We are Living in a Dystopia.
Something about free Wifi and starving children…
Watching the currently sensational TV show, “Squid Game” on a Sunday evening with my decaffeinated Nespresso coffee with the harmonious shades of burgundy leaves hazing in the cool, Autumn day, it’s hard to imagine that a world as beautiful as this and the world as cruel as that is similar in any way. But I’m here to say, I beg to differ.
Now, let’s keep things clear. I am by no means cornered in crippling depression that makes me want to discount the myriads of blessings that exist in my life. In fact, I would say I live a very happy, healthy, fulfilling life. I have a job that I can balance with my athletic ambitions as a CrossFit athlete, I enjoy outside sports like rock climbing and surfing, and I am surrounded by people I love and be vulnerable with. But just because I’m happy doesn't make this world even close to a Utopia.
What people often miss is that the fictional horrific scenarios of dystopian societies exist in our imaginations and TV series because we understand that a world messed up like that can happen. The societies with man-killing robots, or teenagers killing each other to become a celebrity, or even extreme fictions like a world where a tornado delivers massive sharks into your doorstep, all convinced us to a certain degree to applaud the directors and authors who created them. Even the most absurd dystopian stories would catch some fan base because we like to marvel at the scant possibility of it actually happening.
So why do I say that we’re living in a dystopia? The recent breakthroughs in vaccines prevented what could have been the next Black Plague, while Elon is frantically scribbling on his notepad to deliver all of us to Mars. When there will be better healthcare, better technology, better standard of living, better school systems, better WiFi, better Amazon products, better restaurants with accurate Yelp reviews, and better blenders that will disintegrate even the most stubborn chunks of frozen strawberries, how can we be in a dystopia? Surely, life looks good. Josh, are you sure you’re just not feeling happy today? Why don’t you consult a nearby therapist?
Okay. Here’s the problem. With all these amazing capabilities and capacities being extended beyond our wildest imaginations, we soon forget to see what we’re leaving behind. Ever since Adam sinned, humans have always been at the mercy of world hunger. Ever since Eve took the Forbidden Fruit, there have been too many plagues, too little water, too much corruption, too dirty oceans, and a too malicious world. But hey, at least we have unlimited data? Do you see the point? Humans have zipped frantically through decades inventing things that promised us to solve all of our worldly problems. And yet when we look at the basic needs of mankind, we barely know what to do to stop people from Yemen from starving.
Think about all the sci-fi dystopian movies. Did they have inferior technology than us? That wasn’t the problem. If anything, too much technology made it a problem. With the world becoming exponentially tech-savvy, we inevitably leave more and more people behind to suffer. When Kennedy vowed to put White men on the moon, America was struggling to recognize that people with different melanin concentrations are still humans. Hell, we still have the same problem here today.
When I think of myself typing away this article on a Lenovo X1 Yoga with an integrated touch screen while a cool, breezy air drifts into my living room, I am somehow more convinced that the world we live in is a dystopia. While I am wondering what I can do to maximize my life, Uighurs are being murdered by the Chinese government, Syria bombed into oblivion by God knows who, and starving Somalians who go on pirating to support their family. It’s not that the world is not a good place to live. No, it is the disparity between my life and theirs’ that makes this world a dystopia. And what can I do? I can donate my life savings to charity, recycle every existing material I touch, travel to the darkest corners of the world to fight against injustice, but I would effectively be only forsaking the blessings that I’ve been given. I’m afraid that this world would never escape the dystopian title as long as humans like me today roam around the earth.
It is the disparity between my life and theirs’ that makes this world a dystopia.
But because I’d hate to conclude this article with a depressing note, here are some of the thoughts to consider as well. Dr. Viktor Frankl once said that “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Now, if he can say this after surviving the Holocaust (which by the way, is probably the most dystopian instances humanity has ever faced), then I’m certain that you can adopt this perspective too. This world is a dystopia. But there’s really nothing you can do anything about that except to try to derive meaning from this world and live a life filled with what you would want this world to be for you. After all, dystopia is a construct created by humans. The universe doesn’t seem to mind the constant bloodshed that happens on a daily basis. In every dystopian scenario, there are also those that choose to live like the world is a utopia. Now, in most cases that is usually the ultimate villain like Darth Vader or Voldemort until their downfall. But Dr. Frankl here is telling us that your role as just another Storm Trooper or Ron Weasley can still find meaning and fulfillment in these worlds. I am blessed enough to have all of my immediate needs (food, shelter, clothing) met. If you’re reading this article, then you probably have yours in line too. So for people who are fortunate enough to have these needs covered, I believe that we have an obligation to live this world to the fullest. Any discomfort, annoyances, boredom, dislikes, complaints, whinings, etc are all insignificant compared to the love and care we’ve received in this world. Don’t let the world’s dystopia discourage you. We can still live a beautiful life.
