Vote for an island!

 

 

 

 

Voting is now open! Which do you think is the most interesting island story?

Apologies for the delay: the website had to be changed around to view these properly.

Don’t be disappointed if your story is not here – there were many other excellent accounts. This selection shows the variety of ideas.

Please read all the island stories carefully. Do feel free to make comments on any of the islands or ask any questions (comments are moderated). Then choose the island you think is most interesting. It would be nice to make a comment next to the island you choose about why you did so. Then vote!

You can vote for one island only. And, of course, you can’t vote for yourself.

 

Voting will close in a few days. Happy reading and good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Union Island

An island of obscurity that is well known and documented as a place, but also one that can’t be penned on map or located by word of mouth. This island society is almost mythical as no factual traces of it exist except for word of mouth over time from a few hundred seafaring travelers. Its general location has become generally explained as lying somewhere in the muddled Caribbean, lost amongst hundreds of identical islands. The shape of the island no different from any other and the characteristics just as similar as this island to does not stand out physically from any other in this area. Though this island is perceived as a mecca of society’s from the few that have been there and left to tell the story.

The island society consists of just around a thousand inhabitants, who all stumbled across the island ironically all in dire need of food and nourishment kind of like the sailors in Bacon’s New Atlantis. It is relatively small in size for an island, but is filled with attributes that almost make it feel as if one cannot discover the whole island. Mostly an agrarian society that is solely based off agriculture and self-dependence this island defies the norms as almost all food is self-sustained. Each household has their own farming plot and livestock for food and hunger is rare as harvests are always plentiful. There is no form of money as bartering items is the only form of exchanging services around this island. Each house is generally of the same size and build with each person having their own room and each house having a similarly sized farming plot. Overall this agrarian society is all about uniformity in the community so not one person is idolized or showcased.

In this society individuality is not generally expressed as many inhabitants dress, talk, and act the same even though they all come from varying backgrounds. The main difference or differing part about each member of this island is their origin of ancestry as many are from different parts of the world. Even with being unique not being a common trait kind of like More’s Utopia, this island allows expression through sports as they are most prevalent around the island. All members of the island compete in some athletic endeavor as sports like golf and tennis are most prevalent. The competition of sports is where most expression is encouraged as the inhabitants of the island feel this is where true character and personality s revealed. Through sports the island almost governs itself as any harmful quality or personality trait exhibited through sport is thought to be a major concern of one’s worth to the island. This allows for the island to not have a formal government as the island is full of like-minded people, who all hold each other to the same standards.

The island as a whole is very mountainous, but allows for many areas of flat land around the coast as this where the majority of the population lives. White sandy beaches are common and a nicely spread out canopy layer of trees is spread out nicely to compliment each other for the often warm sunny days experienced on the island. Further inland lays the mountainous terrain full of wildlife teeming with exotic creatures as they live in an almost rainforest environment. This area of the island is highly desolate as it is left mainly untouched and only used for exploration. With the island mostly confined to the coast things can look very compact, but that is rarely the case as the society is very open to each other and privacy is not of main concern.

This island seems magical in the way it rejuvenates one’s attitude and rarely has newcomers leave once upon arriving. This island represents tranquility of the mind, body, and spirit and puts not one person up on a pedestal. This island cannot be found on a map and if searching for it you most likely will not find. It’s seems that the island does not let you choose to find it, but almost as if it chooses you. The island known as Unión is like a vacation you never have to leave.

Christian Whitehead

Auregentum

While traveling the seas, as I like to do, I happened upon an island which was not marked on any maps. I quickly went on ground, and was met by people indigenous to the island. Before I describe the natives however, I must explain a little about the geography of this beautiful place that the inhabitants call Auregentum.

