About two weeks ago I posted this
thought on Facebook: "I think that helping others (including
people, animals, and the environment) is the highest goal, both for individuals
and society as a whole. But sometimes I wonder what would happen to that goal
if its ends were finally universally achieved? Would the helpers then feel a
lack of purpose, or would they come to focus on protecting the new, better
status quo? Would some people undo progress just for the sake of re-fixing it,
like a firefighter who commits arson in order to put out the flames? By no
means do I believe that the majority of humanitarians would respond this way,
nor that this negates the importance of striving to better the world. Just
wondering what would happen in a hypothetical scenario in which those aims were
realized; if some who had structured their lives and sense of self around
working toward positive change might then be at a loss for what to do. How do
you think this would be resolved?"
This led to an interesting
discussion with some friends. One of them said she believes that goal will
never be reached, and that in a way, my post in itself shows why. Our societal
problems can never be entirely resolved because we're in a constant state of
flux and peoples' interests rival one another. I agree. I don't believe it's
possible for society to reach a state in which all major setbacks have been
fixed, so the thought is purely hypothetical.
I also believe that a perfect
society is impossible because it's collectively composed of flawed individuals.
This thought has been met with resistance when I've expressed it in the past.
People thought that by saying a utopian society is unrealistic, I was claiming
it's pointless to try to achieve it. That's not what I'm trying to say. It's
still a worthy cause, since excellence is achieved when perfection is sought.
Similarly, acknowledging the existence of barriers to success, such as
structural and institutional oppression, does not equate to telling people to
give up trying. To recognize those setbacks is not to tell disadvantaged people
that their future is hopeless; it's to say there are injustices which need to
be challenged and dismantled for the betterment of the world. It's a call to
action; the opposite of advising them to give up. It's encouraging them to
fight for themselves and for others.
