Steemtopia and 'Ego Work'

Many communes or other communities built off a shared ideal fail, not so much because of lack of resources, but rather due to interpersonal conflict. If there is any hope of a sustainable, utopian oriented community, there has to be some level of "ego work" that's been achieved by EVERY member. Now I'm not talking about going to a class and getting a certification, but things that a person can achieve just by being mindful during their waking life.

A simple definition of a good person is "someone who's actions are intended to induce positive or constructive outcomes." While this isn't perfect all the time because everyone has bad days, it is where everything really starts. Why do you do the things that you do?

Would we consider a member greedy by trying to obtain money/resources/etc if the community honestly believed that what was gathered was to be put towards something beneficial for everybody? Probably not, but why?

Enlightened Self Interest

There has to be TRUST between members that what is being done is not only beneficial to that individual, but ALSO to the group as a whole. This is called enlightened self interest and is a big piece of sustainability. I'm not preaching altruism but rather finding a win/win scenario, even if the assumed return is something non-immediate but will come back around (i.e. helping this person now, can help them be able to assist me later.)

Member buy-in to Non Aggression Principle

The instinctual fight or flight response kicks in when a person feels that an act or statement is directed towards them specifically with the intent of doing harm or invoking negative reactions (i.e. malice, trolling, etc.) Even if this instinct isn't acted upon, the emotional reaction still is there (hooray for the conscious minds ability to over-ride instincts.) Now flip this around a little and think if someone that's been a close friend for years, whose intentions you have never thought anything but good, did or said the same thing. Does your fight or flight response instantly kick in or do you have a thought akin to, "did they really mean that," which gives the chance to ask for clarification.

So why the change in your first reaction when only difference is belief of intention? The answer is trust between the community members that actions or statements are not done maliciously, but rather with the betterment of the self and the whole group in mind. It sounds small and simple, but it has a HUGE impact.

Ability to Handle Free Time

For most of humanities time on earth, we lived a subsistence life. But as civilization has progressed with things like agriculture, specialization of labor, industrialization and the like, individuals have more and more free time on their hands. If something like universal basic income was available to a community, there would be even more free time available. But just because a person has free time doesn't mean it's being used in a positive manner.

I do want to mention that there is an effective time to do nothing. I like to paraphrase the Taoist phrase of wu wei as "doing nothing effectively." Whether this means a time to just sit and collect thoughts, meditate, or even get into a Flow state of optimal experience by playing music, a game, or some other engrossing and passionate activity, there are times when the best course of action is to be consciously passive and let things happen as they may.

However, there are limits that must be noted. I look around me and see that most of the highest paid people and those with icon status are entertainers. Why? Many roman emperors used entertainment as a form to pacify the masses. While I'm in not way saying that we shouldn't be entertained, it is easy for many to fall into the escapism trap it provides, rather than self-reflecting and/or doing and growing from what we are actually passionate about. While some are enthralled by the latest work spoken by a Kardashain, it really brings no benefit beyond a chance to not focus on our own life and problems. Luckily boredom is a great motivator in itself.

I believe that a member of utopian oriented society shouldn't have to be told what to do, especially with their free time. They should have their concepts of (at least trying) to be a good person and how to progress themselves and the whole in place. After all, if universal basic income is available to all, imagine how much time people will have on their hands. The goal here isn't to simply have everybody stuck on their couch enthralled by the latest episode of Jerry Springer.

Just my thoughts, I'd love to hear yours!
After all, this is not about being Right. It's about being BETTER!

You can find some of my other thoughts at @sykochica

Here is a shoutout to those who have already been a part of the discussions:
@hr1 @void @mor @opheliafu @bleepcoin @dr2073 @quantumanomaly @kooshikoo @thecryptofiend @lukestokes
which can be found: here here and here