FEBRUARY‟S DISCUSSION TOPIC ~ UTOPIA

FEBRUARY‟S DISCUSSION TOPIC ~

U T O P I A

What would it take to make the perfect world?

My utopia would be a city where you could shop till you drop without having to pay a single cent. Due to the fact that it is impossible and yet so not pertinent, let‟s just let my weird realm be.

Thus, I want to take this opportunity to talk about someone else‟s utopia. In MY opinion, Mr. Masukor‟s Utopia would be a place where it is not just serene but also very civilised. A place where all the people play a very vital role in conserving nature and lowering carbon emissions with alacrity.

A utopia should be an earthly place of solace, equipped with the most salient technologies, buildings and an extremely effective sewage system. To generate such a perfect world, there should be a throng of people with abundant knowledge and strong etiquettes. Wise men and women before us always said: “It wasn‟t the place that built the people, but it was the people who built the place.”

As for whether there is a perfect world for everyone, the answer is obviously a big NO. With different tastes and ambitions, it is almost impossible to even imagine ONE Utopia. But if ONE Utopia is everyone‟s desire, then it definitely won‟t be just a dream anymore. As they always say “Together we will excel.”

Zuraida binti Din (June 09)

What is a utopia? What does it mean to you? What would my utopia be like? Well, by the dictionary definition, a utopia is defined as an imaginary state with perfect political and social conditions or constitution. However, it is just an ideally perfect fantasy world. Are utopias possible? Mostly, everyone is trying to achieve their own personal utopia in some way. The utopia in my mind would be a world where all people, pretty or ugly, small or big, all shapes and colours, are treated equally.

For example, people often differentiate between healthy people and those who are living with HIV and AIDS. People react to HIV and AIDS in a strong way just because it is a life-threatening virus. Besides, some people see HIV/AIDS as a form of punishment for the people as a result of their bad moral behaviors, prostitution or drug use. The negative attitudes and maltreatment of the people who are living with HIV/AIDS can result in poor treatment in health care and the success of testing, treatment and care of the virus. The level of AIDS knowledge, age and sexuality can also affect how somebody feels about the disease. My utopia would be a world without stigma and discrimination.

Fazlin Fuad Mohamad Faiz (June 09)

Everyone in this world would like to live in his or her own utopia. There are many different thoughts about utopias. It depends on the person and how they imagine what a utopia would be like. Some of them would picture a utopia as a remote cabin on the beach, Nirvana, paradise, or heaven. Religions like Islam and Christian do admit the existence of a utopia as they believe in Heaven and the Garden of Eden. Scientists, however, believe a utopia will exist one day if they manage to find the cure to all illnesses. One example of a utopia that has been portrayed by scientists is in Star Trek, where there is a presence of human society and advanced technology that is used to enhance the quality of human life.

In my opinion, a utopia is not possible and only exists in fairytale. There is no place in the world that can make us live forever, never get old, and feel happy all the time. Despite that, it is not deniable that there are countries like Malaysia and Singapore where we can live peacefully without any war and starvation. Unfortunately, we have to accept the fact that it is a human norm: we will die, get sick, and face problems in our lives. By trying to create a utopia, it will somehow raise other problems that will affect the human community.

Everyone has different ideas about utopias. It is not possible to satisfy all human demands, thus making utopias impossible to create. Many famous leaders had tried to create their own utopia but in the end, it led to failure. The reason they failed is that they did not accept the fact that everything fades in time.

As for me, I think that we cannot get the perfect utopian community, but somehow we can try our best to live life aimed towards a utopia. We have already started to eliminate illnesses. Other than that, we are already smart enough to eliminate poverty from our country as non- government organizations have made efforts to help the poor. Next, we are always improving our knowledge and day by day, we can see many new intellectuals graduating from university, which in turn will create a massive development. Can it happen? For me, the answer is no, but who knows I might still see it in my lifetime.

Sheril Emy Idayu Binti Abdul Latiff (June 09)

Utopia. A word that makes people high. People crack their heads trying to make that vision come true. Year after year, effort has been put into ensuring that desired life. Millions of dollars have been used to launch programmes that will enable humans to live happily ever after. Yet, they end in disappointment. We are still far from our utopia, the world dreamt by every person.

We do not have to go far to find evidence that our utopia is still virtual. Look at our streets. They are filled with rubbish, plastic bags, and old newspaper. Is this supposed to be our utopia? Car, buses, and motorcycles produce noise that is irritating and can even cause emotional instability. To compound the problems, the fumes released could cause 1001 health problem to humans.

Enough with those tiny facts. Let‟s view things from a macro perspective. In the 21st century, the physique no longer plays an important role. Life is now backed by knowledge and skills. “Let the best player win.” Advanced countries will be in front of the others. With their technology, knowledge and economy, the world is theirs. However, these tools that should bring utopian dreams to everyone are being misused. Look at the difference between developed countries (America, Britain, France) and undeveloped countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Sudan). It looks like they are on different planets. How could a person in America become obese while another person in Ethiopia is starving to death? We are still the same human species!

A utopia is achievable. However, to get to this stage, everybody must play their part. Utopia is not far, it is here, in our own land. For the rich, please be reasonable. Spread up your wealth so that the world could be a better place. You the poor, do not think you are useless. Work out and make yourselves beneficial to society. Yes, it is vague but the struggle to create a utopia will never end.

