Burself would be an island nation, surrounded by an ocean, and totally isolated. Surviving in such an atmosphere would be difficult enough, and with the added effects of strict regulations and rules, many would say living in such a society would be impossible. In fact, though, the added benefits of having such an eco friendly environment, the presence of rules that are beneficial to the whole community, and the free healthcare and educational systems would attract potential citizens, and allow the society to flourish.
Some people would disagree with the statement that Burself could actually be a functioning civilization; rationalizing it with arguments like: the free healthcare and educational systems are unrealistic, the demerit system would eliminate people too quickly, and people wouldn’t want to live in a society with such strict rules. In fact, the taxes imposed on citizens fund the educational and healthcare systems so they can be totally free. Allowing for donations from private citizens, they could easily function without any cost to a person in need of healthcare or education. The demerit system is designed to remove those not fit for such a small community. The fact that the number is so low, and kicking people out is so final, shows the perfectionism of the society, and was created to keep those who don’t break any rules safe. The strict rules are also actually quite helpful. While breaking them does result in a rather harsh consequence, all of the rules (such as no hunting for sport, no cars, no putting others down, no corruption, and no holding others back) only create positive results and feelings in the society. While there is a convincing argument that Burself could never function as a modern society, most of the flaws can actually be interpreted as positive aspects.
The eco friendly habits of Burself are a major reason that it would be a successful modern civilization. People would flock to the island society solely because of it; the green energy used in basically everything promotes self worth and sets up a healthy future for the kids of Burself. While hard to keep up, the water surrounding the island would be immensely useful. Using hydropower, the island can be powered by water for almost everything. The citizens of Burself would have moved their largely in part to the eco-friendly behavior, and so wouldn’t mind paying heavier taxes in order to keep the tools for making energy running. Energy produced from the eco friendly hydropower plants could be used in a variety of ways helpful to Burself, but a lot of it is used powering hospitals and schools.
The free health care and educational systems are major factors to the success of Burself. The fact that the healthcare is free encourages people to go to their doctor more frequently and keep themselves healthy. New citizens will want to move to the community as well, because the free healthcare and schooling is a great part of Burself. Free education encourages people to study what they want to. In college, people are more likely to try different classes and find what they want to do. While also pushing up taxes, the citizens will find that it is an acceptable price to pay, and the community’s health and happiness. Because it also encourages people to move and stay in Burself, the free healthcare and educational systems are huge contributors to just how successful Burself would be.
As formerly mentioned, the rules of the society are really what would help Burself survive in a modern climate. While transcendentalist ideas seem to be outdated, the rules reinterpret them in a contemporary way. The rules that outlaw hunting and cars, while controversial, probably are the ones that would protect the society the most. Citizens who could not follow those rules simply wouldn’t move to Burself. They make Burself different enough so that people who agree with their beliefs have somewhere to go, but not so different from normal society that less extreme people would feel out of place. The rules of Burself give the island a purpose, and that purpose is what keeps the island going.
In modern society, Burself would be a flourishing community because of the eco friendly habits, the free healthcare and educational systems, and the strong rules that hold the islands together. While it’s true that there would definitely be some conflicts along the way, Burself truly would be able to survive in a modern climate.
