It may come as a surprise, but I don't LOVE dystopian novels. Let me explain. I really do like them, but my favorite part comes from the discussion after the fact. The fact that in lots of different attempts to make society perfect, we notice that there is something that doesn't go right or something that we don't agree on. I don't believe there is one Utopia. I enjoy these books because of the talks that they bring for the life around us. Watching perfection unravel can be difficult to absorb sometimes.
Take this for example. Look at the difference between these two photos....
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You even know that the two things are going to be incredibly different just by your understanding of the the words. But my point is that they can both bring happiness if you look at them one way, but they can also show sadness. In a Utopian society, I think that they only way things work is if you give the people just ONE way of looking at something. Because you wouldn't want them to see this...
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....If you still wanted people to be happy, based off of the first set of photos. This might not help MY idea of a Utopia, but I feel like it gives some clarity to what I'm trying to say. That in order for this concept to work you have to control certain elements of society.
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So what is my favorite idea of a world? It's interesting as I thought about this, that there would still be conflict on my Utopia. Sounds strange, I know, but I feel that conflict is a powerful way to get things done. First and foremost, everyone would be happy and doing what they love. Money would mean nothing in this world, but that does not mean that everyone has everything that they want. Oh and no guns. There's no need for them. I see a world without war and hunger, but I want to go deeper than that. I feel like those are points that everyone is going to have. There will still be judgment in my world! I know that we typically frown on that in our society but I sometimes think it's good to use judgement WHEN NECESSARY to solve problems and figure things out.
I want this world to be in the clouds. I would make it temperature controlled so it would not be super cold, but the clouds could be peaceful to look about and see. Can people fly in this world? You sure bet they can. There are lots of calm lakes and peaceful beaches. You have a choice as to where you want to live. If the city life isn't for you, there are rural areas that you may live as well. Homes can be connected by tubes under the foundation so you can visit people quicker.
I also believe it's important to set ground rules as well in Utopia that I see and am running. You can't cheat death. There isn't a pill that you take that makes you immortal because no one would appreciate the life they have if it never ended. Crime is a difficult thing to talk about. Because while there still are crimes, there are no INCENTIVES behind why someone would commit a crime in an ideal society. But should someone commit a crime, they must help the people they have wronged for a certain amount of time, before returning to their lives. This doesn't include killing people! If you kill someone ON PURPOSE, you must leave the island of clouds.
I want to leave my Utopia slightly more vague on purpose. It would be within the control of the people in the society to alter the life they have around them. There are few limits and lots of outlets for imagination! That being said, focusing on the first part of the question, I don't actually believe that there is such a thing as a perfect world. There is always something that can be changed or something that could be improved in different ways according to different people. There are very few things that we can all agree on. And that's ok! My point is that I just don't see it happening. Take my examples of beaches and music notes. It's all about how we look at something, not necessarily what it is.
Take this for example. Look at the difference between these two photos....
1
2
You even know that the two things are going to be incredibly different just by your understanding of the the words. But my point is that they can both bring happiness if you look at them one way, but they can also show sadness. In a Utopian society, I think that they only way things work is if you give the people just ONE way of looking at something. Because you wouldn't want them to see this...
1
2
....If you still wanted people to be happy, based off of the first set of photos. This might not help MY idea of a Utopia, but I feel like it gives some clarity to what I'm trying to say. That in order for this concept to work you have to control certain elements of society.
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So what is my favorite idea of a world? It's interesting as I thought about this, that there would still be conflict on my Utopia. Sounds strange, I know, but I feel that conflict is a powerful way to get things done. First and foremost, everyone would be happy and doing what they love. Money would mean nothing in this world, but that does not mean that everyone has everything that they want. Oh and no guns. There's no need for them. I see a world without war and hunger, but I want to go deeper than that. I feel like those are points that everyone is going to have. There will still be judgment in my world! I know that we typically frown on that in our society but I sometimes think it's good to use judgement WHEN NECESSARY to solve problems and figure things out.
I want this world to be in the clouds. I would make it temperature controlled so it would not be super cold, but the clouds could be peaceful to look about and see. Can people fly in this world? You sure bet they can. There are lots of calm lakes and peaceful beaches. You have a choice as to where you want to live. If the city life isn't for you, there are rural areas that you may live as well. Homes can be connected by tubes under the foundation so you can visit people quicker.
I also believe it's important to set ground rules as well in Utopia that I see and am running. You can't cheat death. There isn't a pill that you take that makes you immortal because no one would appreciate the life they have if it never ended. Crime is a difficult thing to talk about. Because while there still are crimes, there are no INCENTIVES behind why someone would commit a crime in an ideal society. But should someone commit a crime, they must help the people they have wronged for a certain amount of time, before returning to their lives. This doesn't include killing people! If you kill someone ON PURPOSE, you must leave the island of clouds.
I want to leave my Utopia slightly more vague on purpose. It would be within the control of the people in the society to alter the life they have around them. There are few limits and lots of outlets for imagination! That being said, focusing on the first part of the question, I don't actually believe that there is such a thing as a perfect world. There is always something that can be changed or something that could be improved in different ways according to different people. There are very few things that we can all agree on. And that's ok! My point is that I just don't see it happening. Take my examples of beaches and music notes. It's all about how we look at something, not necessarily what it is.
Very interesting way to look at a Utopian life. What is funny is that you put into words what I could not. For some reason I could not ever find exactly what I wanted to say about Utopia, and I feel as if you have done it for me. I too agree that a perfect society is not attainable, but it is a matter of how you look at it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you say there is no such thing as a utopia as there is always room for improvement, but also that it depends on the people that live in the utopia to truly make it magnificent.
ReplyDelete