind: "between its horns, the sea comes in eleven miles broad, and spreads itself into a great bay, which is environed with land to the compass of about 500 miles, and is well secured from winds". There are many man-made and natural habors along the islands' coast which prompt to a busy mutual commerce. The entrance of  the Island is also protected by "rocks on the one hand, and shallows on the other". No strangers without a native guider can avoid "shipwreck" while they are entering the island; even the natives can get into trouble with the under rocks if they do not have the guide signs located on the coast. It seems that this is a perfect physical protection.

The Great Unity- Confucianism

Every religion has the purpose of leading people toward happiness, and Confucianism is about it as well.

http://www.slideshare.net/bright9977/9-powerful-life-lessons-from-confucius

The Utopian view in this text is the love of family. According to many scientists, family is the smallest unit of a society just as a cell is the smallest unit of a organism, or a molecule is the smallest unit of a substance. In confucianism,  "every one loves his own parents and cherishes children". As a result, Asian people in a family usually live together in one house including three generations in which children respect, obey, and take care of elderly; the elderly give lessons and keep an eye on the younger. Unfortunately, we are loosing that lovely thought. In Asian nowadays, people have started to move out when they get married, or they take less care of the elderly because youngster think they need something up-to-date with the high technology world and seem to be ignore the ancient thoughtful lesson. And that leads to increase the rate of divorce, abortion, child abuse, family abuse, ect.

Peach Blossom Shangri-La (Tao Hua Yuan Ji)

The Shangri-La village has inspired a lot of Utopian followers not only in the physical environment but also in human behavior aspects.













The essential element of Utopia in this text that is appealed to my mind is sharing or non-greediness. The villagers can easily trust a stranger without any doubt and invite him to their houses. In our reality, there may be something similar to this innocence but we can rarely see. I was told to not trust strangers even they look trustable because people nowadays are greedy, wicked, and selfish. In my opinion, I am not deny that there are people like that, but we can not conclude that every person in our present lives has such characteristics. And I hope for more and more people are looking forward for an utopian thought of life and really express that thought out in their daily behaviors.

The Myth of Er From the Republic of Plato English Translation by Jowett

Plato (428-348 B.C) by Raphael Sanzio Vatican Museum

It seems like the people who experienced the period of afterlife in the tale are unaware of what they are doing. However, this will be a nightmare for those who can observe what is happening in this transition of lives. Firstly, we are received "tenfold of what we did in our previous lives. And I'm sure that no one can state that he or she never makes a sin in his or her life. Therefore, people will be punished first when they come to that world. Ten days of punishment pay for one day of sin, and a thousand years of penalty pay for one hundred years of sin. Second thing is "the River of forgetfulness" for which will erase all of our good and bad things we did before choosing a new life. For me, it is just unfair if  you eventually forget all the lessons we have learned in our lives. For instant, a tyrant in his previous life may regret what he has done and wants to be a better person in his next life, but he will forget what he intended to change his life after drinking the water in the River of forgetfulness. Therefore, he may be a tyrant again. It is a good idea that we can choose our new lives, yet it will be better if we are guided to be good instead of play with luck after empty minds.

Nevertheless, I believe that Plato wrote this myth because he wants us to live love and peace in our current lives. If one believe in this tale, he would rather to behave well to others or he would experience a hard time in the transition of life.

Prometheus and Pandora

My mind was attracted with "the age of innocence and happiness" which is called "the Golden Age" in this text. There is no need for law or any magistrate in order to get peace among people because the citizens are simply in peace with each other already. There is no such a tree-robber in the forest or "fortification round their towns". and definitely they do not need weapon like swords, spears, or helmets. The most interesting thing is that "the earth brought forth all things necessary for man, without his labor in ploughing or sowing". Even flowers can grow without seed, and "the rivers flowed with milk and wine", etc.

I wonder whether our current world is considered dystopias comparing to the Golden Age. We need all kinds of law and agreement to protect human rights such as business law, marriage law, Bill of rights.We have boundaries between countries, states, houses. We experienced world war I, world war II, and now there may be a world war III with nuclear weapons. what about labor issues? we had slavery, work abuse, low standard condition at work, low payment, so on and so for. Some people do nothing, but they still have their high standard of living. Some do hard work, yet still under condition of living. However, we are all trying to change the imperfect world slowly to ideal world. I hope more and more people can realize our dystopias and contribute to create a utopian world for a better future.

Man in the Garden of Eden - in the first book of Moses called Genesis

This passage has been popular among catholic and will be continued to spread out for the future generation. when I read this passage I thought about heaven where we do not have to worry about anything to survive. Every basic need is supplied by the Garden ( but originally by God). There is plenty of water coming from the main four rivers: Pison - the first river which compasses a land of gold ( including "bdellium", and "onyx stone"), Gihon - the second river which surrounds the land of Ethiopia, Hid'dekel - the third river, and Euphra'tes - the fourth one.
 I like the way that the human and animals and nature live closely to each other without fear, competition. The trees bloom with delicious fruits and beautiful flowers; every beast of the field is just formed out of the ground. The only work for Adam - the first man ever lives in the Garden- have to do is naming the creatures and use them freely as he wants.
I wish that we can create a man-made world like this, but it seems to be impossible in this 21st century.

Introduction

Everyone was born to this world to deserve a happy life, yet not everyone thinks that he or she has been happy since his or her birth. As a result, people are chasing their happiness everyday. I am curious about what we really consider the definition of happiness which may be considered in the term of Utopia.

Some people think of happiness as simple as having enough food everyday of their lives.                       
Some just wish for safeness 


And even in the 21st century, people with technology and enough basic need seem to unsatisfied with it and chase for happiness with drugs. 

=> So, I would like to learn from and share with you guys about our happiness we are pursuing.