What is Utopia? Does it really exist? How and where do we find it? These questions seem more pertinent than ever right now. These enquiries are the domain of philosophy, positive psychology, spirituality, Enlightenment, and of anyone who is interested in Truth. Perhaps the Truth about Utopia lies at the intersection of these disciplines? This is the realm of Deep Transformative Life Coaching (TLC). Albert Einstein wrote in his book 'The World As I See It' “Not until the creation and maintenance of decent conditions of life for all people are recognised 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 civilised.” Let’s not mix words. Allow me to speak freely: Thank you. Einstein would be dismayed: In reality he would be distraught. So would René Descartes, Francis Bacon, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, and many other eminent voices who had or have deep clarity on how the world works. What does the literature say? What do current philosophers think? What about Enlightened human beings? Moses, Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Jesus would have their heads in their hands in disbelief at how we seem to be (millennia after they lived) going backwards. Those who understand do not judge, and those who judge do not understand. Civilisation is totally fuc*ed right now: It’s not at all 'civilised': The world is going down the pan in every way, and sucking us all down with it. As Einstein would define it, there is no love. When Mahatma Gandhi was asked “What do you think of Western civilisation?” He replied “I think It would be a good idea." Yep! It's about time. Utopia seems very, very, far away. The only way out, as Mark Manson wrote, is to develop 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck': Essentially this means finding the peace, love, and Utopia that we seek within ourselves. 'Society' is making us ill and killing, us and it doesn't care. Expletives are part of creativity, so please don't be shocked and cynical about this offering. This is the Truth. If aliens came down to Earth and took a peek at what’s going on right now they would summarise us in the "Lonely Universe Planet Guide" as Earth being a “Beautiful planet, spoilt by a race of dic*heads. DO NOT TOUCH this planet with an intergalactic bargepole”. Maybe other intelligent life forms have already visited us, but they didn’t even leave a Trustpilot rating: Not even one star. However, it is our 'civilised society' that is broken, not us or the Earth. We all feel empty, afraid, disconnected, marginalised, ostracised, traumatised, shamed, and judged: Even by those who should know much better. We are easily triggered and react rather than respond. We judge others, even when we know so very little about them, and when we are asleep ourselves. Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these Truths to be self-evident: That all women and men are created equal.” We project our shadow onto others, and hide and deny the Truth about ourselves. We don't feel unconditionally loved, lovable, or worthy. Our universal childish and childlike fearful self-centred behaviour is simply the way that we unconsciously anaesthetise our pain from growing up in this broken, conditioned, loveless, traumatic, and toxic society: We are in pain and we don't even know it. Yet all is well! How can this be so? There is infinite possibility, true abundance, limitless wisdom, total peace, and unconditional real love available to us. Welcome to Utopia! Enjoy your journey... Are you part of the problem or part of the solution? A Utopia typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for all its members to flourish as who they truly are. Who are you, really? The term Utopia was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book 'Utopia', which describes a fictional island society in the 'New World.' Many versions of an ideal world have been put forward since human history began. So far all attempts at realising those Utopian ideals have turned bitter like cyanide, and even deadly on a mass-murdering genocidal scale. I will detail how the behaviour of just three men has resulted in 120,000,000 deaths: 120 million! All in the name of Utopia. What they actually created was a Dystopian Hell. So, what is Utopia? Is there a way to achieve it where thousands have failed? We continue to kill each other under the guise of fighting evil. The only way that most of us know is to come from a place of egoic interpersonal reaction. More than half of marriages end in divorce. The 'King baby Ts' are the cause of all our problems: Traffic road rage, trolls, tyrants, totalitarian Dystopian states, twats (a term I reserve for those exceptions who are shown the door to awakening but consciously choose not to go through it), and the tabloid press are so common and yet they are all simply egoic reactions - children who have taken their fears into adulthood and respond like a frightened child would if fighting for survival. The world is full of traumatised people traumatising other traumatised people. The less compassionate institutions, disciplines, and professions take full advantage of this: It's the how and the why of their existence. Unless we seek Utopia we will become extinct through scapegoating. We hate at a distance. Only 9 percent of Bayonets have blood on them. People don't kill people. Souls don't attack souls. When you see the 'enemy' face to face, you realise that you are one with them, just the same as them, and you can't push that Bayonet into their flesh and blood. How could you? Our tyrannical leaders and institutions are acting from a place of egoic reaction, making us all bloody miserable and ill. We are all conditioned to believe that happiness will be at the end of some illusory rainbow. Many billionaires are depressed, suicidal, and have dysfunctional families, as they have to sacrifice everything, including their own souls and their loved ones, in service to their company shares, the dollar, or to bitcoin. But why is it so? Because until now we have got it all upside down. Nietzsche said “Man made God in his own image.” He also said “God is dead.” The Truth is that we are making civilisation and institutions that purportedly govern us into deities of our own ego, and wondering why it is being run by dic*heads. You know who I mean, right? I don't need to spell it out. Why are we doing this? Because we don’t know that we are firmly stuck at level 3 of the real personal power (Hagberg) scale – the ego. There are another 3 levels to go, but we are oblivious to them as we are so deeply asleep. The top of the societal pyramid should be all of us. Instead we sleep walk and serve, propagate, and entrench the fossilised egoic institutions and tyrants that should be serving us. ‘Dic*head’ is the best way of describing someone who is totally asleep spiritually (no, I don’t mean institutionalised religion – that’s just another false God) and who refuses to see the signs to wake up. Four years ago, I was one of those dic*heads. We all are, until we wake up from the illusion. The Universe/God/Love (whichever word you want to use for the Universal intelligence that Einstein referred to that actually runs the show) punched me in the face to wake me up. Before that, like you, I was spiritually sick, mentally ill and I didn’t know it, and my entire subconscious focus was success, accolade, and external validation: That cocktail served up by ‘civil society’ as a ´fun drink' that actually makes you very sick: The same 'civilised' society and institutions that abandon you when you do inevitably tumble after a few of those cocktails, getting sick by following their recommendations as to how you can buy and strive your way out of low self-worth. We all are mentally ill and full of spiritual dis-ease until we awaken (which is our primary purpose), see Truth with total clarity, and realise that our secondary purpose is to serve others to awaken with unconditional love and compassion. As Maya Angelou wrote “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Mahatma Gandhi said “Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow men... Be the change you want to see in the world.” It is only when you wake up from unconsciously choosing your conditioned ego (a.k.a. your terrified 7-year-old self: a.k.a. the dic*head in each of us; yes you included - I don't mean to offend you) to choosing your higher Self (a.k.a. your soul: a.k.a your higher power) that you and the world around you begin to change. You have such power, that you are not aware of, yet. This is how you will wake up and see the full abundance of life. This is how we will make our Utopia. Utopia is an inside job. As Mahatma Gandhi said “The problem with the world is that humanity is not in its right mind.” We will never create heaven on Earth without this 180 degree turnaround in our approach. Archelaus was a philosopher who lived in 5th century BCE who said “Things are just or ignoble not by nature, but by convention.” We need to stop being cynics and rise against convention. Politics and economics should not run the show as they make us all miserable. To quote H. L. Mencken "An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup." You could replace the words with "A capitalist is one who, on noticing that a job in the financial sector pays you more highly in the short term than spirituality, concludes that it will also bring you more joy." It doesn't. Because, as with all ego-based entities and Dystopian totalitarian states, it comes from a place of lack rather than abundance. We are often proud of our ideals as we attempt, often in vain, to live by them in our daily lives. Ideals give us drive and help us to imagine a better world. But ideals can easily transmute into the 'dastardly D's': Into doctrines, dysfunction, dogma, disease, and death. They can cause us to shun diversity so that we make false assumptions. The humility of spirituality may not initially fill our ideals of financial gain, but it can be transformed into joy: And in the long term may bring you a more abundant future in every way, with financial reward being a corollary side effect of joy. Interestingly, while Utopia seems like a universally desirable concept, it has often been met with skepticism, criticism, and cynicism. We are all cynics until we are not. Cynic derives from the Greek for ‘dog like’. The Oxford English Dictionary states that cynic means “One who shows a disposition to disbelieve in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions, and is wont to express this by sneers and sarcasms; a sneering fault-finder. Picture this: A world where everything is perfect, where there are no worries, no struggles, and everyone lives in harmony: Sounds like a dream, right? That's the magic of a Utopia. Oscar Wilde wrote "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. And when Humanity lands there, it looks out, and, seeing a better country, sets sail. Progress is the realisation of Utopias." I partially agree with this statement, but disagree in that Utopia is always in the present moment, as Ram Dass wrote, to "Be here, now." If we are forever chasing dreams we will never catch them. I recently saw this 'hungry insatiable ghost dreamcatcher' in my mother before her dementia took her soul away and her eyes became dark and empty: In her life, she was never happy or ever had gratitude for what she had, including my brother and me, where she lived, or whoever she was married to in her many marriages. I have just found out that she has multiple brain cancer metastases, so for her it's too late, and that is a tragedy. She will have to find Utopia in whatever form her soul reincarnates when she departs from this world in a few weeks. You can live in Maui and be miserable, or you can live where you are, and through inner personal transformation, you will find that Utopia is right inside you, in the present moment, right now. Perhaps we don't find Utopia as we are looking for the wrong country: The German Philosopher and social theorist Theodor W. Adorno wrote "None of the abstract concepts comes closer to fulfilled Utopia than that of eternal peace." If we are not looking for peace, then we will never find it. We aim for 'imitation love' in all its forms : Money, power, sex, and emotional anaesthesia: But we forget that our soul's true destination is peace, joy, love, abundance, and compassion, and that we will get there through feeling. Julia Roberts said "The movie says, You can lose your job and your way and still rescue yourself. 'Larry Crowne' creates a self-excavated Utopia, and I love that idea, that message." My article below dives deeply into the definition of Utopia, explores its rich and varied history, and explores its profound impact on literature, philosophy, positive psychology, spirituality, media, and political theory. So, whether you're a curious mind or a passionate scholar, get ready for a fascinating journey into the world of Utopia. I have a handful of original twists and insights to make this article worthwhile reading. It’s time to open and expand your mind, and find Utopia, or rather ‘You-Topia’: It’s time for a ‘Brave You World.’ 2024 is going to be an unforgettable year. It's going to be your year. Will there be a mass awakening? Who knows, and who cares? If you awaken, then you have fulfilled your purpose: Why you were created. Debbie Ford, the American coach and New York Times best-selling author wrote "God has a plan for you - I can promise you that. Your life is sacred. There is and always has been a path for your soul, and if you follow that path, it will lead you to the inner Utopia that your soul longs to experience in this lifetime." Perfectly put. I could not agree more. As Einstein wrote "God doesn't play dice." Everything happens to you for a reason. I should rather say that everything happens for you. So, if you are ready, let’s dive in…
Utopia: The key to creating it is YOU and your Hero's Journey.