Muhammad Firdaus bin Roslan (June ‟09)

Heal the world…make it a better place…for you and for me and the entire human race…

But then how? With all this war, campaigns and political selfishness, how do you create a better world? At some point I feel that this “perfect world” is just some myth or fantasy of the human mind because in reality we still see all these wars, campaigns and political selfishness, despite whatever “justification” they give for their action. And when we look back at all the “attempts” at making this world a better place, we always see someone getting killed, or dying.

So actually, what is the problem? I figure it is the people‟s definition of “the perfect world”. We never really can agree on one definition of “the perfect world” as our definitions are always differing, and often contradicting. Our definition of a perfect world will always be something that suits us best, and we often think that it will also suit other people as best as it suits us. As a result, we tend not to think about the possibility of our perfect world harming other people. And even if we do realise it can harm others, we still stick to it no matter what. So can it really bring about a “perfect world”?

Then what causes this mismatch in the definition of “the perfect world”? I figure it‟s human selfishness. It is in our nature to be selfish in a way, whether we realise it or not.

We always think more about ourselves and less about others. I can‟t blame us for such a nature, because it‟s instinct, really. To survive in this world, the priority is yourself, and then others.

So can we build a perfect world? Yes, by putting aside our selfishness and agreeing on one definition of “the perfect world”. But can we really do that? I say no, because throwing away our selfish nature is like throwing away one of the things that makes us humans. And we can never really throw away the things that make us humans, because we are humans.

So, in my opinion, we cannot build a perfect world…because we are IMPERFECT.

Ariffin B. Mohd. Amir (June 08)

Humans‟ boundless and changing desires have frequently caused them to imagine something that is unattainable – a utopia: an idea or perfect place where everything that comes across their minds can be acquired here. Personally, I don‟t think there will ever exist a place that is a perfect world. There would be no need for advancement, and, definitely, society would become stagnant, not expand and eventually would collapse.

To acquire such a place, human desires have to be conquered, which are always changing. Anything that we have or know today, due to our desires, will change in the future. For example, today A wants to have an N-90 mobile phone (priced at more than RM2000) but after feeling bored with it, he will start imagining and wishing for a more sophisticated one.

Actually, for me, as a believer of God, a utopia will never exist in this world but in the Hereafter – paradise. Here is the only place where everything that flashes in our mind will appear in front of our eyes. So, to be in paradise, make sure you are on track. I mean, following your religion.

Ahmad Afandi B Suhaimi (June 09)

To understand this topic that we discuss this month we must go back to the origins of the word (I apologise for my adamant belief in the importance of etymology). Coined by Sir Thomas More and used in his book Utopia (shortened title), it is derived from Greek words meaning „no place‟, and is the name of the fictional island described in his book where a perfected society, in terms of its religious, social and political customs, exists. Today the word „utopia‟ means an ideally perfect place or state, and is often synonymous with „Eden‟, „heaven‟, „Shangri-la‟, and „paradise‟.

Usually I would say that my utopia is a place without sin or suffering, no worries or strife; a place where humans dwell eternally with God (the question of His existence put aside, who is more perfect than Him?)... But that would place my dream world squarely in the afterlife. Hence, my version of the perfect world, for the purpose of this month‟s discussion, is this:

Imagine yourself on a planet filled with the tranquillity of a clear blue sky and pristine azure seas, the mystery of unexplored continents and uncharted islands, and the wonder of picturesque landscapes and exotic fauna. You have just landed yourself on dry land,surrounded by trees and foliage of a forest neither dense nor sparse. All you can hear is the hushed voices of the plants as they are stirred by the calm wind. Not a creature is stirring ... And then you wonder, is there even a single creature before you arrive in this world?

Makes you wonder, does it not? A world devoid of sentient species, indeed of the entire animal kingdom! In this world the ecosystem has somehow adapted to survive without the existence of insects and beasts of the sky, land and sea. There is no intelligent life on the planet, not a single human with all their greed, pride and hatred; no animals with all their instinctive rivalry and sense of superiority; not even insects, with all their societies and poisons! The largest multi-celled organisms are the biggest trees you can set your eyes on; the only living things that move freely are so small you can hardly contemplate their size. It almost seems as though God has stopped His six–day creation of the world at the end of the fourth day.

Why this kind of world? Look at Earth, the perfect example of a world gone mad. Wars and pestilences, economic turmoil and global warming, poverty and starvation... Even natural disasters today can eventually lead to inconsiderate human activities and overpopulation! I would even be so bold to say that Hell would be better than this but for the duration of the chaos and suffering there. Even if you take Homo sapiens out of the equation it would not be enough. If Darwin is correct, some other poor animal will replace the apes on the evolutionary road, resulting in a similar species that will wreak havoc again! A world filled with trees and plants as far as the eye can see is exactly what Earth is hypothesised to have been before man, before dinosaurs, before newly-evolved amphibians... even before fish and planktons!

Coming back to reality (and what a sad reality we live in), we have to admit that utopia is exactly what its Greek syllables say it is – “no place”, a place that does not exist. However primitive, however futuristic, however perfect-in-every-way the world is in our heads, it exists only there. Our only hope lies in the seed of goodness God has chosen to leave in our hearts of darkness, and in a faith that would help it take root and bloom into flowers of compassion and commitment, of empathy and action, which would bring this world to its knees and, to put it simply, make it a better place for all to live in.

Chin Keat Meng (June 09)