The island of Auregentum is both a beautiful and deadly place. High rising lush mountains line the interior, with a fertile coast and mineral rich mines dotting the exterior. Both wonderful flora and fauna are found throughout the island, and there are many natural wonders created through the high volume of rivers running through it. The northern tip of the island is slightly less fertile and green than the rest due to the sharp cliffs and high winds that do not allow soil to sit for very long. The northern end is home to the Albunian peoples who survive off of their mountain goats and whatever herbs and other plant they can find along the craggy cliffs. The rest of the island is densely populated by the Purpurean people. They are considerably more advanced than the northern part of the island because of their less nomadic nature. In the center of the island, the mountains get the highest. The environment at this point is largely inhospitable due to high winds and low temperatures. There are, however many ancient ruins of past civilizations up on the peak that are largely unexplored and offer vast potential for discovery. While very beautiful and lush during the day, at night the island gets particularly dangerous. There are many dangerous predators that lurk in the forests and use the darkness as a cover to hide. Many are vicious and will attack and eat anything that moves.

Inhabiting the northern part of the island are the nomadic and tough Albunians. Their culture focuses largely on surviving, and things such as art and literature are for the most part ignored in favor of survival skills such as hunting and food gathering. These peoples do not have a highly complex political system. Only men are allowed to rule, and one man rules the entire tribe. At the beginning of each year, any man who considers himself to be capable of ruling enters a tournament. The tournament includes carious skills necessary for survival on the craggy peaks, and the winner becomes the leader of the tribe. The victor is chosen by a council of the previous men to rule, and once chosen the man cannot be deposed or defied until the end of his term. The Albunian people worship a warlike deity whom they believe protect them from the dangers of the island as well as aids them in battle. Having said this, they do not have a very in depth worship system or history for their god; he mainly serves as someone the village can look to in times of need. While the peaks they live on are not very rich in terms of vegetation, they conceal some of the richest gold and silver mines on earth. The Albunians however have neither an interest nor a capability of mining these precious metals. They are also very hostile to outsiders who wish to mine their land, and will defend their mountains to the last man. They may not be very technologically advanced, however their weaponry, battle training ferocity, and knowledge of the mountains make them very powerful foes, and this is the main reason the mines are largely untouched.

South of these mountains lie the regions populated by the Purpurean people. Their society is vastly different from their northern neighbors, and this coupled with the gold and silver in the northern mountains leads to many altercations between the two societies. They are mainly a scientific people, as the fertility of the land has allowed them to not have to worry constantly about survival. They have a large amount of medicines, knowledge of astronomical bodies, advanced cultivation techniques, and many more technological advancements stemming from their fascination. There is no established religion in their communities, and they are allowed to worship as they please unless their religion or method of worship causes direct harm to others. The Purpureans have a fairly complex political system founded on democracy. Every two years, the entire population participates in an election. Out of this election comes 5 men. One man is considered the supreme leader and has direct control over everything except the military. The other 4 are military generals who share control over the armed forces. The supreme leader rules without question for his two year term, making decisions and executing plans as he sees fit. If the people do not like his ruling, however, they can call a re-election and vote on whether or not he will be deposed. The Purpureans are welcoming to all visitors and peaceful to everyone except the Albunians.

I have no regrets about stumbling upon this island in my travels and I fully intend to return, study it more precisely and bring back to our world everything I can learn from this exotic place.

Paul Wakim

An island near Ireland

There is an island off the coast of Ireland that remains undiscovered to the majority of mankind. There are four zones of the island that correspond to the four seasons. From above the island looks like a bulls eye because of the four different types of weather. The part of the island with warm, sunny summer weather is the outermost ring, known as Zone 4. The second ring, Zone 3, has lush trees and plants in full bloom. In ring number three, Zone 2, you can find beautiful foliage and wonderful hiking trails with leaves that crunch when you walk on them. The innermost ring, Zone 1, is cold and snowy, but a warm spot by the fire is always a short walk away. In this way the island has a sort of magical quality to it, like in The Tempest, although the magic is not held by one person and is not used by any humans at all.

The people of the island came across it when trying to sail to America during the potato famine in Ireland. The warm beaches and fruit trees on the shore of the island appealed to them and as they explored they island further they decided this was better than anything that was promised in the United States.

The three small boats that found the island had about fifty passengers in total. These people ranged in age from nine months to fifty-one years old. Different families decided to settle in different parts of the island, but vowed to come together every Sunday and meet where their ships had landed. At the first meeting, they all decided it would be best to breakdown two of the ships and use the materials to build houses for each family. There were some areas of the island that already had places that could be used as dwellings, such as caves in the mountains in the center ring, and dugout hills in the second ring. Therefore, the supplies were split up and given to the families that needed them most.

