There is widespread pessimism about the years to come. It’s natural to be anxious about the future when you’re in an unfamiliar environment or dealing with a lot of uncertainty. These emotions help us prepare for what’s to come and might even spur us to action. Many people are worried about the increasing influence of technology firms over the flow of information into society and the risks this poses to personal freedom and confidentiality. It’s normal to be anxious about the future. Some individuals have a well-defined plan for their future. Some are more sceptical. Few people would have anticipated the pandemic’s impact on the near future. While contemplating the future, a wide variety of feelings might arise, from bewilderment and irritation to rage and despair. Hence, we’ll be discussing realism and idealism in this paper. According to Niccol Machiavellian realism, we must deal with the world as it “truly is,” which may include engaging in dishonest or unethical practices in order to advance. Plato represents the idealist view that it is worthwhile to strive for the unattainable. The paper will also centre on dystopian reflections. Utopias represent the best human civilization can become; dystopias, by contrast, are bleak representations of our worst tendencies. Since I want my future self to appreciate the now, I will pass these messages to her. She should be fine; there’ll be plenty of time to pursue her passions, and missing them wastes energy.
Realism vs. Idealism
Idealism and realism are the two attributes that genuinely inspire and mobilize people. We should all aim to be idealistic in the long term and realistic in the short time. Basically, make sure that your idealism does not hurt those around you . Idealism points us to our goal and fuels our actions; realism guides us on how to proceed(Machiavelli) . For the best results, both are needed.
Regarding political unrest, for realists, a prudent foreign policy aims to secure the national interest, protect a state’s survival, and obtain more power. Both have their benefits. Idealists can be happy and optimistic people who sometimes think that if they die, they will live as a star. For example, Plato believed that the physical world around us is not absolute; it is constantly changing, and thus you can never say what it is. There is a world of ideas which is a world of unchanging and absolute truth. Those who think that good always wins or that everyone will soon live happily ever after(“Plato: Republic 10”). Because we like creating stuff that makes us comfortable and happy, realists like their facts. They tend to be pessimistic, mostly because worst-case scenarios are dominant in the mind of a realist. Therefore, I believe it is better to be realistic and idealistic when approaching our challenges in 2023. Although idealism inspires us and directs our efforts, realism provides practical advice for achieving our goals. Both are essential for optimal performance.
Dystopian Mirrors
The antithesis of a utopia is called a dystopia. Utopia is a state or society where all problems have been solved, whereas dystopia is the opposite. Especially after a nuclear war, we associate this idea with authoritarian regimes or societies with severely deteriorated environments. With the almost equally alarming probable themes that threaten humanity shortly, I have always found myself drawn to dystopian films and literature with alternative histories and themes. Political and religious fanaticism, global warming, and equality between the sexes are all examples. Reading dystopian novels may illuminate the justifications for our legitimate apprehensions.
The most effective dystopian literature takes a problem that already exists in our world and worsens it. We may consider all these possibilities in dystopian literature without facing them in real life. These may serve as early warnings and pointers for making course adjustments. They may facilitate conversations on the current state of affairs between you and your pupils. Making connections between literature and the actual world helps readers grasp literature’s significance and the tales’ relevance to modern society. Dystopian novels are a reflection of our current culture. One such narrative is “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” a short story that packs a powerful emotional punch because of the universal themes it explores(Guin).
The citizens of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” may spend most of the story in the background, but this doesn’t change the fact that they’re incredibly complicated people full of conflicting motives and thoughts, just like the rest of our society today, which is filled with people who have bad intentions and greed. We are taught that the youngster in the tale is exploited, even though they have committed no wrongdoing. This gap between the kid and the locals of Omelas might be seen as a type of social stratification(Guin xx). The citizens stand for the higher class, whereas the kid stands for the lower class and is not a priority for the citizens. This is reflected in modern society, where the wealthy remain wealthy while the poor endure daily hardship and are used to fulfil the needs of the rich.
By keeping the secret of what makes Omelas happy until the end, the novel reveals the human costs of living in our current, contemporary, developed society, which is far from being regarded as good, much alone a genuine paradise. This is reflected in the dystopian book The Handmaid’s Tale, where citizens’ freedoms (especially those of women) are curtailed, propaganda is used to keep the populace in line, and life for the people of Gilead is dehumanized. The government is mistreating the women by refusing them an education because, because a woman’s role in society is only reproductive, they need no formal training to fulfil this role(Atwood xx). Today’s culture is reflected in “The Handmaid’s Tale” because governments utilize propaganda and repressive laws to keep citizens in line, especially in places like North Korea and Afghanistan.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale (Graphic Novel). McClelland & Stewart, 2019.
Guin, Ursula K. Outer space, inner lands. The ones who walk away from Omelas ; Semley’s necklace ; Lives ; Mazes ; The first contact with the Gorgonids ; The Shobies’ story ; Betrayals ; The matter of Seggri ; Solitude ; The wild girls ; The fliers of Gy ; The silence of the Asonu ; The ascent of the North Face ; The author of the acacia seeds ; The wife’s story ; The rule of names ; Small change ; The poacher ; Sur ; She unnames them. 2012.
Machiavelli, Niccolo. “Machiavelli: The Prince.” 2019.
“Plato: Republic 10.” Plato: Republic X, 1988, pp. 33-104.
Wyman, Sarah. “Reading Through Fictions in Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”.” ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, vol. 25, no. 4, 2012, pp. 228-232.
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