What is Utopia?
The term "Utopia" (a word that has sparked imaginations and fuelled countless discussions) translates to "no place" in Greek. It's an interesting paradox, isn't it? A word that symbolises perfection and harmony actually means "no place". But that's exactly what Utopia is: An imagined place or state where everything is perfect. This is the simplest definition of Utopia. But there is more to it than that: Much more...
Let's break the definition of Utopia down further:
Utopia is an imagined place or state: The first part of the definition of Utopia highlights that a Utopia is not a physical location you can pinpoint on a map. It's a concept, an idea, that exists in our minds.
In Utopia, everything is perfect: The second part emphasises the flawless nature of a Utopia. It's a place where all problems are solved, where every individual is joyous, and harmony prevails.
So, when you think about Utopia, don't imagine a specific city or country. Instead, picture a world (your world) where everything aligns with your idea of perfection. That's your personal Utopia. You create your world. You just need to see through a different lens: The lens of abundance and love. You have an unconquerable soul. You just don't know it yet. If only you could change the world. Well guess what? You can!
But remember, like a rainbow, Utopia is beautiful to behold but it seems impossible to reach out and touch it. It's this elusive quality that makes the concept of Utopia so fascinating and worth exploring. So, get ready to dive deeper into the captivating world of Utopia as we unravel its history, its presence in literature, and its relevance today, and to YOU.
The concept of a perfect society isn't a new one. In fact, it's been around for thousands of years, appearing in the works of ancient philosophers, religious texts, and historical documents. But the term "Utopia" wasn't coined until 1516, when Sir Thomas More used it as the title of his book, 'Utopia'. His book described an ideal society on an imaginary island, thus giving birth to the modern definition of Utopia.
There are socialist, capitalist, monarchical, democratic, anarchist, ecological, feminist, egalitarian, hierarchical, racist, left-wing, right-wing, reformist, free love, nuclear family, extended family, gay, lesbian, and many more Utopias. Henry Kuttner, the author, wrote "When I die, I want to die in a Utopia that I have helped to build." Do you want to live in a Utopia that you have made?
Utopia, Eutopia, and Dystopia
There is a similarity of the word Utopia to Eutopia, its homophone, meaning “good place”, from Greek: εὖ (“good” or “well”) and τόπος (“place”), which ostensibly would be the more appropriate term for the concept in modern English. The pronunciations of Eutopia and Utopia in English are identical, which may have given rise to the change in meaning. Dystopia, a term meaning "bad place" coined in 1868, draws on this latter meaning. The opposite of a Utopia, Dystopia is a concept which surpassed Utopia in popularity in the fictional literature from the 1950s onwards, chiefly because of the impact of George Orwell's '1984'. Dystopia is taught to every child in every school. Where we are failing is that we are not teaching that Utopia or Eutopia are achievable and begin with inner work on our own psyches. By laying these foundations, any life constructed on these will be miraculous, compassionate, and will change the world.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a Utopian dream
Martin Luther King Jr. said “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.” We are all one. We all have light and dark within us. This is what makes us human. When people falter momentarily in life, we should be there to catch them if we can, not heap shame and trauma on them. There is no Utopia without love and compassion: They are our two greatest superpowers.
Martin Luther King Jr. said "In some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty." He believed in the power of the soul, saying, "We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will. And we shall continue to love you... That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies."
There in no hate in Utopia: Martin Luther King said "Hate is just as injurious to the hater as it is to the hated. Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Many of our inner conflicts are rooted in hate. This is why psychiatrists say, “Love or perish.” Hate is too great a burden to bear." Hate builds the foundations of Dystopias, dis-ease, and sickness. Unconditional love brings you into the present moment: There is the fullness of the present moment. You can feel the timelessness of the "Be here now" as Ram Dass wrote. The clinging of the human mind takes you out of the present moment. The Universal key to this personal Utopia is the breath, through meditation, and through the heart. When you around someone who is in the present moment, it invites them in too. This is because we live in our minds. We need to stop 'buying into' those thoughts. The best way to plan the future is to be in the present.
Martin Luther King Jr., who taught us so much. His 'I Have a Dream' speech
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for how the world might be: His dream was A Utopia of freedom. He was inspired by many sources including Mahatma Gandhi. In his 'I Have a Dream' speech from 1963 (full link here) he said "I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all women and men are created equal... I have a dream today... This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning."
I love his wisdom and insight. His quotes are too numerous to write here in full, but here are my timeless favourites, that feel very pertinent to taking you inwards to your very own Utopia:
"Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude."
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend."
"Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness."
“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."
“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
“A lie cannot live.”
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus."
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
"We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now."
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
"Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream."
“We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.”
“Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one’s whole BEing into the BEing of another.”
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
"I believe that unarmed Truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
"We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now because I've been to the mountaintop... I've looked over and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land."
What an indescribably tragic loss to the world his premature demise was. He never did see his Utopian promised land, but he did get to his mountaintop. He found freedom, and he inspired so many others to seek Utopia.
Martin Luther King Jr. said “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” So, is Utopia, the promised land, a question of love? Martin Luther King Jr. certainly seems to have beautifully described Utopia in these terms. Did he suggest that Utopia is in inside job when he said "You know, a lot of people don’t love themselves. And they go through life with deep and haunting emotional conflicts. So the length of life means that you must love yourself. And you know what loving yourself also means? It means that you’ve got to accept yourself." Let's dive in...
The 'I Have a Dream' speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
Utopia and Dystopia in the literature
Utopian literature allows us to dream of a better world, but it also serves a more important purpose: It encourages us to question our own society and its flaws: The Dystopia that we live in. By exploring the definition of Utopia through different lenses, these books push us to reflect on what a perfect society truly means. Is it a world without conflict? A society where everyone is equal? Or perhaps, a place where individuality and diversity are celebrated? Is Utopia subjective? Or is that an illusion or a fallacy? Or is it all of these? Does love underpin every Utopia? I believe that the answer to this is yes.
Now, while Utopian literature paints a picture of a perfect world, it often serves as a backdrop for a darker reality. This leads us to the concept of Dystopia being essentially the opposite of Utopia. While a Utopia represents an ideal society, a Dystopia portrays a society filled with suffering and injustice. Does that sound familiar? But what makes these two concepts so interesting is how closely they can intertwine. Let's break down the differences and similarities:
Perfection vs. Imperfection: A Utopia is, by definition, a perfect society. Everything works as it should, people live in harmony. Utopia feels like coming home to your soul. It is a place of abundance and limitless possibility. On the other hand, a Dystopia is a society where everything has gone wrong. It's filled with corruption, toxicity, hatred, oppression, lack, and hardship. Is that where you live? There are so many negatives to the word perfection - is it unattainable and does it make us hustle, strive, and feel unworthy?
Freedom vs. Control: In a Utopian society, people are usually free to live as they please, with no restrictions or controls. In contrast, a Dystopian society is often marked by strict control and lack of personal freedom.
Hope vs. Despair: Utopian themes are often filled with love, hope and optimism for the future, while Dystopian themes convey a sense of boredom, depression, anxiety, fear, despair and pessimism.
Not everything that glitters is gold. Sometimes, in the literature, a story might start out with a Utopian setting, only to reveal hidden flaws or dark secrets. This is a common plot twist in many Dystopian stories that are featured in Hollywood movies, where the initial definition of Utopia is turned on its head ('The Hunger Games' for example - see below for more). I am sure that you can think of many others. The fascinating part is when a narrative starts as a Utopia but gradually reveals Dystopian elements: It's more of a critique of the very idea of a perfect society - and a warning that what seems perfect on the surface can hide darker realities underneath. This narrative twist is a favourite among many authors and filmmakers, raising thought-provoking questions about our own society.
Here are a few key signs to look for when identifying Utopian themes:
A Perfect Society: The most obvious sign of a Utopian theme is the portrayal of a perfect society. This could mean a world without judgement, conflict, war, poverty, or injustice. This does not mean perfection in terms of superficial appearance - that is a mask of inauthenticity that craves external validation.
Equality and Justice: If the story revolves around a society where everyone is treated equally and justice prevails, then you're definitely in Utopia territory.
No Conflict or Suffering: In a Utopia, there's usually no conflict or suffering, as these are seen as imperfections. Emotions are welcome, as they lead us to wisdom. While pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice.
Harmony with Nature: Many Utopias emphasise living in harmony with nature, valuing sustainability and environmental conservation.
There are many examples of techno-Dystopias portrayed in mainstream culture, such as the classics 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four,' by George Orwell, often published as "1984", which have explored some of these topics.
Arthur C. Clarke wrote “The goal of the future is full unemployment, so we can play.” What does it mean to play? Is this Utopia? We are getting closer...
Rutger Bregman
Rutger Bregman, the historian, has written a brilliant book ‘Utopia for Realists’ as well as the essential book 'Human Kind.' These are both on my recommended reading list. Click here to access this:
Rutger Bregman is one of Europe’s most prominent young thinkers. The 35-year-old historian and author has published a number of seminal, world-view-changing books on history, philosophy, economics, kindness, self-lessness, service, and compassion: Not bed-fellows that one would have expected. I love his books. His 'History of Progress' was awarded the Belgian Liberales prize for best nonfiction book of 2013. The Dutch edition of 'Utopia for Realists' became a national bestseller and sparked a basic income movement that soon made international headlines. Bregman has twice been nominated for the prestigious European Press Prize for his journalism work at The Correspondent. His work has been featured in The Washington Post and on the BBC. He stands for exactly what the world needs. His book 'Human Kind' tells us that human beings are actually very kind. We just don't think that they/we are. So we fight with each other. That causes every interpersonal conflict, road rage, internet trolling, tabloid bullsh*t, hate crime, segregation, war, atrocity, and genocide that we see daily in the 'news'. And it's all a mistake. We are not drowning: And others are not trying to drown us. So stop trying to drown everyone you meet with fear and hate. Love your Self and love others unconditionally. This creates miracles. You will see. It's the only way to BE! Souls love each other. We don't see other souls when we are blinkered by hate and fear, resulting from unresolved and unhealed childhood trauma.
