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The word utopia has been invented by Sir Thomas More, which he applied to an imaginary island that enjoys the utmost perfection in laws, politics and anything else. This is contrasted with the defects of those nations already in existence. Since then, utopia has been used to signify a state or place of ideal perfection. Those who work toward the creation of such a state or place are usually referred to as utopians.

Importance of Utopia

Although admired by many, utopians tend to be viewed by others as “ardent but impractical reformers” or as daydreamers. It is not important for us to discuss the feasibility of utopia relative to its practicality. What is important lies in the fact that in anything we do we need to be optimistic, we need to have faith in ourselves and in those working with us, and we should never give up regardless of the difficulties that we may encounter. The difficulties we may face could also be viewed positively and constructively.

In the first place, difficulties serve to test our strength and willingness to pursue our high goals and objectives especially when they are geared toward the universal welfare of all people without exception. Besides, when we try to achieve our noble aspirations in spite of difficulties that may come along the way, we demonstrate our determination to move forward courageously. In addition, our character and personality are bound to be strengthened.

However, in the process of achieving our utopian goal we have to be careful in not confusing courage with arrogance as well as honesty with hypocrisy. In the achievement of any utopian goal, which is an objective that is conducive to the welfare of all people without exception, we should demonstrate by all means the constant practice of virtues. Such virtues may consist of kindness, humility, prudence, patience, and compassion along with fortitude and wisdom for proper guidance.

Since the early days of human existence, human beings who seriously wanted to do things better and more constructively, they all tended to be utopians. This means that they sought to plan carefully ahead of time what is it they wanted to achieve. Even at this stage of history, architects design carefully and even meticulously projected new buildings, new cities, new vehicles, new airplanes and ships, and so on and so forth. So, utopia is not merely a concept or a dream of Sir Thomas More, it is an ideal that may be viewed as absolutely indispensable to produce anything that could be termed as good and excellent.

Feasibility of Utopia

In view of this, we may begin to realize and to understand perfectly well why missionaries have dedicated so much of their time and energy to help alleviate human suffering everywhere as to help make the world better. We may see clearly the numerous concerns voiced by good people from every walk of life and profession about the ravages of wars, which governments and individual groups wage mercilessly. Wars, by their very nature, are vicious and evil because they lead to destruction and not to construction. They promote death and not life, and, besides, they are completely lawless and chaotic.

Those that have massacred thousands of innocent people in New York on September 11, 2001, have been viewed as murderers by the besieged American people. At the same time, the Americans that afterwards destroyed the infrastructure of both Afghanistan and Iraq and killed tens of thousands of innocent people in the process, have been viewed US government officials, along with many Americans, as heroes, as defenders of American liberty! Regardless of how we try to play with our rationalization relative to the justification of war, the fact remains that war in itself is brutal because it leads always to destruction, misery and death. A recorded history of 6,000 years is enough for us all to learn that violence breeds violence and more violence breeds more violence.

Fortunately, there have been many countries in the world that tried to turn themselves into utopia, even though they may not have succeeded 100%. Such countries are characterized by elements that all people across every continent would love to enjoy and cherish. Such elements consist in providing all people with free health care and free education from the cradle to the grave. Besides, they also provide free retirement places for the elderly. In addition, corporations are not easily allowed to pollute the air and water of their respective nations. Children in school learn the importance of mutual assistance expressed in love and respect. Above all, such nations are either demilitarized of have merely a token military. Hence, no money is wasted on destructive material.

As we may start to realize, utopia cannot be dismissed merely as an ideal or a dream. It is a clear goal that we need to establish and to work for to the best of our ability. There is one thing that we should keep clearly in our mind. In utopia everything is conducive to the welfare of all people without exception. That is why politicians are difficult to create a utopia where the very concept of war would cease to exist. By their very nature, politicians tend to promote the welfare of one group to the exclusion of other groups. In fact they often speak of “national interests” and hardly ever of international benefits.

Dire Need for Statesmen

Perhaps the time is now ripe to start replacing politicians with statesmen whose primary concern has always been the universal welfare of all people without exception. When Pope John Paul II was asked in Mexico as to whether he thought world peace was possible, he did not hesitate to reply saying: “Yes, world peace is possible but only after two of the greatest evils of the 20th century are gone.” Then he added saying: “These two great evils are communism and capitalism because both of them advance their causes through the exploitation of people.” Three years later, communism collapsed with the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Since then, the world has been waiting very anxiously to see the collapse of capitalism following suit.

The American excessive expenditure on wars and weapons of destruction may be viewed, in a way, as a blessing in disguise. The illegal and immoral waging of the Iraqi war has already caused the US government more than $4 trillion dollars. As a result, millions of Americans are being deprived of adequate health care benefits and of an appropriate education. Many live in shacks like animals in human form. In fact, the United Nations International Children’s Educational Fund (UNICEF), has compared some regions in the United States with the poorest countries of Africa.

The world is witnessing today the exploitation of millions of Americans who are constantly living under the ruthless thumb of capitalism. This is a system that is controlled by big US corporations. These capitalists view weapons and wars merely as a lucrative business enterprise through which they try to make money as fast as they could. Capitalism uses or discards humans as it fits best the successful waging of wars and the continued manufacture of weapons. In fact, nowadays the United States has emerged as the nation where the very concept of utopia is viewed as a joke with sarcasm and noticeable ridicule. The American people do not have much to do about it since today the entire major news media in the USA is controlled with iron fist by big corporations.

To turn insult into injury, any nation that refuses to let American big corporations control its resources is viewed by US government officials as unfriendly and even dangerous. By now, many should have become familiar with the Jack Abramoff scandal in Washington, DC. This man represented many big corporations to lobby for them with US senators and congressmen that included also Whitehouse officials. He gave thousands and millions of dollars to US government officials as to vote for the promotion of the products of these big corporations. One of such corporations happens to be the weapons industry.

Wars as Business Enterprise

This explains, in part, why the US president is constantly saying that we need to improve our weaponry system as to wage future wars more decisively. In essence, this means that through one air raid we kill one million people instead of merely one thousand! Ironically, senators and congressmen have received money from Jack Abramoff or others whose names are still not revealed for the same purpose. The conspicuous absence of utopia from the USA should convince every sensible and intelligent person that today there is no more democracy and no more freedom within the confines of the American nation.

The efforts that are being made by groups for the setting up of utopian goals in the best interest of everyone concerned are constantly being thwarted by US government. Numerous lies are being used to control the American people and as many governments as possible. The Iraqi war was virtually waged as a business enterprise through the de facto fabrication of lies….. Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and Iraqi purchase of uranium from Africa, among others. The American people are prohibited to visit a number of countries one of them is Cuba, America’s peaceful neighbor. For four decades President Fidel Castro of Cuba has been depicted by the USA as a tyrant who is making all Cubans suffer.

Well, if Americans were to visit Cuba they will soon find out that all Cubans have free health care system and free education including at the university level. They also have free housing facilities for the poor, and enough food for everyone not to feel hungry. Besides, Cuban physicians found a cure to certain types of cancer that has not been achieved in the USA. The countries that established utopia as a desired objective put top priority on peoples’ needs rather than on the military and weapons. There is one thing for sure about utopia: no country can ever take it seriously that puts the bulk of its expenditure on items that are negative and destructive. Our global utopian goal and objective should be world peace. This could be achieved only through a program of international disarmament and arms control.

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