The Final Countdown

Utopia. Impossible.
Dystopia. Certain.

My ideals. Individual.
Humans. Irrational.

Ideals. Idealistic!
Control. Multi-fauceted

My opinion: utopias are doomed. My Utopia would not exist...although I do have personal beliefs about what would make me a happier person a few of which I have previously shared with you. My goal in all this...was to un-perfect the perfect project. I wanted to make you see how asking students to create perfection is not realistic and totally missing the key theme which I believe the Utopia/Dystopia unit is meant to be about. I think the point of studying dystopias and reading books such as Brave New World is to make students think more about the world in which they live and how they can make a difference and how, individual we all are and lastly, how disgusting perfection truly is.

Well... Me Personally

I suppose the idea of the project in part is to get me to explore some of my ideals and how they could be obtained and so, I will do that in short; while still recognizing that I have no desire to attempt to create perfection, because it disgusts me how irrational humans can be. You can't control everyone, were born individual and individually speaking...here are some of my thoughts about improving MY quality of life. A lot of them...are to do with human nature in itself and although I have no intention of changing human nature or believing in "editing" people, they are my ideals.

I wish ignorance, was less. I don't mean ignoring things to help with fears or to push yourself further, I mean careless ignorance. I mean ignorance that hurts others. I live with a disease and I could say I wish there wasn't disease but I don't. I strongly believe struggle is meant to be a part of life. I don't think people have to create the struggle for others. If the humans were more open-minded and susceptible to the world around them and their instinct was not to pass instant judgement, a lot of people would lead a happier life. Ignorance isn't always voluntary and I recognize that...most often it's not. I just think these things would be better if people could help their judgements and ask more questions first and decide how they feel later. How would this happen? It wouldn't but a start to it, is more openly talking with others about our imperfections. People need to not fear being "abnormal". the more you fear people's judgements the more their judgements will hurt and the more often you will notice them and take them to heart. If everyone could just focus on changing their thinking it wouldn't be someone telling someone else what is right or wrong. It would be a personal choice to be more aware. It'd be in my mind, paradise. But paradise is just a more common word for Utopia and after all... they don't exist.

I wouldn't change hunger, or homelessness. I'm not a mean person; I'm a person who although I don't believe in religion, have faith that struggle is an important part of the balance in life. Conflict is important in life. Ideally, there would be none but to me ideal is, as rational but happy as life could get.

I'd make government, not government. Now that's a feat. There would really be a community decision on everything. Compromise wouldn't be always listening to the majority. Compromise wouldn't be persuading people to sort of kind of go along with one person's ideals. The government would be capable of hearing all sides of problems and magically incorporate them into the "best plan". It's not realistic, but it's perfect. Government wouldn't bow down to anyone, it wouldn't be held above. Order would be obtainable through people's desire to live happily and in a way that we can still exist amongst one another on a common planet. that's the key to all my ideals. There being some way people are individual but also selfless enough to successfully interact with others and their planet.

I say these things couldn't happen, but I'm all for effort. In a perfect world each individual would understand that they are important. There would be self-worth and respect above all because how are you supposed to be respectful if you can't love yourself? It's simply really. My ideals are systems which allow everyone equal opportunity which doesn't necessarily mean everyone has everything. People would have a greater understanding of life and it's meaning and how things would work. How can that be accomplished? It can't.

If everyone focuses on looking inward to find what is best for them but still as a part of the whole...things would start to look a little better in my eyes. There wouldn't be anyone above anyone else because people would be too caught up in finding their way not judging everyone else's.

Small Change

A penny for your thoughts? Or $.50 for a call. I'm not taking coins here though, I'm talking change: development, regression, progression, turning of the tides...

I once again quote Huxley, who was the man to begin my thoughts about Utopia...and how it doesn't exist. (Remember I'm creating my Utopia... in other words, writing a blog about how I can't because I am already in what I view as close to Utopic as realistically possible) I quote: "But God doesn't change."
"Men do though."
The thing is Utopia limits change. I think where "you run a muck" in the idea of creating something perfect is the idea that men's NEED for change is disregarded as people limit human's desire for change. In "Brave New World", as in many other explorations of perfection, people's idea of perfection are founded on what they are forced into believing through complex systems used to limit their ability to desire change, and their ability to explore differing options. These societies begin to crumble when man's instinct to evolve and need to change begins to be found by some of the society's members and "radicalism" aka individualism sprouts. As Bernard and the savage begin trying to convince people that perhaps suffering is just a part of life, relationships are nessecary parts of life and can be fufilling they are "controlled". The radicals have to be totally kept under wraps in a Utopia in order for it to continue because Utopias are founded on controlling the people involved. So...they fail.

Creating an "Unreality"

Huxley's uses the term "unreality" and this term really sparked my thinking. I say creating unreality is through using escape and escape is made up of a complex web of catergories and intentions. This web which I developed is pictured above. I think escape comes in many forms and can be intentional or a result...unintential. As I thought about an "unreality" and what Huxley meant to say... I discovered something that is kind of a "BIG DEAL". An unreality, is a Utopia. Why? A Utopia is an escape...an intential- physical, mental, emotional escape.

Pretty as a Package

Oh Sock Crates...such a charming fellow... ha, just kidding :)
A socratic seminar gave birth to the idea that everyone who is supposed to complete a "perfect project" by creating a Utopia realizes Utopias in the sense of their assumed definition can't really exist. hallejuah. Utopias can't be created to fill the ideas which each individual has of perfection because people can't live in harmony, under one set of rules when they have vastly differing views. This was illustrated in the movie "Pleasentville" which was the topic of discussion of this seminar.

We see in color, not black and white. The world today is a global culture and we can't help but have many view of what perfection is...so their has to be a endless spectrum of color we see in... not just the set paint colors of black and white. Life is enjoyable when you are able to explore these things not when you are told to fit in a tidy little box that someone else sees as perfect. Utopic societies don't exist because they try to put too many people in ONE person's neat little box.

An example of a dsytopic theme would be one that I discussed with my very intellegent and open-minded adult friend. She and I both have a chronic pain nerve disorder which makes life vastly diffucult but also is very differing in how it presents itself in each person. I once went to her distraught because on a message board someone had said, "Ice will make your RSD worse." I had been using ice intermidely and was terrified that I'd set myself up for more pain. She said to me, Robin, RSD is an individual disease. Statements like that are for people who want things to fit in nice tidy boxes and we're just not those type of gals.

I'm not the type of gal to want a tidy box, so therefore I wouldn't fathom the existence of a "Utopia" because I reconize my pretty-mega-awesome box is not big enough for more than just me, not perfect to someone else in every aspect. It goes back, to individuals...
individuals that I now have illustrated as inhabiting gorgoreously, diversely wrapped gifts. Cute, I know!

Individualism

in⋅di⋅vid⋅u⋅al⋅ism

"A view that stresses the importance and worth of each person. In economics, it is the doctrine that individuals best serve the public interest by pursuing their own self-interest. For example, the businessman who expands his company to increase his profits also creates jobs for many people and thereby serves the public interest."


in⋅di⋅vid⋅u⋅al⋅i⋅ty

"the particular character, or aggregate of qualities, that distinguishes one person or thing from others; sole and personal nature: a person of marked individuality."


The savage [from Huxley's: Brave New World] and I concur... we're "claiming the right to be unhappy." Perfection is the capture of inperfection, having a right, a right=oppurtunity. Perfect, is not perfect, it's having the right (oppurtunity to control!) to your own emotions, body, liberty and life.