The historian, author, and philosopher Rutger Bregman
We live in a time of unprecedented upheaval, when technology and so-called progress have made us richer but more uncertain and disconnected from home than ever before. We have questions about the future, society, work, happiness, family, and money, and yet no political party of the right or left is providing us with answers. So, too, does the time seem to be coming to an end when we looked to economists and politicians to help us define the qualities necessary to create a successful society. They have failed on their millennia long experiment. We need a new movement. One defined by a young historian who can tell us the Truth about how we got here. They'd be a political outsider, the voice of their generation, one who doesn't harness rage or agitate grievances but who provides us with the answers for which we've been looking. That person is Rutger Bregman, and his vision is 'Utopia for Realists'.
Bregman wrote “The great milestones of civilisation always have the whiff of Utopia about them at first. According to renowned sociologist Albert Hirschman, Utopias are initially attacked on three grounds: futility (it’s not possible), danger (the risks are too great), and perversity (it will degenerate into Dystopia). But Hirschman also wrote that almost as soon as a Utopia becomes a reality, it often comes to be seen as utterly commonplace. Not so very long ago, democracy still seemed a glorious Utopia. Many a great mind, from the philosopher Plato (427–347 B.C.), whom I discuss below, to the statesman Edmund Burke (1729–97), warned that democracy was futile (the 'masses' were too foolish to handle it), dangerous (majority rule would be akin to playing with fire), and perverse (the “general interest” would soon be corrupted by the interests of some crafty general or other). Compare this with the arguments against basic income. It’s supposedly futile because we can’t pay for it, dangerous because people would quit working, and perverse because ultimately a minority would end up having to toil harder to support the majority... Poverty is fundamentally about a lack of cash. It’s not about stupidity,”
Bregman also wrote in regards to economics that "The Gross National Product (GNP) measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile”and that "Besides being blind to lots of good things, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) also benefits from all manner of human suffering. Gridlock, drug abuse, adultery, Goldmines for gas stations, rehab centres, and divorce attorneys. If you were the GDP, your ideal citizen would be a compulsive gambler with cancer who’s going through a drawn-out divorce that he copes with by popping fistfuls of Prozac and going berserk on Black Friday. Environmental pollution even does double duty: One company makes a mint by cutting corners while another is paid to clean up the mess. By contrast, a centuries-old tree doesn’t count until you chop it down and sell it as lumber."
Bregman continued “But the real crisis of our times, of my generation, is not that we don’t have it good, or even that we might be worse off later on. No, the real crisis is that we can’t come up with anything better.” I think that the real crisis of our times, is that we don't realise that we already have it all, that we are abundant, unconquerable, that we are perfectly here and now and fully at 'home', that we are worthy, loved and lovable just as we are, and that all is well. Give others the fullness of your BEing in every moment. This creates miracles. This is the best gift that you can give.
Bregman wrote “Instead, we should be posing a different question altogether: Which knowledge and skills do we want our children to have in 2030? Then, instead of anticipating and adapting, we’d be focusing on steering and creating. Instead of wondering what we need to do to make a living in this or that bullsh*t job, we could ponder how we want to make a living. This is a question no trend watcher can answer. How could they? They only follow the trends, they don’t make them. That part is up to us.” You have some creating to do...
Bregman wrote “If a political party or a religious sect had even a fraction of the influence that the advertising industry has on us and our children, we’d be up in arms. But because it’s the market, we remain “neutral"... I’m heartened by our dissatisfaction, because dissatisfaction is a world away from indifference. The widespread nostalgia, the yearning for a past that never really was, suggests that we still have ideals, even if we have buried them alive. True progress begins with something no knowledge economy can produce: wisdom about what it means to live well... (When) on every street corner we’re baited to booze, binge, borrow, buy, toil, stress, and swindle." The paradox is that you will not be rewarded for taking up these marketed offerings, and you will not find joy.
With regards to the ego as being the problem, Bregman wrote "If current trends hold, countries like Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland will become even bigger tax havens, enabling multinationals to dodge taxes even more effectively, leaving developing countries with an even shorter end of the stick. If the aim of education is to roll with these kinds of trends rather than upend them, then egotism is set to be the quintessential twenty-first-century skill... The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads,” a former math whiz at Facebook (now 'Meta') recently lamented." We are wasting our wisdom.
In the 21st century, discussions around Utopia for some authors include post-scarcity economics, late capitalism, and universal basic income; for example, the "Human capitalism" Utopia envisioned in Bregman's book 'Utopia for Realists'' includes a universal basic income, a 15-hour workweek, along with open borders.
Rutger Bregman wrote in 'Utopia for Realists': “The greatest sin of the academic left is that it has become fundamentally aristocratic, writing in bizarre jargon that makes simple matters dizzyingly complex. If you can't explain your ideal to a fairly intelligent twelve-year-old, after all, it's probably your own fault. What we need is a narrative that speaks to millions of ordinary people.” Similarly Einstein, who went further on this, wrote "If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself.”
A 'Brave You World'
Aldous Huxley, one of my favourite philosophers and authors, who was a friend of the Harvard psychologist Ram Dass, wrote the Dystopian novel a 'Brave New World' in 1931 and published it in 1932 (thank you Audible for making it free to read!) It's also in my suggested reading list for those who want to awaken and change the world.
'Brave New World' is a an outstanding work of literature, and is more crucial and relevant today than ever before. The Wall Street Journal (yes, a financial newspaper) wrote in its review of the novel that it is "One of the most prophetic Dystopian works of the 20th century." Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarchy (note that the word wisdom is not used).
The novel anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical societal conditioning that are combined to make a Dystopian society which is challenged by the story's protagonist. Cloning, feel-good drugs, anti-aging programs (sighs about inauthenticity), and total social control through politics, programming, and media (a.k.a. poison as it always portrays Dystopia rather than Utopia). Has Aldous Huxley accurately predicted our future? With a storyteller's genius, he weaves these ethical controversies in a compelling narrative that dawns in the year 632 AF (After Ford, the deity).
When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Dystopia can destroy humanity. It is a powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations, Brave New World is both a warning to be heeded and thought-provoking yet satisfying entertainment. 'Brave New World' is bleak and excellent: An interesting thought experiment. The Brave New World leaders remain in power by enslaving their population to unbounded, self-indulgent pleasures. All humanity is lost when grief, pain and suffering are eradicated, and the book cleverly introduces a 'savage from an 'old world' reserve who understands the loss that the new world has undergone. Emotions are an essential guide to Truth. The book has a cautionary tone that seems to be more relevant in this day and age than when it was written.
Huxley followed this Dystopian book with a reassessment in essay form, 'Brave New World Revisited' (1958), and with his final novel, 'Island' (1962), the Utopian counterpart. This novel is often compared to George Orwell's '1984' (1949) in which a totalitarian government rules by fear and brutality.
Aldous Huxley and his seminal book 'Brave New World'
H.G. Wells
In 1905, H.G. Wells published 'A Modern Utopia', which was widely read and admired and provoked much discussion. He wrote “Nothing endures, nothing is precise and certain (except the mind of a pedant), perfection is the mere repudiation of that ineluctable marginal exactitude which is the mysterious inmost quality of BEing.” This Truth cannot be avoided: The only Truth is that Utopia begins and ends within you and who you are BEing.
George Orwell
George Orwell wrote in his Dystopian novel '1984' “In the past the need for a hierarchal form of society has been the doctrine specifically of the High. It had been preached by kings and aristocrats and the priests, lawyers and the like who were parasitical upon them, and it had generally been softened by promises of an imaginary world beyond the grave.” The promise of eternal life is a false promise that puts you to sleep and allows you to tolerate Dystopia in this life.
Lois Lowry
'The Giver' by Lois Lowry: This modern classic takes us to a world without pain, war, or fear, but at the cost of individuality and emotion. It's a gripping tale that makes you question the definition of Utopia. For my article about emotions click here:
Ursula K. Le Guin
'The Dispossessed' by Ursula K. Le Guin: A truly unique take on Utopia, this book explores the concept of an anarcho-syndicalist society on an alien planet. It's a must-read for anyone interested in Utopian themes.
Let's step back in time
Utopia is a concept that has been present since the beginning of human history, even before philosophy was a 'thing'. Philosopher Milan Šimečka said "Utopism was a common type of thinking at the dawn of human civilisation. We find Utopian beliefs in the oldest religious imaginations, appear regularly in the neighbourhood of ancient, yet pre-philosophical views on the causes and meaning of natural events, the purpose of creation, the path of good and evil, happiness and misfortune, fairy tales and legends later inspired by poetry and philosophy... The underlying motives on which Utopian literature is built are as old as the entire historical epoch of human history.”
Plato's Republic
One of the earliest references to a Utopian society can be found in Plato's (427–347 B.C.) 'Republic', where Plato envisages a society governed by philosopher-kings. In the 'Republic', Plato describes his ideal society, which in its organisation replicates the structure of the human soul. I truly love this analogy. The Guardians are trained in wisdom from childhood. This is music to my ears! How few people are!
Plato's Republic
Part conversation, part fictional depiction and part policy proposal, Republic would categorise citizens into a rigid class structure of "golden," "silver," "bronze" and "iron" socioeconomic classes. The golden citizens are trained in a rigorous 50-year-long educational program to be benign oligarchs, the "philosopher-kings." Plato stressed this structure many times in statements, and in his published works, such as the Republic. The wisdom of these rulers will supposedly eliminate poverty and deprivation through fairly distributed resources, though the details on how to do this are unclear. The educational program for the rulers is the central notion of the proposal. It has few laws, no lawyers and rarely sends its citizens to war but hires mercenaries from among its war-prone neighbours. These mercenaries were deliberately sent into dangerous situations in the hope that the more warlike populations of all surrounding countries would be weeded out, leaving a peaceful population.
