Wouldn’t it be nice if there existed a tight-knit community of idealists, where idealism weren’t shut down immediately for a lack of pragmatism, and where people with a shared vision could actually pool their minds together to forge concrete paths towards it? Wouldn’t it be nice if these idealists, instead of being told their utopian dreams were too far-fetched and unlikely to be achieved within their lifetimes, could receive constructive feedback and support to actually do something about their ideas? Wouldn’t it be nice if one idealist with an ardent passion for ecological sustainability got together with another idealist whose mission is anchored in universal basic income, and both found common values and pathways towards their ideals? And wouldn’t it be nice if this would happen ten times over, or even more, and across different disciplines and domains?
Wouldn’t it also be nice if, just for a while, all these individuals with their utopian aspirations could forego their concerns about the mundane matters of everyday life and just focus on something more far-reaching, more perennial? Wouldn’t it be nice if they could feel safe enough in this community to stop pretending to care about the shallow, trifling stuff like money and status? Wouldn’t it be nice to have exchanges with people where the only currencies were the depth of one’s thoughts and the amount of passion one reserved for their ideals, not some monetary valuation? Wouldn’t it be nice to be liberated to discuss the things one genuinely cared about instead of having to secretly (and often futilely) fight the everyday pressure to conform to the norms of society?
The luxury of such a community makes me feel guilty for even thinking we should have it. But then again, is this even considered luxury when we’re deep down a path of plutocracy and the world being run by unscrupulous billionaires who flip the reality of actual humans upside down like it’s a game for their amusement? The more I think about it, the more I realize this idea of idealistic people coming together is not a luxury, but easily a necessity in this day and age. Tuning in to the news is too tiring and depressing. Going along with the everyday routine of life doesn’t leave one feeling much better. In fact, it makes me feel even more powerless and suffocated. I need to vent and express my frustration, but more than anything, I need to hold on to some promising visions of an alternative society, something to keep me going. Utopias aren’t real, but their theoretical existence is proof for possibilities of a better world.
I want to start what I’d call a pipe dream club, just to know that there are others out there who still have hope for a better future. Perhaps it’s a space for fun thought exercises; perhaps it will actually lead to some concrete community organizing efforts. Either way, a touch of collective idealism is my antidote to the fraught reality we’re all living through and trying to process at the moment.
On another note, I’m going to start using my blog as if it’s Twitter (RIP) and broadcast unsolicited, half-complete thoughts in relatively small servings. Nothing is worth salvaging on that disfigured, corrupted current version of Twitter. Nor on the other websites owned by yet another embarrassing human. Sure, I’m missing out on “connections”, but I’m done condoning their vile and toxic businesses just because there is a modicum of benefits still remaining.