John selected for Mars mission  

John was a well built youngman in early thirties, employed in the U.S. Air Force. One day, he got thrilling news that he had been selected as a team member for journey to Mars. Obviously, he was very happy. He was fond of stories of other planets from his very childhood. He had always wondered how fairies and angels lived in distant planets. This was a unique opportunity.

John's parents and friends were all scared. The very thought of far off planets- many light years away from Earth- filled every heart with fear. But John was of different type. He hopefully said to his parents- Please don't worry. I shall bring from Mars a fairy.

The preparatory session 

There were fifty individuals- space scientists and military personnel- in the team.  They were all required to undergo a special training for the journey to Mars. The probable duration of journey was one year.  This was a very risky journey.  The travelers had to prepare themselves mentally and physically for the journey. They would eat only capsules and no vegetables while on spaceship. There is also weightlessness in outer space.  John successfully passed medical firness test and underwent the rigorous training.

The journey in outer space

Ultimately the moment for take off arrived. John was anxiously waiting for the moment. The spacecraft called Mars Express started with a bang.  In no time, John was thousands of light years away in outer space.  He initially felt breathlessness but soon recovered.  The meditation and other exercises helped him. He felt uneasy for some time but soon got accustomed.  There was a very big change in daily routine. He was totally cut off from the world. No newspaper, no T.V.  They could not walk but only swim in air. They received news only through remote connection with space headquarters on Earth.     

Communication link with Headquarters broken

One day, captain of the spacecraft Mars Express spoke in choked voice- "Friends, now we are at mercy of Almighty. We are lost. Communication with Earth broken.  I'm also not sure of exact location of  Mars Express. "  Everyone began his prayers except John.  John just remained unnerved. He said- "We had no doubt wonderful journey. Everyone dies some time. So why make fuss. Let come what may."  John began singing aloud happily. Others felt that he had gone mad.  He did not fear death even at distance of millions of light years from Earth.  The spacecraft was moving in unknown track and there was no destination. The fuel could also exhaust any time.  

Mars Express on fire      

Suddenly, the Mars Express exploded and caught fire. John fell from the spacecraft. He moved aimlessly in the outerspace. All of sudden, he saw some light at a distance. He guessed that this could be some planet. He was not wrong. He was falling fast in the direction of an unknown planet.  He just closed his eyes and calmed himself. He was sure but not afraid of death. Luckily for him, there were civilized peole in the planet. They could see some human body falling fast to the ground.  They gathered at the spot where they anticipated him to land. They were ready with net.  John fell on the net and rebounded many times up and down before he setlled on the ground. 

In unknown planet 

The inhabitants took care of him.  When he regained conscience, he found himself in an hospital surrounded by many men and women.  They wore bright color garments.  They were speaking in some strange language that he could not understand.  On seeing him conscious, they served him some hot drink and eatables.  He thanked them for caring so much for him. He also said that he had no money to pay as he had come from very far place.  But apparently, nobody understood him.

He slept in the hospital bed for long.  He feared that he would be in trouble as he had nothing to pay. Then he thought that he could compensate by offering his free service in any manner they liked.  He tried to talk to some hospital staff but nobody understood him. Then he moved out. Nobody stopped him. He moved on the street aimlessly. He could do nothing.  He felt hungry. He saw a restaurant on the way. He went inside and saw that everyone was serving himself.  He also picked some eatables- sweets, salty- and also coffee.  He feared how he would pay. Surprisingly, he saw that nobody was paying anything.  It struck him that others could be regular customers who had account with the restaurant.  He came out of the restaurant and went on street.  As a pleasant surprise to him, there was no scorching heat.  The weather was same throughout day.  The days appeared longer. When tired, he thought of going to some rest house.  As he had no money, he thought of  sleeping in a park. He chose a bench in a park to sleep. A stranger touched him. He woke up. The stranger talked to him but John could not understand him.  Then the stranger took him to a building that looked like guest house.  He slept there soundly.

He woke up early next morning and took his bath. He had no new clothes to wear. He was still in the dress that he was in while in spaceship. His clothes were dirty.  The stranger who taken to the guest house appeared with some more indivduals. John tried to explain that he was a stranger there and knew nothing about language or manners. They could not understand him. They took him to nearby hospital.  There were some more persons there. Some of them recognized him as they spotted hin when he fell to the ground from the outer space.  He was medically examined.  The doctor felt that John had lost his memory and could not behave like a responsible adult. He advised that John needs be trained ust like a small child who has yet to learn speaking.         

John taken in kindergarten 

John was taken to a kindergarten.  There were only very small children who could not yet speak or understand things. The staff and teachers treated John just like a child. John now understood that the doctors had considered him as mentally retarded and wanted to train him from the very beginning like a child. John had no option.  He also sat among the kids.  The teacher would just utter some word and the kids would repeat. John also did as children do. The kids had also to be helped for small things like using lavatory.  But  John could do everything except that he could not talk. In a few weeks John learned vocaubulary and some grammar. Eventually he mastered their language. Now he was fully adjusted there.