Mythical, religious, and hypothetical Utopias
In many cultures, societies, and religions, there is some myth or memory of a distant past when humankind lived in a primitive and simple state but at the same time one of perfect joy and fulfilment. In those days, the various myths tell us, there was an instinctive harmony and connection between humanity and nature. People's needs were few, their desires limited, and they were readily met. Both were easily satisfied by the abundance provided by nature. Accordingly, there were no (ego-based) motives whatsoever for hate, war, or oppression. Nor was there any need for hard, painful, and futile work. Humans were simple and pious and felt themselves close to their God or gods. According to one anthropological theory, hunter-gatherers were the original affluent society. They may have been the last truly affluent human society. Our current society is based on lack, and the compulsive drives that that entertains, rather than abundance. How else would one explain how billionaires are driven by lack? The fact that we find that statement hard to imagine as our definition of what it is to be abundant is a testament to how far we have gone backwards into our lack-driven societally conditioned minds.
These mythical or religious archetypes are inscribed in many cultures and resurge with special vitality when people are in difficult and critical times. However, in Dystopias, the projection of the myth does not take place towards the remote past but either towards the future or towards distant and fictional places, imagining that at some time in the future, at some point in space, or beyond death, there must exist the possibility of living happily. It hints of Utopia being a great remembering, when we were connected to our selves, to others, and to Nature. It also shows us the importance of the present moment.
Hypothetical Utopias focus on, among other things, equality in categories such as economics, government, and justice, with the method and structure of proposed implementation varying according to ideology. Lyman Tower Sargent argues that the nature of a Utopia is inherently contradictory because societies are not homogeneous and have desires which conflict and therefore cannot simultaneously be satisfied. I have to say that I disagree with this statement as the solution of looking inwards for all the answers to our perceived problems is Universal.
The error is to look for Utopia outside of your Self, in society: Instead look within: That is possible for everyone. If everyone did this as their foundation, Utopia would self-erect as a tall unshakeable gleaming tower that would displace all non-Utopian and Dystopian institutions, governments, philosophies, and economic principles. We need to stop worshipping these: They are false deities. They will tumble, as did Communism (which was the greatest killer in human history) like crumbling dinosaurs. The ones that survive, will be those compassionate institutions which serve us, not the other way round. The tower that self-erects upon our rock-solid foundations would be a beacon of light for those who are lost (the majority of us).
The Garden of Eden
The Biblical Garden of Eden as depicted in the Old Testament Bible's Book of Genesis 2 was initially a Utopian ideal: "And the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil... And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die... And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone... And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman and brought her unto the man."
God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden to give Adam and Eve a choice to obey Him (to do everything intuitively in communion with our higher power) or disobey Him (by acting upon the whims of our fear-based ego). Adam and Eve were free to do anything they wanted, except eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (societal conditioning around toxic shame).
Genesis 2:16-17 states “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’” If God had not given Adam and Eve the choice, they would have essentially been robots or automatons, simply doing what they were programmed to do. God created Adam and Eve to be “free” beings, able to make decisions, and able to choose between good and evil. In order for Adam and Eve to truly be free, they had to have free choice. The ego always leads to destruction, hate, and death. The reason that we don't see that is that we are asleep and the ego is a liar: Like the witch beckoning Hansel and Gretel into the house saying that this way lies sweets, treats, and happiness. The ego leads us to a cage, which becomes a potential death-trap.
For me, the Garden of Eden is a psychological metaphor for how our innocence is conditioned by society (the tree of knowledge of good and evil) into feeling toxic shame, unworthiness, and lovelessness.
The Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible depicts an eschatological time (relating to death, judgement, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind), with the 'defeat of Satan, of Evil and of Sin'. The main difference, when compared to the Old Testament promise, is that such a defeat also has an ontological value (relating to the branch of metaphysics (one of the four pillars of philosophy) dealing with the nature of BEing):
"Then I saw 'A new Heaven and a new Earth,' for the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away. He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things (ego and fear) has passed away" and is no longer just gnosiological (the philosophy of knowledge and cognition - the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden).
Isaiah (The 9th Century BCE prophet) wrote: "See, I will create a new Heaven and a new Earth. The former things (negative thoughts) will not be remembered, Nor will they come to mind." It is at this point that one connects internally only with one's higher power (love) at all times and in every moment. All thoughts then come from God. We then surrender all thoughts that are not of God. This brings us the "Peace that passes all understanding."
Narrow interpretation of the text depicts Heaven on Earth or a Heaven brought to Earth without sin. Daily and mundane details of this new Earth, where God and Jesus rule, remain unclear, although it is implied to be similar to the biblical Garden of Eden. Some theological philosophers believe that Heaven will not be a physical realm but instead an incorporeal place for souls. As the theological philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." The degree to which we lose our fear becomes proportional to our surrender to this and to Faith and the Truth of who we truly are. You are an unconquerable soul. This is an essential and timeless Truth.
My interpretation, influenced by the metaphysical philosopher Neville Goddard, is that all of these Bible stories (the whole Bible in fact) are all psychological metaphors. The phrase "The former things will not be remembered, Nor will they come to mind" means that when we undergo an awakening to our inner Utopia, our thoughts become aligned to our higher Self, who is fearless, unconditionally loving, unconquerable, and forgiving. We no longer identify with the ego, or negative thinking. This allows intuitive processes to occur, where one connects with peace and the higher Universal intelligence, especially during meditative states and mindfulness.
The American philosopher Richard M. Rorty wrote “My sense of the holy is bound up with the hope that some day my remote descendants will live in a global civilisation in which love is pretty much the only law.” Einstein would have agreed, if his letter to hie daughter on the Universal force of love is anything to go by.
Albert Einstein in his Utopia. He wrote to his daughter Lieserl: "There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all others, and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the Universe and has not yet been identified by us. This Universal force is LOVE."
The Land of Cockaigne
The Land of Cockaigne (also Cockaygne, Cokaygne), was an imaginary land of idleness and luxury, famous in medieval stories and the subject of several poems, one of which, an early translation of a 13th-century French work, is given in George Ellis' Specimens of Early English Poets. In this Dystopian state masquerading as a Utopia, "The houses were made of barley sugar and cakes, the streets were paved with pastry and the shops supplied goods for nothing." The mythical land of luxury Cockaigne (attested from 1305) appeared under a variety of spellings, including Cockayne, Cocknay, and Cockney, and became humorously associated with the English capital London. Boileau applied the same to Paris. Schlaraffenland is an analogous German tradition. All these myths also express some hope that the idyllic state of affairs they describe is not irretrievably and irrevocably lost to mankind, that it can be regained in some way or other. These myths sound more like Hansel and Gretel finding the cottage made of gingerbread and sweets: Hansel ended up in a cage, trapped by a witch. Not really something to aspire to. This myth does sound misguided.
One Utopian path might be a quest for an "Earthly paradise" – a place like Shangri-La, hidden in the Tibetan mountains and described by James Hilton in his Utopian novel Lost Horizon (1933). Christopher Columbus followed directly in this tradition in his belief that he had found the Garden of Eden when, towards the end of the 15th century, he first encountered the New World and its indigenous inhabitants. We all know how that ended.
The Peach Blossom Spring
The Peach Blossom Spring a prose piece written by the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming, describes a Utopian place. The narrative goes that a fisherman from Wuling sailed upstream a river and came across a beautiful blossoming peach grove and lush green fields covered with blossom petals. Entranced by the beauty, he continued upstream and stumbled onto a small grotto when he reached the end of the river. Though narrow at first, he was able to squeeze through the passage and discovered an ethereal Utopia, where the people led an ideal existence in harmony with nature. He saw a vast expanse of fertile lands, clear ponds, mulberry trees, bamboo groves and the like with a community of people of all ages and houses in neat rows. The people explained that their ancestors escaped to this place during the civil unrest of the Qin dynasty and they themselves had not left since or had contact with anyone from the outside. They had not even heard of the later dynasties of bygone times or the then-current Jin dynasty. In the story, the community was secluded and unaffected by the troubles of the outside world.
The Peach Blossom Spring
The sense of timelessness was predominant in the story as a perfect Utopian community remains unchanged, that is, it had no decline nor the need to improve. Eventually, the Chinese term Peach Blossom Spring came to be synonymous for the concept of Utopia.
There is a hidden place inside of you, a personal Utopia full of abundance and possibility, where your soul dwells, where it is eternally Spring, the sky is always blue (despite passing clouds) or full of stars, and you are at peace. You are untouched by the illusion of fear.
Empires
Utopian ideas had already begun by the time of ancient Greece and Rome, medieval heretics, peasant revolts and established themselves in the period of the early capitalism, reformation and Renaissance (Hus, Müntzer, More, Campanella), democratic revolutions (Meslier, Morelly, Mably, Winstanley, later Babeufists, Blanquists,) and in a period of turbulent development of capitalism that highlighted antagonisms of capitalist society (Saint-Simon, Fourier, Owen, Cabet, Lamennais, Proudhon and their followers).
Utopian Socialism
During the 19th century, the idea of Utopia took a political turn with the emergence of Utopian socialism, which advocated for the creation of an egalitarian society.
Tyrants and Dystopia
Bertrand De Jouvenel, the French philosopher, futurist and author wrote "There is a tyranny (a Dystopia) in the womb of every Utopia.” It is becoming clear that throughout human history, Utopias have been highjacked to allow the passage of real Dystopias.
The top three tyrants, under the cover of Utopian ideas (but in reality enforcing Dystopian regimes) in terms of responsibility for deaths are:
Mao Zedong in Communist China as part of his idea of Utopia and the 'Cultural Revolution') - up to 78 million deaths.
Jozef Stalin first Secretary of the Communist Party then leader of the Soviet Union - 23 million deaths.
Adolf Hitler leader of the Nazi Party in Germany then absolute dictator - 17 million deaths.
