This-essay is a7807175.htm which is available at the
web-site www.essayz.com. See more notes at the bottom.
Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay
By-Months By-Years By-Words
Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One
==========================================================
%UTOPIAN STAGNATION 780717
People seeking to portray a utopian society commonly
envision a state of affairs, rather than a process which
is bringing to pass previously unimaginable perceptions,
assumptions, languages, means of communicating, ways of
structuring relationships, social structures, discoveries,
inventions, etc. Utopian visionaries rarely focus upon
process. Yet the essence of life is process, not arrival.
When process stops, life ends. Fulfillment is found in
process, not in arrival and staying. When fulfillment is
envisioned in terms of an ideal state of affairs, growth
is inhibited---for growth involves change.
Utopian visions stumble upon the impossibility of
anticipating the miracles which bring the changes which
are essential to human fulfillment. The fulfillment for
which we yearn comes to pass only through miracles---
events which are so unbelievable that they cannot be
envisioned before they come to pass. The utopias for
which we yearn are so unbelievable that they cannot be
envisioned before they come to pass through miraculous
events. What we envision tends to be more fixed in nature
than is any reality which will occasion fulfillment.
Efforts to realize our utopian visions thus tend to
promote incipient conservatism, rather than new beings
through the shaking of the foundations of our past.
Utopian visions occasion goals towards which people
strive through deliberate planning and systematic action.
Since the utopian visions do not closely correspond to
present situations---in fact represent major departures
from present conditions---a major effort is involved in
seeking to fulfill the utopian vision. Success thus
depends upon a sustained effort---which is possible only
on the basis of a sustained vision and a stable plan. Thus
utopian visions occasion conservatism in the name of
fulfilling a visionary plan. The effort to transcend the
imperfections of the present social order---generate
tendencies to stabilize visions and social structure---in
order to occasion conformity to a utopian vision which
earlier leaders had. The younger generation regards such
conservative efforts to reach old utopian goals---as
utopian stagnation and seeks new visions of a social
structure which would assure human fulfillment. We need
to learn to accept fulfillment in the processes of our
changing relationships, not in any ideal set of
relationships.
(c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in
www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty
(On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)
==========================================================
Lines beginning with a percent sign are KEYWORDS for use
in ESSAY-System Searches. Their terminal digits are dates
of writing in the format @yymmdd#, where @ = a means 99,
@ = b means 20, and # = is a within-date essay-count.
Links to date-adjacent essays are near page top & bottom.
Find the following links by clicking on CENTER when CENTER
near the top or bottom of a web page of essayz.com
1. Go to HOME PAGE of essayz.com
2. Find brief-essays via keywords
3. Find brief-essay about ADDICTION
4. Search-Helps related to ABOVE-LINK
5. GoTo Action & Information Center
6. Find Regular-Essays via Year/Month
7. Find Regular-Essays via Word-Starts
8. Find Regular-Essay about LOVE
This-essay is a7807175.htm which is available at the
web-site www.essayz.com. These 5 lines echo top lines.
Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay
By-Months By-Years By-Words
Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One