A Weekend on the Kibbutz

So I just spent the weekend at a kibbutz in Ramat Hanegev. It's a group of five kibbutzim down in the desert. Not only was it amazing to see old friends who I haven't seen since I came on IST, but it's amazing how a kibbutz works. My friend Gal is the manager of pub on the kibbutz and his father is pretty high up in the factory. This factory is the main product of the kibbutz and yet... they are paid the exact same amount of money. The most interesting concept. Obviously that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The difference is what the kibbutz gives them. Gal is given a little apartment for himself with the basic necessities. He has a small bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink. He has enough room for his bed and a couch and a TV and a computer and then he has a small kitchen with a refrigerator and sink and closets and stuff. None of these things are glorious in any way, but none the less work great and a perfectly reasonable. On the other hand, his father is given a two floor house with many more things and some perks along the way... all decided by the government of the kibbutz who also make the same amount of money. And this kibbutz has existed for quite some time and will continue to exist with this same basic concept. It really is communistic at its core. And although this type of system couldn't work for an entire country it does work for a community because in the end, these people are okay with making the same amount of money regardless of what they do because it keeps the community running. Everyone does what they're supposed to do, get paid, and simply live. It's a very simple life, but most of the people that I've known never have anything to complain about and a few even intend to live on the very same kibbutz that they grew up on. Absolutely amazing sense of life. Absolutely fantastic way of life. Nobody cares about how much one has because in the end, it doesn't matter... as long as the community continues to exist.