“A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing.”
Oscar Wilde
Why make a case for utopia today?
We need to cultivate a greater confidence in the possibility of reaching utopia to make it a reality. Utopian thinking has the great benefit in that it gives us a vision of what is possible and while we won’t be teh first to make a case for utopia, it has to be put in the context of today. We need to look at challenges that have been with us for thousands of years through the lens of today’s knowledge, capabilities, and 20/20 hindsight of what we have done wrong in the past, and begin to purposefully move forward toward a vastly better world for all.
Our Utopia Today
The aim of this post and the next is to begin to establish a set of societal circumstances which are generally agreed to be utopian. In regards to those circumstances or conditions for utopia today, the list of items one can submit which would markedly improve the world may likely be endless. One’s choice can be impacted dependent on one’s perspective, need, or locale, or certainly their prioritization of what is important. However, our utopia today is focused on those that are widespread and have been with us since civilization began that if not addressed will ultimately lead to our demise as a species, for no reason except our own inability to overcome ourselves. The list of challenges that we will discuss are war, poverty, exclusion, ignorance, oppression, all sighted by the Delor’s Commission. (See my previous blog, Creating a Better world). I will add to this list, sustainability.
No More War:
War did not exist before mankind, and it does not exist beyond our own species. The earliest records of history show our propensity to fight each other. This is one of the worst activities that differentiates us from any other species on the planet. Interestingly, the other aspect of man that differentiates us from all other species is our ability to think and reason. We have intellect and are the only and most intelligent on the planet. We seemed to have come to accept this bipolarity within our human persona, and it’s this acceptance that needs to change. “I am who I am, and I cannot change that,” is something we often hear, and may have said this ourselves. Yet we as individuals do change, and we do overcome, and it must be the same for mankind.
We are intelligent beings first. We learn, we know, we understand, and we determine right from wrong. We must begin to make that mental leap and shift our paradigm to understand that this is not human nature. It is not a given. It should not be an issue of avoidance; it should be an issue of not accepting this any longer as a human activity. Yes, this can be done. There are many savage human activities that we have overcome and recognize now that these are no longer a part of who we are. War must now become one of those. We should soon be looking back and saying, “remember when.” War is the most unintelligent activity, and it is time for humanity to begin to say “stop, no more.”
Eradicate extreme poverty:
Throughout known history there has been poverty. Like war, it is assumed that it has been, and will always be with us, and yet, we can now sustain over 7 billion people on this planet. Putting this in perspective, there was a time when there were 4 billion inhabitants on Earth. That time was less than 50 years ago. While we are now able to sustain a larger number of people, the percentage of those remaining below the poverty line stays the same. It is therefore not a question of ability; it is a question of will.
The World Bank is committed to eliminate poverty from the face of the earth by 2030 and promote shared prosperity. Unless we do both, we cannot be sure to address the issue of inequality which can result in societal unfairness and unrest. The World Bank indicates that eliminating poverty and reducing inequality will have positive impact toward political and social stability, and stronger societies. In addition, the Center for American Progress sites several reasons to eliminate poverty that can be applied globally. They note the following: rising poverty among children is extremely harmful to society, poverty increases health risks; poverty weakens families; poverty traps individuals and decreases mobility; poverty costs economies billions; poverty weakens the middle class a key economic engine; poverty weakens communities; poverty weakens democracy. So, while there are substantial reasons that will benefit all people around the world, the simplest and most obvious is that it is the most basic and right thing to do.
“Not until the creation and maintenance of decent conditions of life for all people are recognized and accepted as a common obligation of all people and all countries – not until then shall we, with a certain degree of justification, be able to speak of humankind as civilized.”
― Albert Einstein, The World As I See It
To watch our fellow man suffer needlessly, goes against everything in our human nature. If we are to move forward, we have to move forward together, all of us. A better world cannot be better for only a few, it must be better for all. We know it is the right and just thing to do, and we must have the courage and the restraint not to abuse the position of being privileged. We have come so far as a civilization, but as Einstein points out in the quote, until we recognize and accept our common obligation of decent conditions for all people, we can never think of ourselves as civilized. Here we address these as truly how uncivilized they are, and if (or when) we overcome them, what a great leap we will have made in our humanity.
Exclusion, its damning effects on society:
Like poverty, where individuals or groups of individuals are denied or incapable of access to what would be consider an inalienable human need and right, social exclusion has damning effects on society. Social exclusion runs counter to the idea that we are all citizens of the world. We need to recognize the value and importance of each individual. No one should be fated to suffer in life simply because of their ethnicity, nationality, gender, or other situation. On a planet that is becoming increasingly small, social exclusion will become more obvious, and more damaging to society. It will take a courageous society to do what is right as a moral imperative. Exclusion is unfair and damages the cohesiveness of a society that is growing ever closer in geographic proximity as well as virtual proximity. We can no longer avoid each other, and we need each other. Hence, inclusion should be actively sought as a necessity, but also as for the role it can play in human development. Each person has a role to play in society, thus providing one of the greatest challenges and opportunities. Over eight billion of us share a common heritage and link, and yet we are so multifaceted in our physical appearance, personality, and the context we are born in that our differences are infinite. Our capabilities therefore are endless and exponential, and yet our basic needs are not so. We cannot escape each other, we should not want to escape each other, we need each other.
