“Utopia, I’ve heard that word before, it seems to be…” Meredith tried to recall.
Todd nodded: "It was an idea proposed by a philosopher during the time of Tello. He hoped to establish a country where everyone was happy and peaceful, where property was owned by the public, everyone was equal, and everything was distributed according to need. People could get everything they wanted in the country according to their needs, so there would be no war caused by greed."
Meredith smiled and shook his head: "I know two people, one named Murabi and the other named Ajatuka. They once tried to establish a utopian kingdom on the island of Kitan, but it ultimately failed..."
Todd asked with some surprise, "Murabi? Azhartuka? You've seen anyone else try to build a utopia?"
"They were my father's students and members of the Imperial Diet. But in the end, they were just two dreamers who did nothing but daydream all day."
"Murabi and Ajjatuka were so engrossed in the beautiful world described in Utopia that after bidding farewell to my father, they spent all the family's wealth to buy a small island on the edge of the empire's territory—Kitan Island—and took two hundred couples to the island, hoping to live the utopian life described in the book."
"And then what?"
Meredith fiddled with the black raven feathers on her body. Her snow-white skin, without a single blemish, shone brightly against the black feathers. She said, "Murabi and Ajatuka first bought enough food for four hundred people for a year. Then they bought agricultural supplies, livestock, chickens and ducks, musical instruments, and some tools. Finally, the two of them rented a large ship and transported everyone to Kitan Island."
"According to their plan, the purchased grain could feed four hundred people for the first year. Through farming and animal husbandry, the villagers of Utopia could achieve self-sufficiency in the second and third years. After that, as food became more abundant, the villagers could do what they wanted after finishing farming, such as music, poetry, sculpture, or writing..."
Upon hearing this, Todd shook the dragon's head vigorously, immediately rejecting the idea: "This is utter nonsense! This kind of utopia will only end in tragedy!"
Meredith gave Todd an approving look and continued, "After only ninety days on the island with four hundred men and women, the order of the entire Utopian society completely collapsed... You can probably guess what triggered the deterioration: food."
"Because private ownership was prohibited and all property was collectively owned, people took supplies as needed. After arriving on the island, some villagers took away a large amount of food and started a feast that lasted day and night. A large amount of food was consumed quickly, and some uneaten dishes were even dumped into the sea. As a result, in just three months, the island's food reserves were almost exhausted."
"Faced with food shortages, Mourabi and Ajjatuka panicked. They began locking up the remaining food in barns and distributing it according to the number of people. They also formed a security force and required everyone to grow crops and go fishing. As a result, the starving villagers of Utopia revolted."
"The villagers made weapons out of heavy stones and sharp sticks. They first killed the members of the security team, then stormed into the granary and stole the last remaining food. But the food was not enough to feed everyone. In the months that followed, the entire island became a living hell. The men became beasts devoid of humanity, and the women became victims of violence. People killed each other, with only the thought of survival in their minds."
Meredith sighed: "A year after the establishment of the Kitan Island Utopia, someone came to the island to visit the villagers. As a result, the horrific scene that was presented to them made everyone's legs go weak. After that, the Imperial Consul Moses also learned about this. He ordered the source of the news to be silenced and sealed off Kitan Island, declaring it a forbidden area, and no one was allowed to enter it."
After saying this, Meredith looked at Todd and said quietly, "Now you should know what utopia really means, right?"
Todd raised his dragon head and said to Meredith, "Those two who hoped to build a utopia made two huge mistakes."
"An error?" Meredith was slightly surprised, then asked, "What error?"
"First, they ignored the hierarchy of human needs."
Meredith asked curiously, "What is the hierarchy of needs?"
"The hierarchy of human needs is a tiered list. The lowest level is survival needs, such as breathing, food, water, and sleep; the next level is safety needs, such as personal safety, health safety, and family security; and then there are emotional needs, personality needs, and self-worth needs. Only after the lower-level needs are met will humans turn their attention to the higher-level needs."
"So, on the island of Kitan that you mentioned, even the most basic food cannot meet the needs of the members, so naturally the villagers cannot do anything else."
Meredith pondered for a moment, then asked, "Even with an endless supply of food, some members of Utopia are unwilling to work and only seek pleasure, thus corrupting the social atmosphere. How should we deal with this?"
Todd nodded and said, "This brings us to their second mistake—the lack of faith."
“Compared to the scarcity of food, the lack of faith is a more serious problem,” Todd said, looking at Meredith. “All citizens of Utopia should share the same faith and be willing to work together for it. What exactly is this faith? The answer is not important. Whether it is divine favor or blessings in the afterlife, the key is that the citizens of Utopia should be convinced that their actions will affect their value in society, whether they will be rewarded or punished after death, and whether they will be able to enter the realm of God.”
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