The inhabitants of the island continued to work this way, by sharing supplies based upon need. Each area of the island had different resources and there were few enough people that bartering was fairly easy. The hunters in Zone 1 would bring game to the Sunday meetings, the farmers in Zone 2 would bring fruit and vegetables that grew well in their autumn climate, Zone 3 would bring veggies and fruit that grew well in spring weather, and Zone 4 provide coconuts and other summer fruit. All areas had a water source, as there was a river that was created by the melting snow between Zones 1 and 2. Each zone also brought their own unique goods to the Sunday meetings to trade. I liked that in More’s Utopia everyone had a job to do and benefitted from completing that job, which is where I got the idea for the bartering. At the same time I did not like that people in More’s Utopia did not have much of a chance for self expression, so I had my inhabitants decide where they would live and what they would contribute to the others on the island.

The last boat was used to make trips to other neighboring countries. All of the families on the island agreed that this would be beneficial to them, so they could keep up with the happenings in the rest of the world and be aware of any technological changes that might helpful to them. Although they all agreed on this, none of the families wanted to leave their beloved island. It was decided that a rotation be made so that one family made a trip every two months. While one family was gone, the other families would have a rotation for doing the normal farming, hunting, etc. that the traveling family normally did. This I drew from Bacon’s New Atlantis. I thought it was smart of the people of New Atlantis continued to explore the rest of the world to find ideas and goods that could make their society better.

As far as social customs of the island, there was very little that was frowned upon as long as the inhabitant’s decisions did not negatively affect other people on the island. Marriage and procreation was not limited, nor were inter-marital relationships as long as all parties involved were in agreement. Although all of the inhabitants came from a Roman-Catholic upbringing, they felt betrayed by God during the famine and saw the island as a place they could begin again and flourish without the God that they felt had deserted them in their time of need in Ireland.

I think this island’s landscape is not very believable because of the many different climates in one small space. Scientifically, it just isn’t possible. It is the climate conditions and the small population that allows the island to run as it does, so in a sense, the island itself I find to be quite fictional. To me, the ideal society would be a place where people can work towards their own personal goals but also be part of a society that was able to make decisions together. I do understand that is becomes increasingly more difficult with larger populations and varying levels of drive in people.

Erica Schmidt

 

Ivory Cay

The Ivory Cay is an island of great mystery to the rest of the world. Its location is unknown, but it is believed to be in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Caribbean. It has not been verified by anybody that it actually exists, although accounts of the island can be found in many texts from different explorers over the last two centuries. It is believed that the unlikeliness of finding the island is tied to opposing currents in the area making it extremely hard to accurately navigate. The island itself is about 200 miles East to West and of comparable distance North to South. It also consists of a separate island of its own. This island is rather small, and houses one of the 5 major settlements on Ivory Cay.

The landscape present on Ivory Cay includes a polar region made possible by a small mountain range in the center of the island. This is the only part of the island that is not officially settled, although some make homage in this region. As a product of the polar region, the island has a big fresh water lake that is a key to the inhabitants’ survival. This is their main, if not the only source of fresh drinking water. The island is also known to be over 80% densely forested woodland. Furthermore, it has thriving agricultural land adjacent to a great wetland. Because it is an island, you may expect that it has a great amount of coastal regions.

The island has approximately 3,000 inhabitants, and the average estate on the island is about 10 acres of land that most often consists of a very extended family of about 10 to 15 people. Much of the inhabitants are located within or near one of the 5 official settlements; each is rather large and very well built. These are all strategically scattered around the island, all but one are within 10 miles of the sea. Each settlement has its own purpose in the thriving of the island as a whole. You have two communities that are the major agricultural contributors to the rest of the island; you have one that houses the government and other major civic duties of the island. There is one that serves as the major fresh water fishing contributor; this town is also the economic hub for the island, being conveniently placed in the center. The final town is located on a disconnected portion that may only be accessed by ship. This settlement serves as a military and a protector from the outside world—although there are no reports of any major military event ever taking place.

