Sustainable Tarpon Springs - Utopian Dream

Tarpon Springs could be Utopia.  Imagine that!  Utopia defined is:  An ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects.  Is this kind of ‘community- perfection’ just a dream - or can we, do we, have enough fortitude and faith in ourselves to transcend past limitations to make Utopia our present reality?  This is a pertinent question for this moment in human history because we have unprecedented awareness, maybe even cosmic assistance, to make our dreams come true.

Why am I hopeful?  I won’t get all cosmic or astronomical about it, but I believe we have ‘Come of Age’ in the Ecclesiastes sense of the word:  ‘There is nothing new under the sun...’  and ‘There is a time for every purpose under heaven.‘   We are ultra-connected as a Planet and as People (via the internet, if not in more sublime ways).  Beyond all the wise platitudes we ‘share’ on Facebook every day, we are longing for the Utopian Dream, a world where all of us have a fair shake, especially a chance to BE who we truly are, and to make a contribution to our world that we can be proud of.  I see it everyday in the things my Facebook and neighbor friends share with one another.

If we truly want to move forward, we have to pull each other out of the ‘quicksand’ of the past.  Fear, judgments, greed, and isolation were the experience of a former world we’ve known.  If we keep projecting those behaviors onto what we expect, we are creating the potential for those old things to be perpetuated.  I am reminded of several Biblical allegories strongly advising individuals not to look back.  Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt when she turned to see the destruction of Gomorrah.  Even Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.”  We all know how crooked our path would be if we always looked back at where we have been instead of where we are going.

So, to create something new - a Utopian Dream - we must imagine an entirely new model!  Gathering with others who are like-minded is part of the process of calling this vision forth, then into Being.  What does my concept of Utopia look like?  Well, it starts with positive, solution-oriented friends!  We have met so many here in Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor, I feel as though we’ve found it - Eureka!  ‘Our People’ are constantly thinking about sustainability and community resilience.  There are many things we can do much better and stronger as a group than as Lone Rangers.  

Thinking into the future, determining our shared needs, pooling our experiences and knowledge, we can take care of one another and have a much richer life journey.  We are ONE, and we yet our diverse experiences have the capacity to inspire one another.  The only requirements are caring, willingness, and effort!   Now is the time to truly ‘think outside of old, expired boxes’ and see what arises from opening our hearts to ‘finding our bliss’ where all the pieces of life’s puzzles come together. 

Now to share my favorite Facebook post of the week, so we can all start to bring these visions to life - and truly become our own Utopian Dream!

How to Build Community - by Meleena Bey

Turn off your TV - Leave your house - Know your neighbors - Greet people - Look up when you walk - Sit on your stoop - Plant flowers - Use your library - Play together

Buy from local merchants - Share what you have - Help a lost dog - Honor elders

Support neighborhood schools - Fix it even if you didn’t break it - Have potlucks

Garden together - Pick up litter - Read stories aloud - Dance in the street - Talk to the mail carrier - Listen to the birds - Put up a swing - Help carry something heavy

Barter for your goods - Start a tradition - Ask a question - Hire young people for odd jobs - Organize a block party - Bake and share - Ask for help when you need it - 

Open your shades - Sing together - Share your skills - Take back the night

Turn up your music - Turn down your music - Listen before you react to anger

Mediate a conflict - Seek to understand - Learn from new and uncomfortable angles

Know that no one is silent though many are not heard - Work to change this