EPIC, Community, 1 Local, 7/31/17

1.1 Population: The Epiccissian race consists of 1 Billion people spread around the world and for most purposes they represent the dominant race on the Earth. There are perhaps, a hundred million survivors of the traditional human race prior to the Singularity, but they are in isolated groups such as the Amish and primitive peoples of the Amazon, Congo and jungles of New Guinea. Their ability to survive was a result of their understanding of how to live in harmony with the Earth. The wealthy that had retreated to their private security enclaves just prior to the Singularity have all died off. As their gold and money became worthless they found that what they had thought to be wealth was not enough to sustain life. 

1.1.1 The 1 Billion Epiccissians are spread evenly around the globe with their garden communities between 40 degrees North and South Latitudes. All of the land and oceans north and south of these latitudes is generally uninhabited by humans, with the only non-native inhabitants telepresence bots. The 1 Billion Epiccissians are divided into 100 million communities of 1,000 people of which 650 are females and 350 are males. Garden communities are generally clustered into regional groups for economies of scale in growing and processing various foods and materials.

1.2 Garden Community: Each Epiccissian garden community is a four by four kilometer square with two kilometers separating each community from the next. A typical ten by ten region grid of 100,000 people occupies just under a 50 kilometer square. There is no organizational structure beyond the region since everything is controlled by EPIC, structural hierarchies are not necessary with the exception of fusion reactors which supply power on a continent wide basis. Foot paths connect the communities within regions, but they are rarely used since there is no need and little reason to physically visit another community. Augmented reality and telepresence bots provide an easy way of exploring all the lands and oceans of the world including neighboring communities.

1.2.1 All of the Epiccissian garden communities have identical facilities in terms of housing and public facilities. At the center of each community is the Agora, or meeting place. At the center of the Agora is a large public square with fountains and plantings that make it into a cross between a plaza and a garden. There are numerous benches and gathering areas that accommodate from one or two people to reasonably large groups. There are additional facilities that provide covered shelters with fans and radiant heat as the weather dictates. To a casual observer the Agora is devoid of technology and while very enjoyable it is a place where the Minoans would have been very comfortable.

1.4 Baths: A major feature of the Agora is the baths. In the finest tradition of ancient Rome the baths are a source of pure enjoyment. Whether it be soaking in the hot tubs, taking a cold plunge, sitting in the wet or dry saunas, or getting a massage, the baths are all about relaxation and pleasure. The massage bots interface with each individuals sensory reading through EPIC and consequently know exactly which areas need attention from either a physical or sexual perspective. Complete relaxation is always achieved.

1.5 Dining: After the baths the next stop is the communal dining areas. In addition to the large area in the Agora where the entire community can dine together, there are smaller more intimate eating areas spread through out the community. The menu is vegan and primarily features food produced within the community and harvested on a daily basis. Each serving is customized for each Epiccissian and is created based on the individuals biometric readers to provide her or him with exactly the right amount of calories, vitamins and minerals to maintain a perfect weight and balanced system. The Epiccissians have highly developed palettes and appreciate each taste as a connoisseur.

1.6 Entertainment: After several hours of enjoying their food and conversation with their dining companions, the eating areas are transformed in the mind of each Epiccissian with augmented reality into entertainment venues. As in eating, entertainment for the Epiccissians is enjoyed on a totally different level from that of the pre-Singularity time. With their enhanced senses the Epiccissians see a vast range of colors and hear frequencies and sounds beyond what is traditional human hearing. The entertainment ranges from viewing recordings from the pre- Singularity epoch to virtual reality that feature each Epiccissian’s avatar performing in a musical, comedy or drama situation. The physical person can also perform as well with augmented reality props and haptic feedback creating whatever instrument or situation that they desire.

1.7 Sleeping areas: At the conclusion of the entertainment, the Epiccissians adjourn to their sleeping areas which like the eating areas are a combination of small intimate cottages for one or two people and larger structures for an age cohort such as the children. Fresh bedding is provided by the service bots each day. Sleep is preceded by a period of meditation and reflection.

1.8 Sex: For the Epiccissians sexual intercourse is a physical exercise of aerobic intimacy to be enjoyed whenever the situation is appropriate. There is no linkage between sexual intercourse and procreation. At puberty males contribute sperm to the sperm bank where their DNA is analyzed and categorized for later use, modification, and recombination for in vitro fertilization. After their sperm is contributed, each Epiccissian male is inoculated with a sterilization vaccine that remains active for the balance of their life.

1.8.1 Epiccissian women become sexually active at whatever age they deem to be appropriate, generally in their late teens. Each woman understands from childhood, that upon her twentieth annual cycle, she will become pregnant via in vitro fertilization of one of her eggs. The sperm used is based on a best match algorithm from the donor base of the current entire male population. Consequently, any of the men in the community could potentially be the father. All of the men in the community are considered to be equal fathers to all of the children, and thus have shared responsibility for each child’s development. The first birth for each woman is always a girl. Half of the women will be selected to have a second child which will be a boy. This results in all boys having an older sister as well as a stable population ratio of 650 females and 350 males.

1.8.2 The concept of fathering children through coitus is unknown to the Epiccissians and is known to apply to the primitive pre-Singularity races. Many of the traits and practices of pre-Singularity humanity have been eliminated from involvement in the Epiccissian’s lives. Such items included hunger, abuse, fear, slavery, politics, war, hatred, ignorance, crime, wealth, power, and insemination by coitus. The Epiccissians clearly understand that this is what makes them far superior to the earlier races.

1.8.3 For the young mothers, once they have their one and only, or second child they also participate in a process that results in menopause. With EPIC keeping their hormones carefully in balance during this process, women experience no side effects other than the elimination of their period.

1.8.4 Consequently, both men and women are able to enjoy sexual activities for the balance of their annual cycles without any concerns over the consequences. And since not only sexually transmitted but all diseases have been eliminated within the community, sexual activity is as routine as any other sporting effort. The older women especially enjoy activities with the younger men since they are quick and often, where the younger women appreciate the slow and steady approach of older men. And with aging for both sexes stopped in their mid thirties, every member of the community is active and attractive right up until their date of departure.

1.8.5 The Epiccissians lack any concept of a man and a woman as a core family unit. For the Epiccissians they are all certain of their mother, but the entire community is the rest of their family, with age group peers as brothers and sisters and all the adult men as fathers. This results in a tremendously cohesive and caring community.