The government is formed by democratic style elections in which a group of 10 senators (2 per community) are elected to make major decisions for the people. The island has a very socialist style society, in which nobody really owns any land, or goods. Everything created or harvested on the island is viewed as a given right to the people’s use, and rarely is anything ever created for profit.

Technology on the island is simple, yet sophisticated. Their main mode of transportation is by horse or camel; and the hauling of goods by wagon or ship. They have many of the tools you’d expect an advanced society of the 16^th century to have. They have the tools needed for successful farming, harvesting, manufacturing goods from raw materials, carpentry, iron work, and also hunting. Everything needed for the island is born from the island; there is no need for imports.

The people of the island are always in high spirit, and there is a strong sense generosity and the sharing of duties. No one man is thought to be of higher standing than the next, other than the elected senate.

James C. Smith

City of Kensington

Of course anyone would love to live in Kensington. A charming city of approximately 150,000 inhabitants, it is located on a harbor on the Pacific Ocean where ships for business and recreation purposes arrive frequently: making it an important source of the significant revenue made by the city from trade and tourism.

Physically speaking, the of Kensington streets are narrow and typically made from cobblestone; this is because it was founded by British immigrants in the 1600’s and the citizens and government alike have worked hard to preserve the original landscape and Georgian Architecture, both of which contribute to the pleasing aesthetics.

This layout encourages a lot of walking instead of driving which is just as well as the city is designed in a way that walking is almost more convenient than driving (due to the historical nature of streets and city layout). There are sidewalks on all the roads and crosswalks for the citizens’ convenience and security. Walking through the city there are many gardens and parks that are available for locals and tourists to enjoy, this is especially appreciated as the mild climate of the city makes spending time outdoors particularly inviting.

In the central part of Kensington there are many beautiful houses of varying colors, usually pastel, that have been there for hundreds of years, they often have tall pillars in front as typical for Georgian architecture. Additionally, downtown there is an abundance of notable restaurants; Kensington is known for having outstanding cuisine, particularly seafood as it is located by the water. At any point in the city the beach is only ten minutes away, another reason for the frequent visiting of tourists.

The city is maintained and kept clean by a company called Limpio paid by the citizens because they are aware of the fact that presentation of the city is a contributing factor to the appealing nature of the city for tourists.

Coffee is cultivated in Kensington and it is sold in vast quantities to other cities as it is known for its rich taste; this is another source of revenue for the city. The people who cultivate coffee are typically family companies, therefore there is no one large company that owns the majority of the product but rather a group of smaller companies who share the market. The companies who make the coffee typically also host tours of the plantation that give an idea of how the coffee is made, another attraction for tourists.

Regarding the government, Kensington is run by a president which is elected by a group of thirty senators who are voted for by the citizens. There is full freedom of expression, that is to say no government censorship, including in the media. Criminal laws are limited to violation of rights of others through force or intentional actions that place others in harm’s way. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth or to control or manage trade are not permitted. There is no welfare in Kensington however there are private charities, usually run by nuns, that run shelters and soup kitchens for those unable or unwilling to make a living. These same charities have hospitals as universal healthcare does not exist. Instead the government encourages individuals and families to focus on illness prevention through healthy diet, physical activity and other factors related to lifestyle including getting sufficient sleep and not smoking or drinking excessively.

Economically speaking anyone in Kensington can achieve their goal if they put in the necessary effort. There is no circumstance to hold you back, each individual is responsible for their own success. Equal opportunity is a vital part of the society as it is a firm belief there that gender, family or economic background or ethnicity do not interfere whatsoever in the success of a person. Overall, due to the profits made in coffee, trade and tourism, the city of Kensington and the people who live there are wealthy and have high quality of life. However there are those who suffer financially due to health reasons, either physical or mental, or simply lack of discipline. These individuals are welcomed by the private charities mentioned earlier and offered help there.

Generally speaking the people of Kensington have a fair amount of freedom, the government does not meddle in individual lives but merely takes care of the education system, safety concerns and legal disputes. It is the belief there that every person should be responsible for their own life.

