I am haunted by a vision of utopia
An empathetic society
Freedom from hate
A culture that embraces other cultures
As well as its own
Freedom from violence
Rather than the freedom to resort to violence
For people, peoples, and states
That values peace more than war
A culture that celebrates those that sacrificed for peace
Rather than always the warriors
Where policing is by consent and trust
That treats crime as a social problem to resolve
Rather than one to punish
That constantly questions if more is really the answer
Where extreme wealth inequality is evidence of a crime
Rather than a symbol of success
That believes while work can give meaning to life
For most, work is what allows people to live
And the default should not be the other way round
That food, water, shelter, health, and education are rights, not privileges
A social contract that recognizes the equality of all parties
Where discussion and debate are genteel exchanges of opinion
With the goal of understanding the other side
With toleration for everything, except intolerance
That growth without sustainability is, well, unsustainable
With art as its center,
Because we understand that the world can only be interpreted through the arts
That art is food for the mind
Not distraction or manipulation for the emotions
Where the guiding principle of the society is empathy for people
Where there is the freedom to do what whatever one wants
As long as you are not hurting anyone else
Quality over quantity
Ecology over economy
I want to be able to live up to this haunting
And I fear I do not
But I will try
I will try.
Image by Ambroise and Jérôme Drouart, from Civitas Veri sive Morum (The City of Truth; or, Ethics). Image sourced from the Public Domain Image Archive / Internet Archive / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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