| 15 Jan 2009 03:42 |
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15 Jan 2009 03:42 |
This is an article I published in September edition of The Heart of Saint Paul's back in '07. The Heart of Saint Paul's is the school newspaper that I created, as the school didn't have a student collaborated press. This was a huge achievement for me, as I was only in year 9 when I initiated it.
Anyway, I was in year 10 when I wrote this. It is extracted verbatim from the newspaper, I have not changed a thing:
What is Utopia?
By James KanjoUtopia is often referred to as the “Perfect World” where there are perfect laws and people live in complete harmony without any problems. It is also believed that such a place is imaginary. Utopia is supposed to be that certain place which, everybody strives for, and never gets there because it is highly improbable that we will ever reach such perfection in society. This is an issue, because you can’t genuinely strive for something if you know you won’t get it, in which case, you are deceiving yourself in thinking you’re actually trying to get there. Everybody is pretending to make this world as best as we can, because everybody subconsciously thinks that they won’t.
I am writing this because people need to understand that Utopia is an idea. Ideas are things waiting to happen. And things actually happen. We need to realize the truth. This is the truth: We, as humans, have about 90% control of what happens in our society. The other 10% is for unexpected things in our lives like the weather, land conditions, and bad luck. This is the world we live in.
Now, when I say “this is the world we live in”, I mean that everybody needs to act like there is no heaven or hell, God or Devil. No, I am not saying stop believing in your religion, I am saying start thinking that when you die, you just stop existing; you just stop thinking; you just stop living and perceiving what’s around you. Now, think that this is the only place where we can exist, where we can think, where we can live and perceive what’s around us.
If, and only if you start acting like this is true (you may even believe its true), you will understand that it is up to us to fix the world we live in, not God. If you think that this place is terrible, and that when you die you will go to heaven, where Utopia actually exists, then you won’t do anything to fix this place.
So now that we have this understanding, let’s do something about it, because if Utopia will ever exist, it will be because we have created it. Utopia is far from impossible, so let’s make it happen.
Now understand that I was young and extremely motivated back then. But still, there is wisdom in what I said, which is why I'm posting it up here.
~ James Kanjo
So that is what it is called, a Utopia. My friend and I were talking about this not too long ago, and as far as we know, it is closer to impossible than we imagine.
Reasons humanity can't survive:
Government
Economy
Technology
Science
Reasons we survive now:
Government
Economy
Technology
Science
So, what do we do? I could explain this in detail, but that would make this post a little long. Actually…. that gave me a thought. This topic would fit nicely on my site, The Archive of Random Material.
I must say, I am impressed with your take on Utopia, but the only way we can start is if we contemplate the idea and observe hindsight.
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hey james, i was just wondering: do u reckon that utopia could actually be real? i mean, actually? do u think there could be a world without massive crimes or hatred or wateva and that that would actually work? everyone wants utopia, sure, but i'm just a bit sceptical about whether or not it's a realistic goal..
Hey Felicity,
The first thing I'll point out is that I wrote this article on Utopia when I was 15… I was young and had very high aspirations!
When I think about it realistically now, I do think it will be achieved; albeit not in the way I mentioned above, and not our lifetimes. It will exist when:
I have noticed that we are gradually getting closer to the things I mentioned above. In particular, the Euro is spreading to more and more countries as the accepted currency. Soon the world will use one currency (maybe in our lifetimes).
We will achieve a variation of Utopia — that I'm certain.
λ James Kanjo
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I am afraid I disagree. You can't have an utopia, simply due to the fact that a human is fallible. So are we fallible, if there is no God? Heck no!!! I mean think about it. If there is no overall law to guide us, then there is no right/wrong. You can do whatever you want!!! There is no way, with everyone having different opinions, and different ways of life, that everyone can come together without it being an universal law and power! And if you say that a human can do that, you are wrong. There is no human on earth that has all of the answers. There is no one that can lead the earth, except God, because a human is fallible, and biased! You believe an utopia is possible, I don't. Therefore an utopia is impossible, simply because I, as you say, doubt it, and therefore it will never happen.
Of course, let's say a utopia is possible, under a human ruler. For everyone to like that ruler, everyone would have to be the exact same!! Or if not the same, they would have to agree with the ruler! Otherwise, that is anarchy, or the breakdown of government. There is a book, called the giver, where everyone was not the same, but could see no colors, had a specific order for everything. If you read that book, that is your utopia. It is not possible. A utopia that is ruled by humans, is just another way of saying to torture the ones who are different!! In this utopia, you wouldn't have a blog site! No one would have the internet!! Because no one would dare to be different. If we don't try and change away from that, that "giver" book is what is going to happen. Punish the week, and reward the strong. That is, as it is called, "natural selection".
