My Utopian Household
Idea
To create a Utopian household.
Big Questions to Answer
What about going home makes people happy? Or unhappy? What would make people happier about their homes? (Family related issues and common household issues apply).
I think that people like going home after a long day because of the familiariry of home and the fact that people can feel free to be themselves when they get home; they can change out of their work or school clothes into anything they want, they can pig out in front of the TV or read or do whatever they feel like doing.
Personally I love going home, especially after being away for an extended period of time or even just after being gone for only a little while. People's homes have a warm, personal vibe to them. If you're having a bad day, you can always go to your favorite place in your house and just try and relax. Everything about someone's house is personal to them: it caters to what they like (their food choices, decorative choices) and so going home should feel like you're going home to your perfect place. Also, if you're living with family or friends or someone you have a relationship with, it's always nice going home and seeing them after a long day as well. You get to catch up with other people about their day and focus on other things besides your own day's events.
On the other hand, some people may not like to go home because they either have family problems with the person they live with or if their house is in bad condition and going home is just a bad reminder. Also, if you have to travel a long way to get to your house from your place of work or school or even just have to travel a lot to get home, it can be frustrating living so far. In addition, people could live in a bad location, either by a highway or just have awful neighbors. These somewhat avoidable things could bring a person to not want to go home as much as someone who finds relaxation and a serene feeling when they get home.
Below, I have listed some regular household problems that could make some people not happy with going home, like having a dirty house or broken appliances, etc. Underneath those problems, I have listed solutions and how, in my Utopian household, those problems would be nonexistant.
Ways to Physically Improve the Household
Ways to Improve Familial Happiness within the House
There are always occasions when people are unhappy in their home because of family issues. In some of the Utopias we've learned about, the concept of family doesn't even exist. In Brave New World, the idea was laughed at; children were grown to certain specifications and there was no such thing as parents. In this Utopia, there could not be family problems because families simply did not exist. In Walden Two, there is a similar set up to Brave New World in that children do not live with their parents—they live in a Children's Building where they all learn collectively. This idea of separating families works in these Utopias because through separation, there are no problems. In my Utopian household, I would not have separation within families. Instead, there would be "family time" and "alone time" where people can escape and be on their own for some time. The idea of family time would be designated time for families to sit down together and either solve and present issues or just enjoy time together. If people are unhappy and do not want to have this specified family time, they can go off to their favorite place in the house where they can have solitude. For instance, kids would have their bedrooms or the playrooms. Adults could go to their office or just anywhere in the house where they can feel content and peaceful on their own.
In Walden Two, the large property allowed people to get away for awhile, which I found to be a great aspect to that Utopian society. In Brave New World, being alone was a sign of abnormality and was not accepted in the community. This is a bad idea because people simply cannot be surrounded by others all the time. Everyone needs their alone time to reflect, to relax, get work done, or for whatever reason.