Miranda Rodriguez

Downtown Kensington: example of Georgian architecture

Polaris

This is the story of an Island named Polaris found by Americans in the year 2200. It was named Polaris, after the North Star because of its star shape. This island can be found on the Planet Neptune, which is why it has never been seen or heard of before this time. Overall, Polaris possesses a very hilly terrain, but its not only foothills. It’s two largest lakes, Lake Aquarius on the Northwest side and Lake Pisces on the Northeast side, provide large bodies of water that the majority of the society lives between. Mount Apollo is the lone mountain that stands in the center of Polaris and is rarely ventured up by the average blue person.

Blue people are the main inhabitant of Polaris, numbering over one hundred thousand. They are a highly intelligent evolution of humans. The blue people are divided at a young age, around the age of 10, into a job that they will do for their society until they turn one hundred, with a life expectancy of nearly three hundred years. Blue people only work one third of their lives and work up to 5 hours per day. The job groups that Blue people are divided into include farmers, cooks, cleaners, construction workers, landscapers, manufacturers, and researchers. Each job is essential to the success and happiness of the Blue people.

There is no need for currency because everyone works and exchange goods counting that person’s work as payment. This means living necessities like shelter, food, and clothes are provided as long as they work. The Blue people are given tree huts to live in with their families. Disabilities aren’t common on Polaris, but blindness is a growing condition among Blue people. These disabled Blue people are typically trained to act as therapists. Because of these work conditions, there are no economic classes on Polaris and individuals are viewed as equals regardless of the job they do.

An autonomous leader, who is elected by the post-labor force of the blue people, governs Polaris. This leader serves for twenty years before a new leader is selected. The leader can come from any job but does not run for the office but is simply chosen as a person who has stood out among his peers. This leader’s main goal is the advancement of space research, which the Blue people hold dear since they live near the edge of the solar system. Only those above the age of 200 are allowed to take part in space travel because it is a type of bonus for all the hard work they have accomplished in their earlier years. This society is obsessed with what’s beyond and pours their extra resources into answering these questions. They also are very concerned with keeping their island of Polaris are scenic as they can. For they know one day they will have many visitors from another world.

Travel around the island is highly encouraged. To get from one place to another, one may use their fueled jet pack to make the trip a little shorter. Most of society lives in between the lakes, but there is a resort area on the South part of the island. Each family is rewarded two weeks stay at the Resort and Spa.

The government highly regards marriage as something unique and sacred. Each male at the age of 20 will be given his own hut by the government and he will begin to search for a wife. Once he finds someone that he has taken interest in, and her and her father agree, he will take her to the autonomous leader and he will give the final approval for marriage. This marriage ceremony is held at bottom of Mount Apollo by one of the island ministers.

This Island of Polaris is impossible because Neptune is made up of mostly gas, but the society itself is possible because equality, autonomy, and equal labor force are all feasible. The island has not been acknowledged because no one has been to the Planet of Neptune before.

Rebecca Meeder

 

Tiger Island

Hello, my name is Commander Harold McGill and this is a personal invitation to my island. First off this island is called Tiger Island, due to the fact that there are wild tigers that roam throughout the land. This is a special island, which is very different than any other island you might have been to. Tiger Island is located in the Caribbean Sea, right under Jamaica, and stretches for five thousand square miles. The island also has beautiful white sand all around the beach, and water that is crystal clear. It has a mostly flat landscape except for the inactive volcano that lays dead center of the island. Inhabitants are not allowed to go near the volcano unless given specific permission to do so. The population of Tiger Island is currently five million and twenty thousand. Due to the increase in population and popularity over the years, Tiger Island only accepts new comers only if invited. Those who attempt to visit to attempt to enter the island without upon receiving an invitation will first be politely asked to leave. If uninvited guests still refuse leave, then lethal force will have to be used. The reason for this is because on this island, we want only people that will contribute and help use their talents to help lead the island to great success. Those who are lazy and unmotivated are not welcome since they would do more to hurt the community than to benefit it. We have a specialized research crew that conducts economic analysis to see which people can best contribute to the island. These people are then sent out an invitation to live permanently on Tiger Island.

