The Design

Roy and his family call the group together and asks them to get comfortable. He greets them warmly and starts to speak in a serious tone:

"Friends, we are on the forefront of the creation of a new society. I think we can all agree that the dead society was leading humanity into oblivion. Two of my foremen and my primary architect are among us now, thankfully. We have been discussing the requirements of our human beehives over the last few days and have come up with a concept that is workable with the resources at hand. Are any of you familiar with The Plant located at the Back of the Yards in Chicago?"

Several hands are raised. Roy continues.

"The Plant is an experiment in creating a self-sustaining community. Betty loves to volunteer there and participate in its creation. She will describe it later in more detail. My work with Habitat for Humanity has given me some insight into what human beings REALLY need in a home. I know that the design we came up with can satisfy those needs. We may encounter some glitches, but the design is flexible enough to adjust as we proceed."

"Bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are essential in each cell of our beehive. Those are the only needs. We talked about having a common kitchen area that would be shared by the six surrounding cells and may yet decide that as the best route to take. We wouldn't need six refrigerators and six stoves if we decide to cooperate. We could centralize a large refrigerator, freezer and pantry for the cells to share. That would cut down on energy consumption. It is important to realize that, just like The Plant, our food would always be available fresh from our hydroponic and aquaponic facilities. Eventually, there may not even be a need for the appliances. We even talked about a common bathroom, but that was a stretch. Although we envision cooperation will be fantastic among us, privacy in the bathroom and bedroom will remain."

"The hexagonal cell in the center would be used by the surrounding occupants. For the moment, we shelved discussing its contents. We can get ideas from the group as we go. Surely, it can be used for socializing and relaxing, but we definitely will have a communication link in there to share our lives with others. John tells me that we could use a single smart-screen could that would get access to the intelligent software that would eventually synchronize the tasks and functions necessary to maintain our environment."

"The Plant recycles, reuses and repurposes at every opportunity. The key component that makes The Plant feasible is the digester. Eisenmann is the company that is providing that system. They have a facility in Crystal Lake, not too far from the farm on Fox River. We probably will be able acquire one and begin using it as we build."

"The digester is very much like the human stomach, but it is anaerobic. It digests organic material like we do, but its "waste" is recycled. It produces gas like we do, but that gas becomes an energy source for us. One digester produces enough gas to power about 250 homes of the current design. With our honeycomb design and lower energy requirements, it would meet the needs of more than two thousand cells. It also purifies the water and creates usable bricks from the remaining solids. Those bricks can be used for fuel, fertilizer and other functions. There would be no need for landfills or garbage pickup."

"Our food would come from within the hives during the winter and be supplemented in the summer from outdoor farming. Aquaponics provides fish for protein and their waste is recycled to the hydroponic gardens as fertilizer. Mushrooms are easily grown in the damp environment produced from the hydroponics and all elements of food production are interdependent and interconnected. The word waste will disappear from our vocabulary. "

Roy goes silent and scans the group for reactions. Most have a stunned look on their faces while they try to absorb Roy's words. There's hope! There may be a future after all! Nothing is said for several minutes and then Betty speaks:

"What day is this?" she asks of the assemblage. No answer. She waits another few minutes. Still no answer. A voice finally asks:

"I don't know, Betty. Do you know?"

"Yes, I do, but the reason for my question is to bring to light some other important matters. We are faced with having to make some huge psychological adjustments if our new society will thrive. We can create heaven on earth or sabotage ourselves. My bees demonstrate what a cooperative colony does. It is selfless contribution to the hive and its occupants. Selflessness is a must for our success. If selfishness returns, it must be quashed."

"We all have our Point of View, but the first agreement we must reach is that what is contained in that true view has no concern of what position we take in it. Communicating honestly among ourselves about what we are able to discern from our point will contribute to better understanding among us all. For example, if we were on the edge of the Grand Canyon and beholding this wonder of nature, we would probably stare in awe. If we say nothing to each other about the view we behold, we will walk away with our individual and limited view. If we start pointing things out to each other than may have been overlooked by someone, the view is enhanced and improved. The longer we stay and discuss our viewpoints, the more beautiful the canyon becomes for all of us. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, Betty. Please go on."

"Roy's vision is like the Grand Canyon for us. He is not a dictator, but a great organizer. Like all of us, he cannot think of every little detail in trying to create our community. Experience is not the best teacher -- it is the only teacher. If there is any dissension, it must be voiced and if there are any suggestions, they must be heard. Do you agree?"

Collective "YES!"

"Great, now about what day this is. It is TODAY. In truth, there is no other day. Our ego dies each time we go to sleep and is resurrected when it awakens. What we do in this day is strictly up to us. With the old business gone, our business has become tending to each other and tending to our planet. Calendars really don't serve any purpose any more. There are no tax filing deadlines, no bills to pay, no court dates, no deadlines. Deadlines are dead. We have an open-ended future. When we think about any task or function we need or want to perform, we can do it NOW. What we experienced is causing a huge paradigm shift in humanity's mind. We will have heaven on earth if we make it our "busy-ness."

"Betty, what if outsiders interfere or threaten us?"

"There are no outsiders. Our community and all others must be all-inclusive. Let people come to us and welcome them with open arms. There is nothing to steal; there is no money. Living without money is probably the biggest paradigm shift of all for most of the population. We have no need for accountants, politicians, attorneys, financial advisors and the like. Their brainpower can now become useful in helping develop communities. The honeycomb designs and the ideas from The Plant can expand to include everyone eventually. Only when the world lives as one can heaven on earth become reality."

"Mom! Dad! The power just came back on!"

"Folks, our work has just begun," says Roy.