(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Do we face a Utopian or Dystopian future? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-29 Ask anyone what their view of a perfect world is, and you will likely get responses like, “no war”, “enough food for everyone”, “no sickness”, “education for all”, “no restrictions on what you think”, “freedom to worship however you choose”, “everyone living in harmony”, “no crime or violence”, etc. Pretty much everyone sees these things as necessary for an ideal existence, and we can all imagine that a world in which these things were provided would be “perfect”. It seems unlikely that you would get responses like, “better annual profits for Exxon-Mobil”, “big pharma quadrupling their profit margin”, “being able to scam people without limit”, “making a fortune off the labor of others”, “being able to steal money from anyone stupid enough to give it to me”, or “owning all the guns I want”. The odd thing about the list of things that we can agree would make a perfect world is that there is not a single tenet of the the Republican Party that does anything that works towards these ideals. And in fact, practically everything they support is in direct opposition to them. Republicans are staunchly opposed to forgiving student debt to increase people’s chances of getting a good education. They openly attack people of minority races and different religious beliefs. Their belief that the almighty dollar is the single most important facet of life is legendary. Forget about universal health care, or any kind of support for those with less money, healthy food, or a place to live. And to top it off, since there is not enough war and killing in other parts of the world, they openly support “guns for everyone”, knowing full well they are creating war zones in every corner of America. If we assume that mankind is here on earth, either for some divine purpose; or that we have simply advanced over time from pond scum; then we must at some point conclude that for one reason or another, we are progressing towards some better existence. This progression is either to fulfill some divine purpose, or it is simply to evolve into some perfect state. In either case, we must believe that our purpose is to somehow become better with each generation. To think otherwise would dictate that we should all either be a bitter disappointment to our creator; or that we have reached the peak of our evolution and we might as well return ourselves to pond scum. Despite all of the posturing and rhetoric, it is clear that Republicans do not have any end game in mind, except that they should end up with all of the marbles when the end comes. This dystopian outlook is what makes Republicans so angry all the time. They have more marbles to collect and damned liberals are standing in their way. On the one hand, I feel a sense of sorrow for Republicans. Because of their tunnel vision, they miss out on so much of the beauty and promise the world has to offer. They cannot be truly happy, because they equate happiness with grabbing all the brass rings, and this prevents them from enjoying the carnival ride because they are only focused on the rings. On the other hand, I am also saddened by the knowledge that Republicans are denying the rest of us some of the beauty of the carnival ride. Their constant bickering, shouting, and arguing over those rings is distracting and disheartening for the rest of us. Their behavior is also preventing us from reaching our common goal of that perfect world. Some people would say I am a dreamer, but I think of myself as a realist. I know that conservatives are not going to change any time soon. I do not have any fantasy that a perfect world is just around the corner. I do believe that a better world is possible; but only if we can find a way to break free from the constant nay saying of the conservatives among us. Perhaps it is time to ask conservatives what their vision of a perfect world is, and then ask them what they are doing to move us toward that goal. It might make some of them think about the consequences of their actions. Don’t get me wrong. I am still a realist, and I know how slim that chance is, but maybe, just maybe, it will make a few of them think. Who knows? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/29/2190432/-Do-we-face-a-Utopian-or-Dystopian-future Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/