Being able to pull your own weight is a huge requirement of Tiger Island. This is a very popular place in the Caribbean, and we will not hesitate to outcast those who choose not to pull their own weight. If you do your profession well, you will be greatly rewarded. Salary is based on how good you are at your profession and how long you have lived on Tiger Island. We like to think that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed on this island. Hard work and dedication is what we value and want to spread to others in the community.

Here at Tiger Island, all races and cultures from all over the world are welcome. We strongly encourage diversity amongst the inhabitants of Tiger Island. With all of these different people from different backgrounds living in one island, order has to be maintained. Tiger Island is protected by the Royal Tiger Armed Forces. This consists of an army, navy, air force, and Special Forces. This military was first formed hundreds of years ago when pirates of the Caribbean Sea would try to siege and loot the island. This military force protected the island then and continues to defend it to this very day. There is a democratic system implemented at Tiger Island, but it is the Royal Tiger Armed Forces that have most of the command on the island. The commander of the armed forces is no other than myself. My family has held power of this island for many years and will continue to do so for many more. All of the judges and law officials are hand-picked by me and answer directly to me. Senators governors also hold power as they normally would, but if I see a flaw in the system I have the absolute right to correct it.

My island has an extremely low crime rate of only 5%. It is a very peaceful island where almost all of the inhabitants are able to get along. Inhabitants are also freely able to come and leave as they wish. If gone for longer than 90 days, the inhabitant will need to fill out a special request to come back to Tiger’s island since it is so popular. There are people dying to be accepted to this island and there is a very long waitlist. Tiger Island’s main goal is to give a place where the most elite people of the world can come together to work in peace and achieve things they never would of thought possible before. People who accept this invitation will not have to worry about traveling costs, since Tiger Island will handle all of that. To accept this offer as a resident of Tiger Island, please send us an email at TigerNation@gmail.com and we will get in touch with you. The inhabitants and I are looking forward to seeing you at Tiger Island very soon!

 

 

Yours Truly,

Commander McGill

(Harold McGill)

Wildeland

Everyone’s always dreamed of living high above the clouds, tucked away in the mists beyond our reaches. Set higher than any mountain or skyscraper, the island of Wildeland rests quietly above our heads. Covered in enormous mountains, rolling hills and low, lake filled valleys, Wildeland is the perfect home for outdoor adventure aficionados. Most, if not all of the 15,000 locals spend their afternoons roaming the landscape with their families and friends. The size of the island is perfect for the type of community that is housed here, enough people to where they don’t know everyone, but is still a small, family style society.

Founded in 1932 by Robert Benton, who governed the island until 1997 when he passed away and his son took over; the island has been running smoothly ever since. It was founded on the principles that one should love life and love others, a lifestyle that the people take very seriously. The inhabitants of Wildeland are extremely kind and welcoming, like those on the island depicted in Francis Bacon’s The New Atlantis (1627), they are honest and moral, holding themselves to high moral standards. They live life to the fullest and enjoy every breath that they are given. The land allows them to explore often, which is something that they thrive off of, the land fueling their sense of adventure. A typical day here consists of work from 9-2, a recommended lunch or nap hour, and then everyone is free in the afternoons and nights to do what they would like. Most people spend their afternoons exploring the island doing things like kayaking, mountain biking and hiking, while those who are older and more fragile will take long walks, read or work in their gardens. The island is able to function with only 5 hours of work each day because the people know how important it is to work hard and be “all in” with whatever they are doing, and no one is ever in a hurry.

Jobs, and life in general, are very similar to that here in the United States. There are teachers, doctors, even trashmen. The only difference is that people do whatever they thrive in and don’t receive any compensation for their work. At age 18, they take an interest survey, spend a year shadowing all different jobs, and then pick what they would like to do. Like in Thomas Moore’s, Utopia (1516), where inhabitants there can change jobs after two years, on Wildeland one can always change to something different if they are not happy where they are working. There is no paper currency on Wildeland but instead each week people are given a certain amount of coins for the number of people in their family and can use them however they would like. The children learn in school the importance of responsibility and are therefore very smart with how they spend their coins, once they are of age. After a day at work and afternoon of free time, people return back to their homes for a family meal and to rest for the next day.