Even so, it's simply not possible without God, because of the fact that humans are fallible.
I rest my case, and my eyes. (The white background is starting to hurt my eyes)
But God, as you say, does exist — so why wouldn't it be possible.
I think you were misinterpreting my non-religion, non-purgatory and non-heaven statement. There are a lot of people in this world who don't believe human Utopia on earth is possible. They think that humans, and the world, are too corrupted to fix. They think that because they're going to die anyway, that any effort to strive for a human Utopia would be in vain. Why bother fixing up the world if we're going to heaven, a Utopia, when we die anyway?
My statement was targeting these people — for hypothetically, if this is the only life we are living in, then we have two options: fix it, or screw it. And who would want to screw their own one and only life?
No! Utopia is not possible under a single human ruler! That would be just plain stupid.
Control + Option + Command + 8
λ James Kanjo
Blog | Wikidot Expert | λ and Proud
Web Developer | HTML | CSS | JavaScript
I do not believe a Utopia can occur unless sin does not exist. Since it does, there cannot be a Utopia. Or, if you were to somehow extract the soul out of everyone, you would have a Utopia. So two scenarios: no sin or no soul.
According to the Bible, all these things about global currency and government will take place. As we can see, it is already happening. It seems as though the Euro will become a global currency, or some new concoction all together, and the UN might become the global government. However, the Bible does describe a singular ruler, the Antichrist along with his False Prophet and so on. Of course, he could not single handedly rule the world. However, he could be like the President or something, the highest. The thing that will make him ruler is the loyalty of the people, although of course not all people will be loyal.
I do not know exactly how everything will be laid out, but it will. Just when the time is right.
What does that do? Or is it for a MAC, since I don't have an OPTION or COMMAND button on the keyboard anywhere.
— Blog ~ Life's Handbook ~ Wikidot Design & Development
It is a mac thing. It inverses the entire screen, so white to black, black to white, blue to a yellow/orange color, red to blue, and so on.
And yes, with sin, there is no such thing as a utopia. Besides, "utopia", is greek for "no place".
I don’t think that is true, what you are really asking is for people to think about changing there religion, which is actually what keeps a lot of people to just keep going. See what you should be asking is for people to change, for are children’s and the future. We as people should be bettering ourselves for the people that are to come. Sadly history will repeat it self over and over. I know what your thinking "well why leave something to kids who might screw it over any ways right?" well if we teach them right and they grow up right then things will turn out right. I don’t think utopia is a place but rather something you make. Instead of trying to find utopia we should be making utopia. And no I’m not saying to destroy a whole entire race based of religion or color but helping people is how we make utopia. Sadly none of this really matters to anyone. everyone just thinks of themselves or of their family but what of the people to come after you after you are long gone and dead? That’s why I don’t believe in having kids. Its not that I don’t want them but why bring them into a world with so much hate and greed and malice. There’s no point. well in the end none of these words will matter 50 years later, heck the wont even matter in a day but I do believe utopia is what we make it and people today… well were far from it now than we ever were.
I'll only accept a global currency if it's called the "dollar", that's a much better name than "euro"! (jokes) :P
Good post! Although I think it's harder to predict whether the words we say now will have any meaning in the future. Flatly saying that they won't is the wrong way of looking at it I think.
You never know… but someone with the money and power to make a huge difference might happen to read this page, and see your post, and be inspired to use that money and power to create the type of utopia discussed here.
Utopia also means no poverty — or at the very least, that everyone is just as poverty-stricken as everyone else due to wealth being shared around as equally as possible. The Christian bible calls people to give up everything they own for the good of others.
I haven't done that, and my reasons are mostly selfish (in that I want to guarantee myself a career by spending money on a computer and text books instead of giving the money to the poor who don't have the same opportunities as me, for example)…
But if everyone was selfless enough to give up what they own to anyone that needs it, and those that need it are selfless enough to accept only what they desperately need and to give the rest to others, the world will be a better place. Unfortunately, I don't think that will ever happen (not to that extent, anyway!). Not with the human race the way we are now. Even the most well-intentioned person is selfish in some way, and that will never change.
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To all readers……..In order for one to create a "Utopia" one must build one's own life as unselfishly as possible, taking into account the fact that every single human depends on others for his/her existence. After all…..we are all sons of Adam…so we are all indirectly brothers and sisters to each other. Although every human being is unique….every human is connected to others simply by his/her existence. Hence, we need to expand our mentality and our understanding of a universal code of justice that acts like an umbrella that shades all of us despite of the many differences between all of us humans…sons of Adam.
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