Utopia = No place?
By: Alexandra Tantoco
Dreams may be compared to the concept of Utopia. Another common comparison could be "heaven on Earth." Thomas More, the original creator of the concept, used the Greek word "ou-topos" which translates into no place, to create the term Utopia.
This means that the original creator intended for this concept to only be unobtainable, but still considers it a topic to ponder upon. As time goes on, literature continues to live in the concept of utopias and authors can't seem to stop wrapping their heads around their interpretation to it. That is certainly the point of writing, but is there a possibility that those words may come to life one day?
A perfect place for one person might never be the same for the next. Although, there still contains the argument of whether or not humans should strive to make the world as "utopian" as possible or if that's the role of the afterlife. This will eventually go into the connection of religious beliefs and the future of humanity.
There are a few factors that shift the "evolving consciousness" of humans. The information age is enabling change to occur, and even though America may never reach the level of utopian glory, it might just reach close enough. In order for humans to develop a new mentality on how to live in harmony towards a more perfect society, "social revolutions, economic revolutions, massive shifts in consciousness, and the formation of groups" play a huge role. America may never have a single set structure on Utopian ideals, but humankind will continue to break into groups and advocate for what their perfect "utopian society" would look like. If the people of America continue to focus on their organizations and spark change, the goal of Utopia won't even be the goal in mind. The simplicity of attempting to reach close enough to a just society will be.
Dreams may be compared to the concept of Utopia. Another common comparison could be "heaven on Earth." Thomas More, the original creator of the concept, used the Greek word "ou-topos" which translates into no place, to create the term Utopia.
This means that the original creator intended for this concept to only be unobtainable, but still considers it a topic to ponder upon. As time goes on, literature continues to live in the concept of utopias and authors can't seem to stop wrapping their heads around their interpretation to it. That is certainly the point of writing, but is there a possibility that those words may come to life one day?
Credit: CIO Article/Thinkstock
A perfect place for one person might never be the same for the next. Although, there still contains the argument of whether or not humans should strive to make the world as "utopian" as possible or if that's the role of the afterlife. This will eventually go into the connection of religious beliefs and the future of humanity.
There are a few factors that shift the "evolving consciousness" of humans. The information age is enabling change to occur, and even though America may never reach the level of utopian glory, it might just reach close enough. In order for humans to develop a new mentality on how to live in harmony towards a more perfect society, "social revolutions, economic revolutions, massive shifts in consciousness, and the formation of groups" play a huge role. America may never have a single set structure on Utopian ideals, but humankind will continue to break into groups and advocate for what their perfect "utopian society" would look like. If the people of America continue to focus on their organizations and spark change, the goal of Utopia won't even be the goal in mind. The simplicity of attempting to reach close enough to a just society will be.
You might be the first person to mention that Utopia might just be one's vision of the afterlife. Perhaps! If there are "massive shifts in consciousness," what do you think will cause that? I think science fiction tries mightily to address this question, and the results are pretty pessimistic. That's where we get all of our dystopian fiction from the Hunger Games to Starship Troopers. Most cannot imagine that with more time and resources we'll ever get it right. What steps will get our current society on the right track, do you think?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you compared a utopia to the afterlife, a heaven per say, as this would make the idea to make America a utopia even more difficult, everyone has different visions of what heaven on earth looks like to them. The comparison of 'should we make the earth a utopia or leaved that for when we're dead' is one I hadn't thought of before, and this really questions the mind. Is life made for suffering and your gift for going through it is a utopia? Or is life made for living to the fullest and doing what you want, so a utopia should exist there instead? To me, it's a combination of both these questions; people suffer and also enjoy life, so what you didn't receive in your lifetime is what you should get in the afterlife.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool concept to think about. In terms of utopia my mind immediately goes to sci-fi, but with that point of view it really opens my thoughts up to different possibilities of "Utopia". So maybe Utopia isn't just some made up idea, what is the possibility that this thought of a perfect world is just what we hope for when we die? Very interesting blog post and it really expanded my thought on the topic. Thank-you.
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