One of the most interesting aspects of the island is the inhabitants’ homes. Just like the island, magically floating in the air, their homes too are somewhat in the air. Treehouses, just like the ones seen in Swiss Family Robinson, abundantly cover the trees in the public areas that are not parks. Each family has their own treehouse, larger ones for larger families, all naturally built out of the trees on the island. The only rule when building ones home is that every tree that is chopped down and used as building material must be replaced by planting another tree, so that the island is not destroyed in the process of making their homes. Although the inhabitant’s homes are in the trees, not all buildings are. Hospitals, stores, and schools are all found in a centralized location on the island that have been set aside for production. No cars can be found, and therefore the amount of pollution is very low. Most people walk, ride bikes, or when given the opportunity, zip line to wherever they need to go.

Wildeland is what I believe to be an almost perfect Utopia. Although some aspects of the island, like the fact that it floats in the air, are supernatural and could not exist in real life, the rest of the island and its policies are somewhat attainable. Built on the principle that one should love life and love others, Wildeland rests quietly above our heads, tucked away in the mists beyond our reach.

Lyndon Neil

A Paradise

My ideal island is rather far off the coast of the southeastern United States, directly north from the farthest western tip of Cuba and directly west from the farthest southern tip of Florida. It has tropical forests with tremendous wildlife, white sand beaches, crystal clear ocean, mountainous dormant volcanoes, and a constant temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit or above. The surf is always perfect and never choppy and the sea life is friendly and plentiful. My hand, and no one else’s, will choose the inhabitants of my island, and the restrictions will be strict. Anyone is free to come to visit as they please, but only a select few may stay. These people may include but are not limited to: friends, family, girlfriends/spouse, relatives, and family friends. Also, although anyone can visit, the population of the island must never exceed 200 people.

Unlike the society in The New Atlantis where everything is highly scientific and logical, my society will be run by magic and imagination. The magical arts performed on my island are not unlike the “art” that Prospero practices in The Tempest. Anything that can be imagined can be created on my ideal island, and it is for this reason that currency is not necessary. Anything someone wants can be created with the mind, so the trade of goods and services is pointless. This is a similar to the society in Thomas More’s Utopia, as well as in The New Atlantis. Both societies have gotten to the point where monetary incentive is wiped out. Bacon writes about the trade in The New Atlantis’s society, he writes, “But thus, you see, we maintain a trade, not for gold, silver or jewels… nor for any other commodity of matter, but only for God’s first creature which was light” (Bacon, 437). I took this to mean that they trade knowledge, and while knowledge is infinite, money is limited. Thus making the trade of knowledge more profitable. This is something I wish to enforce to the inhabitants of my island. I wish to encourage every one of them to share their knowledge and good energy with one another rather than having the unnecessary stress that comes with monetarily funding one’s life.

Similar to Utopia, I look to have communal property on my island that allows the members of my society to coexist with one another on a daily basis. No one will “own” anything on my island; their possessions will be shared and used to benefit the society as a whole. I look to create a feeling of community and teamwork amongst the inhabitants, to create a happier environment. Crime will not be an issue on my island either, because the aura of the island gives people less of an inclination to commit immoral acts or wrongdoings. Again, this is similar to how Hythloday describes the people of Utopia.

This Island will also be inhabited by between 20 and 30 native inhabitants similar to Caliban in The Tempest, and their purpose is merely and to act as security for the island and for myself. They will make sure the island capacity never exceeds 200, keep my life safe while doing it, and stop any of the few criminals that come onto my shore. These criminals await public trial where their peers will decide their fate, however capital punishment is prohibited. These creatures, however, will not be tortured like Caliban, but rewarded by their master (using his/her magic) after their job is done each day with whatever they desire (within reason).

It is important to note that while all people share resources on this island, not everyone is equal. A class system does exist, but it is not based on how much you own or how much you make, it is based off of how much you know and how much you are willing to teach. One who knows more can perform more elaborate magic and do more interesting things with their time, enticing people to focus on building mind and spirit rather than filling their wallet. This is unlike the Utopian society where no class structure exists and all people are equal in every way. Lastly, the person who will sit atop the hierarchy of my island will, of course, be me.

Spencer Llerandi