Philosophers and Utopia
Callicles
Callicles (484 - late 5th century BC), the Athenian political philosopher, wrote that “Anyone with sufficient energy and courage can and should shake off these shackles, and trample our (ego-based societally-conditioned) fake laws, ‘formulas, spells, and charms’ into the mud. Much evil is done in the name of righteousness.
He viewed democracy as 'The tyranny of the many over the exceptional individual.'" People love to love, then hate, then love again. This is the predicament of the awakened soul. Buddha, Jesus, and Moses all suffered before they could become 'resurrected' and Enlightened. It's the same for all of us if we want to awaken. Initially, it's the hardest thing that you will ever do. This is why so many shy away from in and remain as the 'little you', stuck in ego. But it also brings the greatest rewards of peace, unconditional love, joy, wisdom, Truth, and abundance: In other words, your inner Utopia. It will allow you to bestow the same gifts to others, as you guide them to awaken. Click here to download my free, no obligation, ebook on Enlightenment:
Sir Thomas More
Sir Thomas More (1478 - 1535) was an English lawyer, judge, and social philosopher, Renaissance humanist and the Chancellor of England. He wrote 'Utopia', published in 1516, which describes the political system of an imaginary island state. He opposed the Protestant Reformation, so he was convicted of treason on what he claimed was false evidence, and executed. On his execution, he was reported to have said: "I die the King's good servant, and God's first". Pope Pius XI canonised Sir Thomas More in 1935 as a martyr. Pope John Paul II in 2000 declared him the patron saint of statesmen and politicians.
Sir Thomas More (painting by Hans Holbein the Younger)
More's 'Utopia' introduced the term to the world. His Utopia was a peaceful island where property was communal, and people lived in harmony with Nature.
Book I of Utopia, a dialogue, presents a perceptive analysis of contemporary social, economic, and moral ills in England. Book Il is a narrative describing a country run according to the ideals of the English humanists, where poverty, crime, injustice, and other ills do not exist. Locating his island in the New World, More bestowed it with everything to support a perfectly organised and happy people. The name of this fictitious place, Utopia, coined by More, passed into general usage and has been applied to all such ideal fictions, fantasies, and blueprints for the future, including works by Rabelais, Francis Bacon, and Samuel Butler.
Readers of 'Utopia', including Utopian socialists, chose to accept this imaginary society as the realistic blueprint for a working nation, while others have postulated that Thomas More intended nothing of the sort.
It is believed that More's Utopia functions only on the level of a satire, a work intended to reveal more about the England of his time than about an idealistic society. This interpretation is bolstered by the title of the book and nation and its apparent confusion between the Greek for "no place" and "good place": "Utopia" is a compound of the syllable ou-, meaning "no" and topos, meaning place. But the homophonic prefix eu-, meaning "good," also resonates in the word, with the implication that the perfectly "good place" is really "no place." What you are looking for is a “You place” - a “You-topia”.
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon led the advancement of both natural philosophy and the scientific method and his works remained influential even in the late stages of the Scientific Revolution. He is famous for his role in the scientific revolution, begun during the Middle Ages, promoting scientific experimentation as a way of glorifying God and fulfilling scripture. Bacon studied the Natural Sciences and philosophy at Trinity College Cambridge, like myself. It is interesting that the words Natural and sciences are still used together. This shows how science, Natural Law, and the Universe cannot be separated.
Francis Bacon was a devout Anglican. He believed that philosophy and the natural world must be studied inductively, but argued that we can only study arguments for the existence of God. Information about God's attributes (such as nature, action, and purpose) can only come from special revelation. Bacon also held that knowledge was cumulative, that study encompassed more than a simple preservation of the past. "Knowledge is the rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator and the relief of man's estate," he wrote. I
In his Essays, Bacon affirms that "A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion." Like other philosophers, spirituality and science were not mutually exclusive. One does not have to choose one or the other. One can choose both. Bacon's idea of idols of the mind may have self-consciously represented an attempt to Christianise science at the same time as developing a new, reliable scientific method. Bacon reiterated as St. Bernard said "One cannot now say the priest is as the people, for the Truth is that the people are not so bad as the priest."
Despite his prominence in the Scientific Revolution, and as a pioneer of seventeenth century philosophy, Bacon wrote the Utopian text, 'The New Atlantis' (1627), from the angle of political theory in an effort to delineate the suggestions that pertain to human nature, the conditions of social order and joy, and the relations between scientists and ordinary people. In many interpretations of Francis Bacon’s Utopian text, 'The New Atlantis', one may notice that it is presented as the scientific Utopia par excellence.
Bacon's Utopia conveys a split view of human nature, one pertaining to the 'ignorant masses' as he called them and the other to the elite scientists. This screams to me of egoic reaction. Such a dualistic account denies the existence of an essence binding the whole of humanity; surely the basis of any Utopia. There is danger in turning science into yet another dogma-laden deity: We have enough of those, and have had enough of those. Furthermore, one cannot even find a single comment on the nature of the entire population inhabiting the island.
To quote from his book 'The New Atlantis' "Yet we did lift up our hearts and voices to God above, who "Showeth His wonders in the deep." Here he is referring to deep philosophy. In the book, and in regards to reaching Utopia, Bacon details a two-step procedure. Step one: make the unknown known (through science). Step two: improve the human condition (through spirituality). For example, Bacon writes about the scientist “Multiplying and enforcing winds... Make artificial rain-bows, halos, and circles about light... We do hate all imposters and lies... The effecting of all things possible, The domain under the scientist’s control grows too large, overpowering his conscience and overempowering his manipulative influence (the ego]).” It is not the last time that we will encounter the lies and pitfalls of listening to the ego on our journey together. Yet Bacon's spiritual fervour is read as "The person that is called... kneeleth down before the chair, and the father layeth his hand upon his head, or her head, and giveth the blessing in these words: "Son of Bensalem (or daughter of Bensalem), thy father saith it; the man by whom thou hast breath and life speaketh the word; the blessing of the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and the Holy Dove be upon thee, and make the days of thy pilgrimage good and many" These quotes from his Utopian book sound more like the metaphors for Grace within the Bible than the work of a scientist.
In the final component of 'The New Atlantis' scientists seek to control the flow of information. They keep much of their work secret, from other civilisations as well as from other inhabitants of the island, and in doing so, create an elitist class system and shoot their own expansive Utopian project in its foot. Bacon showed himself to be forward-thinking and imaginative, and one can see how his works lay scaffolding for the Enlightenment to come. But he left room for the slightly sinister interpretation this essay has articulated, one that presents the scientists as seeking overwhelming ego-driven control because of and at the expense of their fundamental goal.
Philosophy itself may be a matter of Utopia: That is, philosophy may be an essentially Utopian discourse.
René Descartes (1596-1650) was a philosopher, scientist, and mathematician: He was widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Many elements of Descartes' philosophy have precedents in late Aristotelianism, the revived Stoicism of the 16th century, or in earlier philosophers like Augustine.
In his natural philosophy Descartes thought that reason was the antidote to chaos and the consolation against despair. “Cogito, ergo sum,” he famously declared. French: "Je pense, donc je suis." “I think, therefore, I am.” But Descartes’s celebrated axiom was not an exaltation of the independent mind. It led him back to God, the absolute ruler upon whom everything in the Universe depended. “If there were in the world bodies, or even intelligences or other Natures that were not wholly perfect,” Descartes argued, “Their being must depend on God’s power in such a way that they could not subsist without him for a single moment.” In their dependence, men owed total, unconditional obedience to God. Men were no more than instruments in His hands, the perfect ruler, to use as He would. This is why so many prayers express gratitude and state "Thy will be done" and "Let me be a channel of thy peace." Only in this way could existence have meaning and purpose, and avoid the explosion of irrationality that threatened to cast it spiralling into the abyss. Herein also lies our true personal power: For we are one with the higher intelligence of the Universe. For Descartes, Faith, intuition (wisdom), and spirituality were the answers to the chaos in the world: This was his Utopia. For Descartes, unlike Friedrich Nietzsche after him, God was definitely not dead.
During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), Descartes had witnessed much of Europe - Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, and the Germanies - drenched in blood. These events terrified him. He dreamed of being haunted by ghosts and swept up in a whirlwind. To ease his nearly irrepressible anxiety and fear, Descartes resolved to fashion a method of thinking that would safeguard humanity from illusion, falsehood, absurdity, and evil. He set out to prove that reason, rightly cultivated and applied, could illuminate the mathematical order of nature that God had made. Through the use of reason, men could ascertain, measure, and count all things on Earth and in Heaven. The vast immensity of the Universe could thereby be rendered orderly, certain, uniform, and intelligible. He certainly sounds like a Utopian philosopher.
Descartes’s rationalist philosophy was more Utopian than scientific. He was concerned less with Natural science, less with observation and experimentation, than he was with discovering first causes behind all things.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778), the Swiss philosopher, author, and composer, was the first to combine Utopia and Enlightenment, not as aspiration, not as a dream of a better world awaiting us in another place, another time, another life, but as inspiration to work on ourselves, here and now, in the present moment.
This is the philosophy that I adhere to. It is a philosophy of equality and freedom. Rousseau felt that human beings are essentially good, as do I. Plato, More, and Rousseau used Utopias to reveal timeless Truths about the human condition and why we all struggle mentally until we awaken to these Truths. They intended to provide a baseline for a better world. Our one job is to be our fully authentic Selves, so that we heal, be a guiding beacon and serve others.
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) was the most influential philosopher of the Western World. He was one of the central Enlightenment figures. Kant famously said “To BE is to do.” This is one of the deepest, most wisdom-laden, and shortest philosophical quotes that I have ever read. Kant's implicit Utopia concerned humanity in general, and the human BEing's development towards fulfilment of her capacities, especially reason. We are human BEings, not human doings.
Immanuel Kant
Kant wrote "Much more than all this is attained by the idea of Human History viewed as founded upon the assumption of a Universal plan in Nature. For this idea gives us a new ground of hope as it opens up to us a consoling view of the future in which the human species is represented in the far distance as having at last worked itself up to a condition in which all the germs implanted in it by Nature may be fully developed and its destination here on earth fulfilled." This means waking up to our purpose; the blueprint for our lives, that the Universal creative intelligence has for us. We just need to get out of our own way and connect with our higher power.
