"The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison." - Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
Seems ironic that the necessities of human life are nested among evil and sadness.
Besides the literary illusion that Utopia is defined by, it represents an unrealistic hope. But is that a problem? Or does it paint a picture of idealism and promote motivation?
We all have a vision of our perfect utopian life. Maybe not a clear cut masterpiece of art painted in front of us, but we strive for happiness in life. We strive to accomplish things that will lead us to this state. This may be the only commonality we have with our neighbors, but the state of being happy is a common ambition to pursue. Happiness, though, is not perfection.
We may not see the struggles that we will indefinitely endure, but when confronted with them we attempt to accept them, but don't involve them in our utopia painted picture. Even acceptance of them is hard, and we may never accept all the hard-ships as necessary parts of our existence, but we understand that life is not perfect.
So if life isn't perfect then why put an unobtainable trophy at the end of life's race? Does it make life look grim because it never will be what it is imagined as?
I think about imagining my Utopia with hard-ships, downfalls and struggles, and now my painted picture looks no different than my ordinary life. I am having difficulty deciphering the outcome of having a utopian vision or not. Just accepting life will be full of pit-stops and a few tears here and there, or striving for the perfection when we know it doesn't exist.
I feel that my Utopian World only makes my life look discouraging when really there is little I have to complain about. Only when in comparison with perfection does my life look somber, so I think I'll stop striving for perfect but start striving for Happiness. Dangling an inconceivable treat in front of our hearts only sets us up for undeniable failure. Strive for a life that has possibility.
