The “ideal world”, or “heaven on earth”, is a description of the best possible world we can think of. It is not necessarily possible to achieve this situation in reality in the near or far future, but it is a vision that shows us a direction for development, and we can strive to get closer to it gradually through our thinking and actions.
The question that guides the vision is: What is the best reality for everyone? Later we can also ask: How should we act to get as close to this vision as possible?
The needs of physical existence
- All humans have enough water and food, a clean place to live in, with running water and waste removal, and the ability to sleep enough hours each day.
- Health: there is advanced medical knowledge and clinics that can cure any disease and any wound. People eat healthy, nutritious, and delicious food, exercise regularly, and have adequate physical and mental rest.
Mutual kindness
- There is no physical or verbal violence between people, and there are no wars.
- People treat each other with fairness, mutual respect, kindness, compassion, generosity, and caring, without oppression, tyranny, force, discrimination, exploitation, or cheating.
- Disagreements are resolved through peaceful means and negotiations.
Wisdom
- People receive education throughout their lives, in a way and at a level that is personalized to each individual according to their abilities and interests.
- Each person thinks independently, critically and rationally based on evidence.
- Many people work to discover new knowledge about the world and themselves through research and through art.
Development
- One of the main goals people have is to develop and improve themselves, to nurture positive qualities such as courage, optimism, patience, humility, creativity, generosity, and compassion.
- Accumulating wealth is not an end in itself, and people do not live obsessed with accumulating possessions, money, social status, or power, nor in a never-ending race for entertainment and distractions.
Advanced technology
- Technology empowers humans and increases their capabilities by enabling them to do sophisticated things.
- Technological devices are made of organic material and other recyclable materials that do not pollute the environment.
- People use technology for purposes that promote and enrich life and instead of destroying it.
Aesthetics
- People make sure to design all things in a way which is aesthetically and psychologically pleasant – buildings, objects, technological devices, clothes, cities, art, etc.
- People take care of hygiene, cleanliness, and order.
What Heaven on Earth doesn’t have
Here are a few things that exist on earth today that don’t exist in an ideal world:
- Physical and verbal violence, wars, terrorism, slavery, rape, sexual harassment
- Cruelty, hatred, prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia
- Hopelessness, despair
- Poverty
- Theft, fraud, exploitation, embezzlement
- Pollution, destruction of the natural environment
- Ugly cities and buildings