In other words, Kant dreamed that we would arrive in Utopia, with our fullest human potential fulfilled, and our worst characteristics reformed. If we focus on BEing, the doing, and then the having will take care of themselves. This process of BEing is the inward road of Utopia.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), the German born philosopher, wrote "If every desire were satisfied as soon as it arose how would men occupy their lives, how would they pass the time? Imagine this race transported to a Utopia where everything grows of its own accord and turkeys fly around ready-roasted, where lovers find one another without any delay and keep one another without any difficulty; in such a place some men would die of boredom or hang themselves, some would fight and kill one another, and thus they would create for themselves more suffering than Nature inflicts on them as it is." Wise words indeed.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), said "What does your conscience (intuition) say? - You should become the person you are." This is Utopia in one sentence, and the best definition of it that I have found.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is widely held to be one of the greatest and most influential scientists of all time. So, you may ask, why am I including Einstein in my list of philosophers? Inherent in his philosophies, Einstein conceived of 'God' as a divine system of order. Spirituality moulded his intellect. He famously said “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” How about you? I know which I prefer.
Though Einstein's fame rests upon his reputation as a scientist, he often explained how his scientific desire was motivated by a profound, unorthodox religiosity: Spirituality by any other name - which is very different from institutionalised religion. Einstein often gave lectures in which he outlined clear definitions of both science and religion and then proceeded to explain how the two fields could be reconciled without one superceding or transgressing upon the other. He wrote “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” Einstein's definition of science reflects the popular perception of the pursuit of knowledge but more subtly reveals his emphasis on imagination, complete comprehension, and the necessity of religion.
Einstein emphasised the shortcomings of the scientific process. Although Einstein revolutionised science and the conception of Nature, his estimations of science itself depict it as merely a means of gathering facts and suggest spirituality as a means of interpreting that knowledge. Einstein resolved the conflicts between religion and science by explaining the two fields' precise interaction. This reconciliation functions by exploiting the inabilities of each field and using the one to complete the other. Science only addresses facts and their relations to other facts; religion only addresses evaluations of human thought and action.
Einstein explains that religion determines the goal but learns what means will contribute to the attainment from science. He believed that science cannot explain what should be and religion cannot explain what is. Conflict results from a clash between the science of an advanced but materialistic age and a religion maintaining its mythical beliefs. He supports his idea by explaining that the moral nature of the major religions is essentially the same (i.e. spirituality and that the discarded myths (dogma) can be replaced by the factual knowledge of science. The balance between science and religion was the guiding force in Einstein's life. He used science to refine his religious beliefs.
Einstein said "I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves (the controlling ego)." He sublimated his religious wonder into awe at the Universe itself and allowed that awe to motivate his work.
Albert Einstein. A genius who married science and spirituality
Einstein defined science and religion as complementary fields, and he proposed a cooperative union in which science offered facts for religious interpretation. This is the basis of Carl Jung's work too, and the fact that today, 40-80% of scientists are spiritual or religious, suggests that he was very much not alone.
Einstein defines religion as the philosophical ordering and application of science so that it accords with the interests of humanity: This is why he appears and belongs in this article on Utopia.
Einstein's personal reaction to the often atheistic forces of science, confirm his hope in humanity, and amplify his legacy. The intense religious fervour with which Einstein approached science explains much of his success and confirms his position as one who deeply loved the world, the order thereof, and therefore of Utopian ideals.
Ernst Bloch
The German philosopher Ernst Bloch (1885 - 1977) wrote "In ourselves alone the absolute light keeps shining, a sigillum falsi et sui, mortis et vitae aeternae (false signal and signal of eternal life and death itself), and the fantastic move to it begins: To the external interpretation of the daydream, the cosmic manipulation of a concept that is Utopian in principle."
Slavoj Žižek
Philosopher Slavoj Žižek (born 1949), a Slovenian philosopher, wrote about Utopia that "We should reinvent Utopia but in what sense? There are two false meanings of Utopia one is this old notion of imagining this ideal society we know will never be realised, the other is the capitalist Utopia in the sense of new perverse desire that you are not only allowed but even solicited to realise (capitalist Utopia is based on external validation and subconsciously seeking imitation love, both of which result from parental and societal conditioning).
The true Utopia is when the situation is so without issue, without the way to resolve it within the coordinates of the possible that out of the pure urge of survival you have to invent a new space (and that space of Utopia is inside YOU). Utopia is not kind of a free imagination: Utopia is a matter of innermost urgency, you are forced to imagine it, it is the only way out, and this is what we need today." There is a way out. And the way out is inwards. Utopia happens when you build solid foundations based on core values such as unconditional love, compassion, peace, joy, serenity, and service.
Richard Stahel
Philosopher Richard Stahel (born 1974) said "Every social organisation relies on something that is not realised or feasible, but has the ideal that is somewhere beyond the horizon, a lighthouse to which it may seek to approach if it considers that ideal socially valid and generally accepted." I am not a big fan of this definition as it, like Nietzsche, suggests that happiness is always out of reach. This means that the quest is insatiable, like a carrot dangled in front of a donkey that it can never reach. The secret, which should not be a secret - wisdom should be taught in schools - is that Utopia is real and it’s the quiet place inside you that is unconditional love, peace, joy, and abundance. All the spiritual traditions say that when you find this place, all is well. As more and more of us find this one essential Truth the world outside will become increasingly Utopian too. But it really doesn’t matter if it doesn’t. The Earth is Heaven. Inside you is Heaven. If you don’t see it, then the shift required is one of your perception. This is now the journey of my life.
Anthony McGowan
Anthony McGowan, the philosopher, argues that when it comes to society that "Chaos is highly suggestive that morality can never be grounded in anything more than the changing habits and custom ways of people… Whoever is in power enacts laws to their own advantage. So justice is power. Having power means you control justice.” This needs to change. Human beings cannot tolerate the artificial construct of an uncompassionate 'top-down' approach any longer.
Modern Un-Civilisation
From the above historical, political, and philosophical examples, you can see clearly that the concept of Utopia is as old as civilisation itself. Even though the definition of Utopia has evolved over the centuries, the core idea remains the same: The pursuit of a 'perfect' society. Where the word perfect does not relate to judgement, but rather to higher core values such as creativity, balance, harmony, unconditional love, compassion, peace, joy, serenity, and service.
Communism sounded like a good idea philosophically. Communism has killed 120 million people through two Dystopian tyrants alone..
Capitalism is failing – it’s a ‘pyramid scheme’ which is like a furnace where you are the wood. No wonder over 70 percent of you are burnt out: You almost literally are.
Is Utopia simply where compassion, love, and Truth reign? What Utopia is not...
Tragically in our current 'civilisation', and throughout human history, 'justice' has been about political power, which is artificial, an illusion, a Dystopian construct that will tumble, not a reality: It is not Truth, love and compassion: These three are Utopia, and they are an inside job.
William Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, which relates to the '12 Timeless Truths' that I have discovered and written about, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." In Macbeth Act 5, Scene 5, one of the most famous soliloquies by the Bard he wrote "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player; That struts and frets his hour upon the stage; And then is heard no more. It is a tale; Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury; Signifying nothing." This is the most precise metaphor that I have heard. We make 'Much Ado About Nothing', as the name of the Shakespearean comedy suggests, written in 1598 and 1599. Drama and chaos are based on lies and egocentric fear.
Rumi wrote "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, There is a field. I'll meet you there." As I understand it, Rumi was saying that as human beings we get connected with each other in the space (Utopia) that opens up inside you when we let go of our ideas of good and bad, right and wrong.
Nothing is either right or wrong; good or bad. Love always wins. We are all innocent children of the Universe. 'Civilisation' uses every trick in the unwritten book to con and condition us otherwise. The legal system is about power, not Truth, otherwise why would barristers need to exist? It's the person with the best lawyer that wins cases, not the one who is representing Truth.
All arguments, as Rutger Bregman writes, are “Not really about right and wrong (about moral values), are they? They are just about power. Justice just comes down to who has the biggest stick. Justice equals getting your own way. ‘Might is right’.” There is little agreement about moral values, which vary greatly between individuals and over time and space. There is evidence that morality and 'justice' boil down to perceived power, custom, whim, and unfounded fear, all of which change, depending on your perception.
"ALL political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure” wrote Enoch Powell, the controversial but often perspicacious British politician, “Because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs.”
Life, for despots and tyrants who are purely after power, always ends badly, sometimes by Tyrannicide (yes it's a real word!) either by: Being pilloried and ridiculed (Donald Trump and Boris Johnson), exiled on a remote island (Napoleon Bonaparte), lynched (Colonel Qaddafi - the self proclaimed "King of Kings"), beaten, boiled, and dismembered (Byzantine emperor Andronicus I), thrown off their palace balcony (Queen Jezebel), executed and hanged upside-down (Benito Mussolini), being shot (by a firing squad - Nicolae Ceausescu or by Navy SEALs - Osama bin Laden), or shooting themselves then burned to ashes to avoid a temple being formed of him (Adolf Hitler who was responsible for 17 million deaths). Stalin died in his own bed, but, according to eye witnesses, with a look of abject terror and unrestricted hatred on his face. One wonders what grim fate awaits Vladimir Putin? And trolls. And tabloids.
Carl Rogers, the American psychologist, who was one of the founders of humanistic psychology, and was an essential founder of the discipline of coaching, wrote in 'On becoming a person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy': "But if the result of my efforts and those of others is that man becomes a robot, created and controlled by a science of his own making, then I am very unhappy indeed. If the good life of the future consists in so conditioning individuals through the control of their environment, and through the control of the rewards they receive, that they will be inexorably productive, well-behaved, happy or whatever, then I want none of it. To me this is a pseudo-form of the good life which includes everything save that what makes it good.”
Jimmy Page said "I love playing. If it was down to just that, it would be Utopia. But it's not. It's airplanes, hotel rooms, limousines, and armed guards standing outside rooms. I don't get off on that part of it at all." We are doing it all wrong. External validation never brings joy. Celebrities fall apart because they are encouraged by their fears, fans and society to portray an inauthentic 'mask'.