John as a Physical training instructor

Everyone in the planet needed to be proficient in some job. There was no police or army in the planet.  On Earth, he was in armed forces. such job was not available in the planet.  He chose the job of physical training instructor.  He would go to some school and prepare children for physical fitness, give them physical training exercises.  One day John asked the school manager- What is my salary and when I shall get?

The manager surprisingly said- What is salary that you are talking about

John- "I mean how much money I will get for my services."

Manager replied- I can't make head or heel of what you say. we all just work. Nothing else.

John- Okay.  But how will I buy clothes, shirts, eatables etc.  

Manager- Everything you get as much as you need. Have you been hungry or without clothes  or withou shelter so far?

John- I am new. I just thought that I am being just given some temporary favor being sick and new in the place.

The manager explained that work and need are different matter.  He could get whatever he needed for his use- food, clothing, shelter etc.  It mattered little whether he did any work or not. 

But John was still at a losss to understand the environment.  He kept silent.

A few days later, he asked a fellow teacher-  I have a curiousity.  I never saw any parents meeting their children here.

Teacher: I don't understand.  What do you mean by 'parents'

John-  I mean father and mother who gave birth to child.

Teacher- How funny you are.  These are all our children.

John- You mean their parents died and this is orphanage.

Teacher- You are getting funnier.  Obviously all are our children and we look after them.

John was very confused.   He noticed that nobody uses the words 'I'  ,my' , 'mine' .  They would always say 'we', 'us'.   So if you work, just say we work. why?   We work for us.  

John was also feeling sex starved.  One day, he asked a colleague very hesitantingly-  where Can I get a woman?

The colleague said- There are so many women. Just propose any one. She will definitely share your bed. Any other issue.

John- But I may again need woman. I actually want to marry?

Colleague: Today you are again saying very bizarre thing. I don't know what is this 'marry'.

John- This means that she will be with me all my life.

Colleague: so funny. This never happens. No woman can be your only. All women are ours.  All men and women are ours. Today, you may bed a woman. Tommorow she will bed someone else.  

This gave John the idea that they never think in terms of self.  They work for 'us'.  All women are for all men.  All men are for all women. All children are ours.  There were no words like father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife in their dictionary.  In T.V. shows also, he noticed complete absence of family based stories.  All TV programmes centered on community issues, colleagues, market.  There was no currency system and no stock exchange, no commodity exchange, no banks, no insurance.

One day, he had a random walk in the city. He also noticed there were no places of worship, no advertisemets of any products. In fact, there was no exchange of commodies. exchange required either medium of money or barter.  Here you could get anything that you needed. There is no sale and no buying.  There is not even barter system.  You cannot exchange as you have nothing of your own. everything is 'ours'.

In fact, even your shirt is not personal. when dirty, just give in laundry and get another one. The dirty shirt after wash may be used by somebody else. 

He also noticed that everyone was happy. There could be physical pain and tiredness but no unhappiness, no frustration.  Frustration is cause by work conditions, family issues, financial issues. No such issues existed there and hence no room for frustration and unhappiness. 

He also never saw any hoarding of some political leader or preacher.  There were no advocates either.  It is natural as the 'preachers just give sermons on avoiding amassing wealth and against greed or vice.  When everyone got what he needed irrespective of work and there was no room for amassing wealth, what would a preacher do.  There was no money and no income tax.  Just as you could get what you needed, resouces like cement, sand, bitumen were available for public works also.  The citizens worked in these projects also. So no need for taxation.  There was no scope for lawyers.  You need lawyers for settling disputes.  The disputes and even murders are for money, woman and land.  Thus there are no causes for crimes. No money, no exchane. All women are for all. No private ownership of land. Land is also ours.  

Gradually, John understood the social and economic structure.  But he wondered how there was everything in plenty though nobody was forced to work more. Everyone got what he needed and worked only as much he could or desired.  He contrasted this with Earth where people worked hard for getting wages and still faced shortages.

John pondered over.  There was perfect planning and use of resources. But only quantity and not value in terms of dollars mattered. The efforts and resources on printing currency notes, coinage, banking, insurance were all saved.  There was no need for lawyers and even accountants. No expenditure on advertisement.

There was stress on community life as compared to family and individual as on earth. John clearly recognized that there is more economic use of resources in community. The human resources wasted in preachers, lawyers, banks, insurance etc were all saved. Thus nobody wasted his energy. As there are many sections of people on Earth engaged in unprofitable or even harmful activities, others have to work very hard.  

Soon John forgot everything about Earth.  He lived life according to norms in the new world.  All that one needs for happiness- women, children, amusement, food, drinks- were available to him.