Utopia

It is common for people to have the tendency to look at the world with through Utopian ideals. The word Utopia comes from a book written by Sir Thomas More in 1516. It is an interesting work of satire based in Greek thoughts of government where he mocks his present day monarchy. With the popularity today of mini series based on that period, it seems appropriate. The word he uses for the country "Utopia" means "nowhere" in Greek and it goes along with the study we have been engaging in. Sir Thomas creates fictitious cities and extols the virtues of them. One for instance, requires all the people to work in the fields for six hours no matter what position they are in. He says that it cut down on the amount of preachers, idle woman, lazy nobles, and beggars who pretend they are handicapped.

Of course when we look at realities, it is a waste to use the sharp minds in a country toward manual labor. This is a conflict in ideas that is being fought still today. A person who is uneducated or doesn't have the skills of another shouldn't be consumed with equality of wages since wages are an incentive to excel. Absent capital, people become mediocre. A professional protester would fail as a CEO. There is work to do and prices to pay to get in those positions and to receive the amount of pay some people get. Concerning government, we want representatives from among the people and yet want people who are good politicians so they govern well. We don't want leaders who are always lame ducks; just waiting their term out. And yet career politicians tend to lose touch with the people. Many governments today use a combination of short timers and long term people so these areas are addressed. This causes gridlock at times but the purpose is to slow things down enough so every area is addressed. It causes making laws more of a sacred duty rather than a frivolous activity.

The concept of equality is pleasing to everyone but it is hard to define since every person has unique desires. Possessions don't fulfill them all. It is impossible to define what each person needs because it is different with each person. Some are given to obsessions and need temperance. It is healthy for them to expect less. Others could use encouragement to enjoy life a little more. We have to make adjustments ourselves concerning the ratio between work and play. It shouldn't be up to an outside entity what we do to satisfy ourselves. We call these areas our private lives and want to self govern them. It is a part of maturity and we feel good about ourselves when we make our own decisions. When an outside entity tries to dictate them however, we complain about tyranny. Those who are doted on become dependents. That is why dictating equality from an outside entity is inferior. Laws exist to protect liberty. The best way to help in the private areas of citizenry is to educate the population from their youth about having good character. In this way they manage their lives better and reach potential through their own vision. That is why I write these blogs.