Auroville is essentially an idealized dream. The easiest way to describe it is if Gene Rodenberry could have designed a society in a world with Stanely Kubrick imagery you would get Auroville. Their charter simple states:

- Auroville belongs to nobody in particular.

- Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole.

- But to live in Auroville, one must be a willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.

- Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages.

- Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future realisations.

- Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.

( http://www.auroville.org )

It was started in an area without trees, and a serious reforestation effort took hold to create a near paradise. Core beliefs include working for the benefit of others, constant learning, and to give back.

Auroville may or may not be the realization of our own dreams, nor may it be the perfect ideal for all of us, but it does bring to mind questions:

- What would be the ideal community for me, my family, my neighbors, and newcomers?

- What is my role in helping achieve this dream?

- What would I give to make a dream come to reality?

- Is giving money to a cause enough or is a more personal role required?

- How should I prioritize my efforts and beliefs?

Ty Thayer