In America I had made a beautiful commune of five thousand people, living joyously with no question of class struggle. There was not a single beggar. In five years there was not a single baby born. They were working hard, they were meditating, and in the night they were dancing, playing on their flutes, playing on their guitars. It was a dream that had become real.

And we changed the whole desert that we had purchased. It was not a small place; it was one hundred and twenty-six square miles, a vast desert. We made our dams, we cultivated the land, we made houses for five thousand people. We had our own airplanes, our own buses, our own cars – we had everything of our own. We had our own hospital, our own school, our own university.

And what happened to America? Why did they become so worried about us, who were just an oasis in a desert? The nearest town was twenty miles away. And we were not concerned with anybody else. We were enjoying ourselves.

They became worried because visitors started coming to see. And the word started spreading, that if these people can convert a desert – which was lying dead for fifty years and nobody was ready to purchase it – if they can make it an oasis, productive, feeding five thousand people with vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, everything that was needed….

And there was no need for any dictatorship of the proletariat; it was real communism. And to me, real communism always means that it has to be joined with anarchism; otherwise it is not real. If communism and anarchism are together, then there is reality. Communism helps you to become richer; anarchism helps you to become freer – more freedom. Finally there is no need of any government. There was no government for us. Everybody had his own responsibility.

The American politicians became worried because we were creating an example that can be dangerous: people’s minds can get fired by it – because even in the richest country of the world there are thirty million people who are beggars, on the street – no houses, no clothes, no food, no work. And America goes on destroying billions of people through stupid projects.

Just now a few rockets have blown up, and each rocket meant billions of dollars. And they are pouring their whole energy into nuclear weapons. I can’t think who they want to kill, because already America and the Soviet Union together have enough nuclear energy to kill every man seven times. I don’t think that everybody is a Jesus Christ, and everybody is going to be resurrected seven times so you have to make such great arrangements. The truth is that even Jesus Christ never resurrected; nature does not change its laws.

They became afraid of the commune because it was what all the great anarchists of the world, Prince Kropotkin and others, have been thinking that a day will come when no government will be needed. And it was communism because there were was no class…but that does not mean that everybody was equal. There again I am not in agreement with communism. People should be given equal opportunity to grow, but people are not equal. They have different talents; there are geniuses, there are musicians, there are scientists. Everybody has a unique personality.