Read Chapter 12 “Stranger Than Fiction”
The Old World has always been against supporting, thriving communities; it was always on their agenda to make different groups in the society disagree and fight amongst themselves. Their politics managed to wipe out the middle class, pushing millions into despair and poverty unable to make any significant life changes. The Corporate government that represented the Old World’s values was too ignorant to listen to the environmental experts, who kept red-flagging their selfish actions that very shortly afterwards led to a total ecological cataclysm. The Old World’s corporate media backed up their government, choosing to promote climate deniers while spreading conspiracy theories about Eco Fighters who pushed for change with all the means they had. Unfortunately, some ordinary citizens believed in the unfounded conspiracy, instead of basing their judgment on facts.
An idea to create a new community came from within the Organization, which was already a prominent group of conscious activists and fighters who could no longer watch how the corporate world dismantled the natural recourses and the world’s democratic order one bit at the time. The Organization was created in 2012, and in some parts of the world was considered a terrorist group, only because they fought for justice while exposing corruption on the highest public and governmental levels. Nobody within the Organization wanted to start a revolution; they simply wanted to build awareness of what was going to happen to the planet, if the corporate greed would continue running unchecked and unruly.
The revolution happened unexpectedly when the Ecotopians (the name they chose to represent their highest values) realized they couldn’t reason with money. With that realization, the conflict between the two worlds views became too vast to find any common ground for compromise. The corporations, though the power was on their side, significantly underestimated the influence the Ecotopians already had amongst many developed countries. Countries, which collectively supported the idea of creating an independent state that would put the community and environment ahead of all the other needs the Old World prioritized.
When the Organization decided to move out of the British peninsula towards the south of the Old Continent, the Old World seized that opportunity to build a wall, dividing the Earth into an Old and a New World. The Old World also declared that helping Ecotopians or accepting goods from Ecotopia was going to be treated as an act of treason and prosecuted with the utmost severity.
While the Old World was systematically destroying their remaining natural resources, the Ecotopians worked hard on developing technologies that could help them lift above the Old Worlds technological advancement and break away from their oppressive and corrupt ways.
The founders of Ecotopia wanted the new system to be self-sufficient, sustainable, and accommodating to various groups’ and needs equally, while putting the environment and preservation of cultural achievements as their most important goals for the generations to come. Ecotopia never created a financial or intellectual elite; there was no hierarchy, no class system, no corporations. Everyone worked for the greater good of the whole community.
All Ecotopians, including the children, were able to put forward ideas to the governing body that was always elected on their social merits and deep expertise in their chosen fields. Ecotopia championed and supported universal income and the working week lasted only four days. Family, personal wellbeing, and creativity were the most valued aspects of Ecotopian lives.
In Ecotopia money wasn’t the measurement of happiness, social status, or recognition. It was used as one of the payment methods, but many people also exchanged services as payments.
A typical Ecotopian would start their day with meditation, followed by yoga and nutritious breakfast. People usually worked pretty close to where they lived so the commute wouldn’t take longer than 30 min. Many Ecotopians had their vegetable gardens, where they grew fresh veggies and fruits for their families and friends all year long. Ecotopia was an equal opportunities society, where everyone was encouraged to fulfil their potentials and follow their dreams and desires.
Ecotopians thrived, focusing on their inner happiness, developing their hobbies and talents within the community, that always encouraged new projects. Shared hobby projects became vital for the community life and every Ecotopian citizen had to contribute to them.
This kind of pro-active approach allowed the Ecotopian innovations in a short period to surpass the Old World technologically. Many unorthodox ways of planting, growing, building, and preserving have been developed, all of which were championing a sustainable future.
Thanks to the social and technological jump the Ecotopians made, they started thinking way beyond Earth’s stratosphere. The closely monitored drone space travels allowed the Ecotopians to deepen their knowledge of space and a new planet that was very much like Earth was discovered.
For a long time, the Ecotopians accepted people from the Old World with open arms as long as they were able to accept the Ecotopian lifestyle. Unfortunately, not everyone could. Many, who crossed over to the Ecotopian side at a later stage, couldn’t understand what Ecotopia stood for. Those people were always sent back to the Old Word without an opportunity of ever returning.
Ecotopia tried to keep the peace with the Old World, but unfortunately, it has proven to be an impossible task. The Old World was way too uncomfortable with progressive ideas, which could easily influence the Old World’s society’s thinking. The Corporate Government wanted to keep its population in fear and uninformed and needed the perfect enemy to blame for all their troubles with diminishing natural resources. Soon enough the Old World declared war against the Ecotopians; the war they couldn’t possibly win and one that in a short few years would dramatically cut the population of the Old World in half. However, the military conflict with the Ecotopia gave the Corporate Government enough time to finish building the Above, which was the place where the 1% was planning to escape to continue their lives in blissful ignorance. When the war finally ended, the devastation suffered by the Old World was irreparable. But by then the Corporate Government cared very little for the little people of the Down Below.
Over two years ago the Ecotopian population noticed that the pollution coming from the Old World started to affect the trees, crops, and the insect population on their side of the wall. Even though they were technologically much more advanced than the Old World, they still couldn’t stop the years of neglect and poisoning of nature. The unexpected environmental scare made the New World even more determined to find feasible solutions to travel to the New Earth.
Maggie was chosen to lead the team that was to make the space travel and re-location possible.