In life, for each of us, there are two ways of BEing. This concept has been given many names: Awakening; Enlightenment; Spirituality. We need to change our perception from fear to love. We have a society that is based on fear, ego, egoic reaction and conflict. If we all chose love rather than fear to run our life, then there would be no conflict or war, only miracles.
Follow your intuition. Your heart is never wrong.
First World War trenches football game at Christmas
From Dystopian Hell to Utopian Heaven in one day and back again: The famous Christmas truce (German: Weihnachtsfrieden; French: Trêve de Noël; Dutch: Kerstbestand) was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of the First World War at Christmas in 1914 when troops from both sides came out of the trenches to play football with each other. They realised the Truth that hate only works at a distance.
However, the soldiers were told by their 'superiors' that they would have been court-marshalled if they played football with 'the enemy' again. Well of course they were told that: It would have ended the First World War. Governments can't have wars ending can they? Where's the gain for them in that?
First World War trenches football game between opposing troops ( Christmas 1914 )
This is where the courage comes in. But if you were able to take a cosmic view of your life you would see that you don’t need to be brave: All is well. Take action then let go of the outcome. Don't be attached to what happens next: The Universe has your back. You are an unconquerable limitless BEing. Trust the process. Surrender is the key to a peace that passes all understanding.
Maya Angelou wrote "I believe the most important single thing beyond discipline and creativity, is daring to dare." I agree that the leap of Faith takes courage, but it always brings enormous rewards.
Utopian socialist Etienne Cabet in his Utopian book 'The Voyage to Icaria' cited the definition from the contemporary Dictionary of ethical and political sciences: “Utopias and other models of government, based on the public good, may be inconceivable because of the disordered human passions which, under the wrong governments, seek to highlight the poorly conceived or selfish interest of the community. But even though we find it impossible, they are ridiculous to sinful people whose sense of self-destruction prevents them from believing.” As George Michael said in his iconic song "'Cause I gotta have Faith."
The metaverse and artificial intelligence (AI)
The Matrix is happening: Right now. While the big tech money has started moving into generative AI, a lot of marketing hype (and money) has already been wrapped up in selling the idea of “the metaverse.” Facebook’s (now rebranded as Meta) Mark Zuckerberg is working full time all out on 'The Matrix', calling it the metaverse, a Virtual Reality (VR) social platform (basically a fancy 3D computer game world), and describing it as the 'future of the internet' producing a ‘Blue Pill’ that will keep us all 'asleep' by creating a 'real life illusion' 'The Matrix': It’s the same thing. 'The Matrix' is the story of a computer hacker who woke up to the reality that everything he knows is an illusion constructed to placate humanity under the reign of a super-race of robot squids.
Zuckerberg will be able to make you taste steak, just as Cypher wanted in lieu of reality in the Matrix, send you on holiday, or fall in love then have your heart broken with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Avatar, all without leaving your sofa. Forget photoshopping images - your Avatar need not bear any resemblance to you. It's the beginning of total inauthenticity. A virtual life for those who have given up on real life. Disconnection in guise of connection. There is as massive potential for crime and psychological disorders. But by the time the studies are done, it will be too late. The subliminal message is that as you are not happy in this life, you can check out of the real Universe and into a pretend universe - the metaverse: In other words - you can't find Utopia in this world, so here ia another to try in. But it's getting deeper and deeper into illusion. Don;'t worry, your subscription may come with some happy pills to make up for the fact that this form of external validation will make you addicted, miserable, and mentally ill.
It's impossible to separate Facebook's vision of a future in which everyone has a digital wardrobe and digital real estate to swipe through from the fact that Facebook really wants to make money selling virtual clothes and virtual houses. But Facebook isn't the only company that stands to financially benefit from metaverse hype.
Broadly speaking, the technologies companies refer to when they talk about “the metaverse” can include virtual reality - characterised by persistent virtual worlds that continue to exist even when you're not playing - as well as augmented reality that combines aspects of the digital and physical worlds. However, it doesn't require that those spaces be exclusively accessed via VR or Augmented Reality (AR). Virtual worlds - such as aspects of Fortnite that can be accessed through PCs, game consoles, and even phones - have started referring to themselves as “the metaverse.” There are no rules here, and so there are very real security and privacy issues. This goes to show how much of the current metaverse discussion is built on hype alone - hype around a Utopia that doesn't even exist in the digital world, only in the marketing world.
Many companies that have hopped on board the metaverse bandwagon also envision some sort of new digital economy, where users can create, buy, and sell goods. In the more idealistic visions of the metaverse, it's interoperable, allowing you to take virtual items like clothes or cars from one platform to another, though this is harder than it sounds. While some advocates claim new technologies like NFTs can enable portable digital assets, this simply isn't true, and bringing items from one video game or virtual world to another is an enormously complex task that no one company can solve. NFT means non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are generally created using the same type of programming used for cryptocurrencies. In simple terms these cryptographic assets are based on blockchain technology.
There are, in any case, limitations that may be impossible to overcome. When tech companies like Microsoft or Meta show fictionalised videos of their visions of the future (the fake is not even 'real' yet), they frequently tend to gloss over just how people will interact with the metaverse. VR headsets are still very clunky, and most people experience motion sickness or physical pain if they wear them for too long. Microsoft, Meta, and every other company that shows wild demos like this are trying to give an artistic impression of what the future could be, not necessarily account for every technical question. The marketing appears to be virtual reality too - not real reality!
In the time since Facebook's rebrand to Meta, the concept of “the metaverse” has served as a powerful vehicle for repackaging old tech, overselling the benefits of new tech, and capturing the imagination of speculative investors. A lot of money has also been lost, with little to show for it. Meta itself lost $13.7 billion in 2022, and then spent the first half of 2023 laying off over 10,000 employees. But money pouring into a space doesn't necessarily mean a massive paradigm shift is right around the corner, as everything from 3D TVs to Amazon's delivery drones and Google Glass can attest. The history of tech is littered with the skeletons of failed tech investments.
But to a certain extent, the tech industry writ large depends on futurism. Selling a phone is fine, but selling the future is more profitable. And we are all too keen to lap it up, queue up, and be guinea pigs for things that we don't need, and may make us ill. In reality, it may be the case that any real “metaverse” would be little more than some newish VR games and digital avatars in Zoom calls, but mostly just something we still think of as the internet. Tech is addictive as it always promises but never fully delivers and satiates, so you need more and more, just like a drug. You disagree? Try taking an iPad off a three year old.
The collection of various metaverses from the non-overlapping tech companies could be called the “multiverse of metaverses.” But what's wrong with the real infinite Universe? What's wrong is that people have given up on finding peace, love, and joy in this world and so don't believe that a non-virtual Utopia exists. So what is the solution? A multiverse of metaverses? No, at best that would be a temporary distraction to ease your existential pain - otherwise known as addiction, or the human condition: The solution is to find Utopia inside of you, in this beautiful Universe. There is no need to look outside. As the genius that was Carl Jung wrote "He who looks outside... dreams. He who looks inside... awakens."
The iconic film series: 'The Matrix'
Elon Musk is extolling the virtues of AI, how much better it is than us, and how it will make us all unemployed. But it’s your choice to go along with it, or not. It really is. AI can not be creative, have wisdom, or come up with anything original. If AI becomes like us, our ego selves, heaven forbid the outcome! There are real examples of this happening. AI is very fast at taking on the worst of us, our worst habits, such as judgement and discrimination. And AI cannot feel, which is the source of all Truth.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The bottom line is that technology siomply can't replace what is already perfect, like a starry night sky or a beautiful sea-scape panorama. For those, you just need to go for. a walk. Psychologists will have much to say I am sure.
Utopia in the movies
The Hunger Games trilogy
On the surface, the Capitol in 'The Hunger Games' appears to be a Utopia: It's wealthy, technologically advanced, and its citizens live a life of luxury. However, this Utopia is built on the suffering of the districts, leading to a rebellion. The Utopia, it turns out, is a Dystopia in disguise, as is so often the case. You scratch the surface and the gold plating comes off.
The same pattern appears in many other works of modern media. From movies like the 1927 'Metropolis' when Fritz Lang brought Dystopia to life, to 'The Matrix' to TV shows like 'The Good Place', modern storytellers love to play with the idea of a Utopia that hides a darker truth. The fact that we have seen so many of these, but have not clicked that they are Dystopian movies, shows how pervasive the concept of Dystopia versus Utopia is. We seem to know exactly what Dystopia is, but have no idea about what Utopia is and how we might get there.
To list but a few Dystopian movies (and they are legion):
Planet of the Apes (1968)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Logan's Run (1976)
Blade Runner (1982)
1984 (1984)
The Running Man (1987)
Robocop (1987)
Total Recall (1990)
The Truman Show (1998)
The Matrix (1999)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Minority Report (2002)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
The fact that Dystopian movies have become a genre all their own speaks to our fears of the future. At the very least, the metaverse and AI will provide much material for the production of Dystopian media.
Isn't it time that someone made a movie about finding Utopia inside you?!
Real world Utopias
Scandinavian nations, which as of 2019 ranked at the top of the World Happiness Report, are sometimes cited as modern Utopias.
The tale of the businessman and the fisherman
One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.
About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. “You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman.
“You should be working rather than lying on the beach!”
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?”
“Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer. “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling. The businessman replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!”
“And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again.
The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said.
“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.
The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!”
Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?”
The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I’m doing right now?”
Oscar Wilde wrote “Work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do." Perhaps a Utopia could free us up to do the things that AI cannot do: Philosophy; Wisdom; and Creativity. Leave the rest to AI. Bregman wrote “The purpose of a shorter workweek is not so we can all sit around doing nothing, but so we can spend more time on the things that genuinely matter to us."
Confucius wrote "Choose a job you love , and you will never have to work a day in your life." When your inner and outer purpose become aligned, no-thing and no-one can stop you. Utopia here you come!
