"Abandon all hopes of utopia - there are people involoved."
- Clayton Cramer
As negative and blunt as this quote is, it struck me because of its truth.
People create diversity. Ideas and knowledge comes from the thoughts of individuals and groups of people combined. One persons theory or thought may compare or vastly contradict what another person is thinking. But isn't that what makes indivisualism?
Just in our class alone, we all talk about our utopia's... what we think would make a better society... a utopian society... but just within the 20some students in our class there are 20some different ideas of a utopia...
So I suppose my question is.... who defines utopia? There isn't ONE utopia... There isn't one right way or one wrong...
As long as there are people around, there is diversity among them. Behavior, thoughts, beliefs... it all differs from one person to the next...
So is Clayton Cramer right in saying there is no hope for a utopia???
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Individuals in Utopia
“Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t fee l insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize
“When we are happy, we are a light, a beacon, for others. When we are unhappy, we seek the light given off by others.” –Rigoberta Menchu, Nobel Peace Prize
Does anybody else notice the similarities? Not one, but two different Nobel Peace laureates talk of the light within each person. Doesn’t it seem like this is a fundamental part of the human existence?
Our class deals utopian societies. All of these societies have exactly one thing in common; they have people living in them. Individuals are the building blocks of any society. In order to build an ideal society, the individuals need to be ideal themselves. I am not saying that there is one ideal model all people should follow. In fact, I am saying that all people need to be uniquely themselves. Each and every human being is blessed with natural (in my view, God-given) talents. These talents are unique to the person who possesses them. Rather than trying to fit into a society, individuals should strive to become the best they can be.
The concept of each person being the best individual they can be is relatively simple. Why then is it not in practice in our world today? Menchu attributes this failure to an overly materialistic education system. People care about money and possessions more than moral or scholarly issues. In America, the rich are the most famed celebrities. People you meet on the street are much more likely to be able to name Hollywood actors than American Nobel laureates. Money is an issue everyone is concerned with, but it should be considered as a means, not an end. Individuals should want to make money to live their lives in a comfortable, but not excessive, manner.
Many of the utopias we have read about and discussed in class have touched on a sort of individual support of the society by its citizenry. For example, in Ecotopia the individual citizens share the same attitude towards life. They agree with the importance of keeping their environment clean and are willing to work to achieve this goal. The individual is the foundation on which the utopia is built. In Herland, the women combine their individual talents to make their society work. The citizens here attempt to be the best they can be in their individual fields in order to promote a better society at large.
The idea is out there. There are individuals who aspire to be the best they can, but there are also those who are content just to get by. These individuals who hide or squander their individual talents are ultimately hurting those around them and the society they live in. Instead of sinking to the level of normality, individuals should strive to excel in their endeavors.
“When we are happy, we are a light, a beacon, for others. When we are unhappy, we seek the light given off by others.” –Rigoberta Menchu, Nobel Peace Prize
Does anybody else notice the similarities? Not one, but two different Nobel Peace laureates talk of the light within each person. Doesn’t it seem like this is a fundamental part of the human existence?
Our class deals utopian societies. All of these societies have exactly one thing in common; they have people living in them. Individuals are the building blocks of any society. In order to build an ideal society, the individuals need to be ideal themselves. I am not saying that there is one ideal model all people should follow. In fact, I am saying that all people need to be uniquely themselves. Each and every human being is blessed with natural (in my view, God-given) talents. These talents are unique to the person who possesses them. Rather than trying to fit into a society, individuals should strive to become the best they can be.
The concept of each person being the best individual they can be is relatively simple. Why then is it not in practice in our world today? Menchu attributes this failure to an overly materialistic education system. People care about money and possessions more than moral or scholarly issues. In America, the rich are the most famed celebrities. People you meet on the street are much more likely to be able to name Hollywood actors than American Nobel laureates. Money is an issue everyone is concerned with, but it should be considered as a means, not an end. Individuals should want to make money to live their lives in a comfortable, but not excessive, manner.
Many of the utopias we have read about and discussed in class have touched on a sort of individual support of the society by its citizenry. For example, in Ecotopia the individual citizens share the same attitude towards life. They agree with the importance of keeping their environment clean and are willing to work to achieve this goal. The individual is the foundation on which the utopia is built. In Herland, the women combine their individual talents to make their society work. The citizens here attempt to be the best they can be in their individual fields in order to promote a better society at large.
The idea is out there. There are individuals who aspire to be the best they can, but there are also those who are content just to get by. These individuals who hide or squander their individual talents are ultimately hurting those around them and the society they live in. Instead of sinking to the level of normality, individuals should strive to excel in their endeavors.
The Real Wall-E
Will robots of the future serve as means of actively helping humans? This ScienCentral News video reports on a real robot that could help us take care of elderly relatives, for example, from miles away. The uBot-5 is a small and lightweight research platform for mobile manipulation. It was designed to be an economical robot that is highly capable, durable, and safe to operate. When equipped with a LCD touchscreen monitor and a webcam, the uBot-5 can be used for social telepresence applications. Additionally the teleoperator can use the uBot-5's manipulation capabilities to perform useful work.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Utopia in Music Media
I don't know if anyone remembers, but Kandice and I think Bre (how do you spell it?!) and I all listen to the band MGMT and we've spoken about a particular music video that is very "Utopia." I thought you guys might like to see it, it's pretty psychedelic and a little ridiculous at times, but it just goes to show what some people think the perfect society would be like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtUI5MC9tVM
Friday, October 17, 2008
George Soros on The New Paradigm
One of the great things about having a blog is that people can post various findings and discoveries to the blog and share them with others, inviting comments and engaging in a discussion of just what this particular interview or article might add to the conversation concerning the search for better solutions. In these times, when economists are warning about the meltdown of the financial system, many people are openly talking about imagining a better systemic distribution of wealth, via national economies.On Bill Moyers' Journal, Moyers interviews George Soros, "one of the world's best known and successful investors, making billions in times of boom or bust." Moyers tells us, "He's been warning for years of a financial melt down fueled by easy credit and sleepy regulation. Now he's out with this timely book, The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means." To listen to this fascinating analysis of why the financial markets have crashed and what we can do to reimagine a more successful financial system, just go to the following website: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10102008/watch.html.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Give Us Your Input for Utopia Today!
Welcome to the blog for Imagining Utopia. This is a place where we can engage in a conversation about various ideas concerning the creation of a better world. Even though the world seems to be a relatively stable place, the dynamics of governance, of economic and political systems and our environmental sustainability, are changing all the time. Now more than ever, the ability to critically assess events in the world and to envision a just and equitable world is an important ability that we must exercise. If we are to take control of our destiny, as a nation, a planet, and a species, then we need to be able to discuss these issues intelligently and critically. You will soon receive an invitation to join the blog. Just click on the hyperlink provided in the email you receive. Each class member will be required to post two blog entries on ideas that you think contribute to our discussion of utopian possibilities. These can include utopias solutions, dystopian warnings, and contemporary issues that have a bearing on our future. If you need any help in posting to this blog, please feel free to email me at mcnenny@chapman.edu for instructions.
I look forward to reading your posts and to hearing from all of you on your critical assessment of the many ideas we'll discuss!
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