“I perceived truly that I was participating in a truly historic event in which a consensus had been reached as to the supreme value of the human person . . .”
Hernan Santa Cruz, member of the drafting sub-committed for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Oppression, the most inhuman of all:
Of all the conditions discussed thus far, oppression may be the most inhuman of all. As we, individually or collectively, strive to become more fully human the oppression of individuals or groups of individuals holds humanity from moving forward, and in most cases, pulls us back. I am not talking about pulling us back in terms of advancing our intellect, although it no doubt has a substantial impact. More importantly and more deeply it impacts our emotional psyche. We lose our humanity, and it is a slow and very painful loss. To dehumanize another individual or group is perhaps the most inhuman acts of all.
Like killing, where life is taken from another individual, oppression takes life from an individual or group through dehumanization. As Paulo Freire points out, their humanity is “stolen,” and yet different from killing, they are still alive, yet “cannot exist authentically.” The pain is lasting, it is deeply impactful, and both the oppressor and oppressed become something that is less than human. We must, therefore, recognize the act of oppression for what it truly is; not a certain condition of being human. It debases our humanness to the least common denominator and reduces us to something that is counter to being human. A utopian world is founded on the principle that we become fully human, a state we are naturally drawn to, and therefore that which would prevent this must cease. To raise humanity to a higher state of existence and become more fully human, we must raise all humanity from any degrading action. In this case, the soul of mankind is at stake. The act of stopping oppression will be an act that is truly human, but more so, it will allow humanity to grow more fully. All people will be able to develop without resistance, and humanity will flourish through greater understanding and caring.
“Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”
From the Preamble of the Declaration of Human Rights
Sustainability, there is no planet B
In 1970, NASA launched two probes with the purposes of exploring the Solar System. The pictures that these probes sent back were spectacular never seen views of Saturn and Jupiter. These pictures astounded the entire world. One picture, however, that was less spectacular, and not a focal part of the mission was of a much smaller, almost unnoticeable planet. The picture was appropriately named the Pale Blue Dot.
This photo was of our own planet Earth as seen from about 4 billion miles away. It provided a first time look at our tiny planet hanging in the abyss of space, a home to over 8 billion people: our home, our only home.
The pale blue dot photo was taken in 1988. Since that time, the Voyager probes have continued their respective journey’s traveling beyond our solar system. Voyager 1 is in route toward a star in the constellation Ophiuchus. Thus far, it has now traveled over 14 billion miles in 40 years, an immense amount of time and travel. And yet, the journey to the nearest star will take over 40,000 years. There is nothing in between. We and our precious beautiful blue planet are the only known life between here and there. Hence the critical importance of sustainability. Therefore, the destruction of our home environment is the equivalent of global suicide and defies the logic of a so-called intelligent species that wants to survive. And to those that want to focus only on the needs of today, they are only kicking the problem to those that will inherit the planet, perhaps a daughter or son, grandchild or great grandchild. Eventually it will have to be addressed.
From a utopian perspective, we have discussed the care and preservation of humanity and of our humanity. We can now include the care and preservation of our world as essential to preserving humanity, and an obligation as the sole caretakers of the earth. It is intertwined with our existence and our purpose. It is therefore not just a question of survival; but also, a question of purpose and meaning. Sustainability then becomes a critical component of our utopian world and thus a planet sustained must become part of the new normal. As Voyager and the Hubble telescope have thus far shown, there are currently no other options. There is not planet B.
CONCLUSION – Our “WHY”
In 2009, author Simon Sinek wrote a most powerful book entitled Start With Why which had a major impact on how organizations and people approached their work. He elevated the thinking beyond the what and they how to focus on WHY. His “Golden Circle” reshaped thinking bringing purpose to the center of an organizations and individual’s driving force. This wonderful concept can and should be applied to society and humanity. Understanding our “why,” is essential to providing a collective purpose throughout the world that is focused on all people. We collectively need to be continually creating a better world for this generation and future generations and begin to look at our larger purpose beyond our pale blue dot.
The question then becomes, do we have it in us? Can we make that leap in our humanity that no longer accepts war, poverty, exclusion, oppression, and is able to achieve a sustainable planet? Do we have what it takes, the character, courage and conviction? The answer to those questions is a vehement “yes!” and that will be the topic of my next blog.