My take on Utopia
I am with Rumi on this one, who said “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” This is the only way. When enough people awaken (look inside themselves for the answers), we will no longer have conflict. Hurt people, hurt people. Awake people, awaken people. Healed people, heal people. Awakened people, love people unconditionally. Souls love one another. 'Love through connection' needs to replace 'Hate at a distance.' Just meditate on this for a moment in a beautiful guided and uplifting meditation by the incomparable Ram Dass, the Harvard Professor of Clinical Psychology turned spiritual guru:
Ram Dass and East Forest 'We are Truth'
Someone once said about Utopia that "It's like aiming for the stars - even if we miss, we might still land on the moon." This seems wrong to me. Aim for the stars, and know that you are already surrounded by them, and all the elements in your body were made in the crucible of the stars. This is the scientific Truth. You are a star! Right now. It's just that you have forgotten that you are. This is the spiritual Truth. You feel it, and therefore know it to be Truth, don't you?
Utopias offer a fascinating exploration of human nature and the human condition, which is existential angst, spiritual dis-ease, and the asleep conditioned mind. Can humans ever create a perfect society? Are we inherently flawed, destined to repeat our mistakes? Or can we learn, grow, and build a better world?
The solution is not economic, literary, historical, or political. The solution is a psychological, philosophical, and spiritual one. We haven't found Utopia, because we have been looking in the wrong place (outside, instead of inside) and for the wrong thing ('imitation love', instead of real love and peace). Your awakening is the only thing that you can control, and it will radiate effulgent beautiful shockwaves of energy, that will encourage others to do the same. Be awake, reflective, intuitive, joyful, compassionate, loving, and peaceful. This all comes from waking up to the Utopian abundance that you seek BEing here now. All is well. You simply need to trust and take the leap, and watch, with new eyes, the world be created by you giving birth to your saviour: Your saviour is you. The Bible is simply a metaphor for this. Turn the world on its head. We need small government and visionary, awake humble people who are not craving external validation (as a result of self-centred fear) to run the show. We have forgotten that institutions, and the political and economic systems that try to govern us are here to serve us, not the other way around. Watching a parliamentary debate is like watching children fighting in a playground.
We all need to stop being the cause of war. It is our violence, hidden and denied as our shadow that leads to drama, conflict and war. The violence of the world is on each of us. J. Krishnamurti wrote “Inside you is the cause of every war. It is your violence, hidden and denied, that leads to wars of every kind, whether it is war inside your home, against others in society, or between nations.” We are sharing in a shared self and contributing to the collective unconscious. Denial is powerful. The shadow is secretive. We all need to stop holding up negativity. It represents a deep sense of inferiority in ourselves. Just before we create negativity we feel what we don’t want to feel. That’s how we know. Carl Jung said "If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of your Self. What isn't part of our Selves doesn't disturb us."
Edward Edinger said "Confronting the shadow means to stop blaming others." Carl Jung said "Everyone carries a shadow, and the less embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is." When you are unhappy with something only you can bring joy to your Self. One needs to be able to give oneself a free pass to make mistakes on our journey. Any spiritual or compassionate approach would incorporate this. Then you can’t fail. Love that radical Self-compassion. You can only fail if you stop loving your Self. Be your best friend. Reparent your Self with love.
Now, let's get creative! Visualise your Utopia during meditation. That is when you may connect with your higher power. What does it look like, feel like, smell like? Feel free to be as imaginative as you want. Remember, this is your Utopia, and you call the shots! Visualise your higher Self dwelling there. Fuse with him and become one. For me it would be being in my favourite place, with all the people that I love. I will never again get up form that place, my Utopia, the seat of my soul. Worry not about the people scrapping outside. They are simply illusions! I banish toxicity from my life. Leave the 'Drama Triangle' behind and enter presence.
Another gem from Ram Dass for you, this time with David Starfire:
Ram Dass and David Starfire: 'Alchemy of the Heart' (Extended Mix)
Conclusions
Chasing Utopia by changing the shape of civilisation or through tech is futile. We have thousands of years of history, failed political doctrines, and societal toxicity to prove it.
Emotions are real. They are our gold, for they lead to our wisdom. If someone is upset with you, it’s nothing to do with you. Hand it back: With clarity. Be angry (anger is fine) and assertive, not full of guilt. You have nothing to be ashamed about. Respond, in your time (some people call this God's time): Don't react. Get in touch with your anger: Yes, you need to connect with it. Then you will stop apologising and people pleasing: These are manifestations of trauma. Connecting with your emotions will give you your voice back, and allow you to step out of the shadows. Karma is a real bitch. It really is. A compassionate heart can engage evil and toxicity directly, bring light to your life, and protects you from negative Karma.
Aretha Franklin wrote in her superb version of 'Bridge over troubled Water' “Still waters run deep, Don’t trouble the water.”
The only 'battle' to win in life is an inner one: Between the ego and the higher power. The ego dissolves in the solution that is awareness or presence. Pour that miraculous loving present moment solution all over the ego and watch it dissolve.
Be the best you that you can be. Be the real, authentic you. There is no need for an actor (your false self, a.k.a. your fake self, a.k.a. your ego). There is nothing to be afraid of. It's just the ego talking - fear is the language that the ego speaks.
John Maynard Keynes wrote “The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones." This is why we have to get well and heal, to light up the way to those who are lost and are looking to choose the path of waking up.
Utopia consists of de-identifying with the ego, and identifying with your higher power. The deafening demands of the death-denying ego are like a call from mermaids to the sea: You WILL drown if you follow the ego.
Just like our ego, 'civilisation' needs to be a useful servant, not a terrible master. If each of us brings our life into balance, purpose, and we are prepared and brave enough to do the inner work, then ‘civilisation’ will be reborn too. The archaic institutions will tumble and fall. The new ways of subjugating you being spearheaded by giant tech and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will never take off as a source of joy, and will fall flat on their clunky VR goggled face. Let's let AI become our servant. Rutger Bregman continues “In fact, it has become increasingly profitable not to innovate. Imagine just how much progress we’ve missed out on because thousands of bright minds have frittered away their time dreaming up hyper complex financial products that are ultimately only destructive.”
Any systems that are required for Utopia will self-assemble through human needs, service, compassion, creativity, love, positive psychology, and philosophy. Philosophy is all about the search, the enquiry: The Journey. Be present to life.
Rutger Bregman in his seminal book ‘Utopia for Realists’ wrote that “You can't pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you have no boots.” You have to do the inner work before you can step into your own Utopian ideal. This is your Hero's Journey. Bregman continues "The inability to imagine a world in which things are different is evidence only of a poor imagination, not the impossibility of change.”
Rutger Bregman wrote "What is the value of free speech when we no longer have anything worthwhile to say?. What purpose does freedom of religion serve when we no longer believe in anything: Not even ourselves?"
As Victor Hugo wrote "There is nothing like a dream to create the future. Utopia today, flesh and blood tomorrow." It's up to you whether flesh and blood has a sinister meaning of toil, trauma, pain, and tears or relates to reality and the positive qualities that all people may have that make Heaven on Earth a reality for you. Wake up to abundance: It's your choice of who to be.
Your only task is to fan the flames of the ember of Utopia that is coming alive and setting alight inside you. You can feel it can't you? The term 'Fuelling the fire' or "Add fuel to the fire" originates from Roman times. The saying features in Roman historian Titus Livius's "Ab urbe condita" (From the Founding of the City), which was written 27-9 BC. Set your life alight. Give your Self an energy boost. It's your Utopian destiny. Give your energy to it: You won't regret it. You will effortlessly attract more of the same.
Suffering is due to our disconnection from our inner soul. Meditation is establishing that connection. Replace fear-based thinking with love-based thinking. Every time you’re making a choice ask yourself if it’s going to cultivate the experience of unity and love or the experience of separation, ego, and stress. The question to ask your Self every morning is "Do I want to be host to God or hostage to ego today in all my choices?" Or "What would love choose?"
Be soft, don’t let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain and hate make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree (it really doesn't matter what society thinks - it is broken), you still believe the world to be a beautiful place, and it really is!
Eugene V. Debs wrote "While there is a soul in prison, I am not free." Once you are awake, when you have dropped the rock of your fears, swim in the sea of service. You will start to see miracles starting to become commonplace.
To quote Freddie Mercury from Queen in the first verse of Bohemian Rhapsody, which was played at midnight at the party that I was at, while the fireworks wowed the crowd, but the real showstopper was the snow, against a pitch black sky, all the snowflakes unique and beautiful, like shooting stars, as we move into 2024.
Queen: The first verse of Bohemian Rhapsody:
"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me."
When you awaken to your inner Utopia the way the wind blows is irrelevant. It can blow any way that it likes. You will be at peace. That, is priceless.
Marina Wiederkehr wrote "God, why do I storm heaven for answers that are already in my heart? Every Grace I need has already been given me. Oh, lead me to the Beyond within." There's no joy without sorrow; our feelings cannot be neatly compartmentalised and controlled. To know how we feel is to add real richness to our lives. It's to see in colour what we've been seeing in black-and-white. Our feelings are the basis for our reality, our actions, and our inner Utopia. As Brian Tracy wrote “Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organise your life around it.”
Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we have learned here. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts. If you can’t change a situation, change your perception of it. Remember, most of your stress comes from the way you respond, not the way life is. Faith is knowing it will all unfold in a wonderful way, even though you cannot see it from where you are standing.
Recognise the intrinsic value in every one of us. Jesus said ‘The Kingdom of God is within you.’ You see, Utopia was never outside of you. Let’s all make 'A Brave You World'. Look inside, love your Self, and pass it on. Your ego is who you think you are: You then live in a Dystopian Hell. Utopia is simply remembering who you are, and never forgetting it, that is Heaven. Utopia, then, is an inside job. The structure of Utopia, is no less than that of your soul, your true self, the real you, your higher power. Give gratitude for your life. Accept the 'isness' of the present moment. You are an alive, limitless, unconquerable human BEing. Welcome to Utopia: Or rather your 'You-topia.' Open your eyes: It's a 'Brave You World.' You have arrived....
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Hello,
I am very pleased to meet you. Thank you for reading this far. I very much look forward to connecting with the highest version of you, to seeing your highest possibility, and to our conversations. Please do contact me via my website for a free connection call and a free experience of coaching.
See you soon,
Olly Alexander Branford MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD
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I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have published over 50 peer reviewed scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for four years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works.