Ephemeral Possessions

The final evening, and it is time to inspect, then re-inspect, every drawer and the closet’s darkest recesses, ensuring nothing of mine remains, no trace for the cleaning lady to find come tomorrow, and discard into the bin beneath the table, mingling with the rest of the refuse.

It is easy to overlook the fact that one day, all that I possess, will be left behind, to be disbursed, scattered or discarded.

Dystopia or Utopia - Let us wager on their chances

 

Most dystopian, classic, and contemporary, paints a future world that puts a twist on present society — a future world that could plausibly happen — Lauren DeStefano

Arun Kumar

The word “dystopia” often conjures up stereotypical images, likely influenced by futuristic science fiction movies depicting dystopian worlds.

Imagine a world enveloped in darkness and cold, where people huddle around fires for warmth. Buildings, once bustling with life, now stand as hollow shells. The streets are eerily silent, save for the occasional gust of wind stirring up dust and debris. Suddenly, a drone whirs overhead, its red scanning light sweeping the area. Figures quickly take cover behind dilapidated cars, their breath hitching as they wait for the drone to pass.

Why are there more movies devoted to dystopian civilizations than their utopian counterparts?

It is because dystopian worlds are inherently more interesting and adaptable for compelling narratives. Emerging from a dystopian world makes for a captivating story, where the protagonist triumphs over the evil running the police state and restores harmony.

Dystopian worlds provide fertile grounds for heroic journeys and recreations of epic tales like the Odyssey.

In contrast, what story can one write about a utopian state? A place where every day mirrors the previous one, and nothing really happens. Meanwhile, in dystopia, a new story of bravery or treachery unfolds every hour.

Or perhaps the prevalence of dystopian movies is because science fiction writers’ sense that dystopia is a more probable outcome?

If I were to wager, that is where I would place my bet. Deep down, we realize that achieving utopia would require collective human traits we currently lack, and furthermore, what utopia may require could contradict some fundamental laws of nature.

Why so?

Maintaining a utopia would necessitate traits like empathy, compassion, tolerance, and a sense of equity. It would require humanity to adopt a growth mindset, devoting their time to constructive activities and defying the adage that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” After all, this proverb is rooted in the observation that a person with nothing productive to do is more likely to engage in harmful activities, and a bored mind is more prone to negative behaviors or thoughts.

Considering our current state and the state of our world, having such collective traits seems highly unlikely. Of course, we may wise up as we evolve, or after surviving a few calamities (for example, the inevitable consequences of climate change), we might finally realize that if we do not change, there may not be a tomorrow and we may not get another chance.

The sight of everyone engrossed in their smartphones on the subway or at the airport does not inspire much confidence that we are collectively heading towards a growth mindset or wisely using our time.

Another formidable adversary of utopia is the universality of the bell curve.

The human mind and traits are bound to deviate from the norm necessary to maintain utopia, requiring external control to nip them in the bud. These deviations from utopian norms need to be weeded out before they amplify due to positive feedback. This scenario was vividly depicted in the novel Divergent.

Can we have a utopian society with the freedom for humanity to live on a bell curve? Can we have a utopian society whose norms include freedom of speech, lack of central authority control, and the right to bear arms?

Discussing external controls to minimize deviations from utopian norms certainly echoes elements of dystopia.

Returning to our initial discussion about the prevalence of dystopian worlds in science fiction and movies, it may be rooted in the logic that a stable state of utopia is an impossible achievement. Furthermore, it seems much easier to descend into a dystopian state than to ascend to its utopian counterpart.

And then there is the undeniable fact that dystopian worlds make for more intriguing and captivating stories. And we love stories.

Ciao.

Today, I had retired

 

As dusk unfurls its shadowy blanket,
and sporadic flutters of sparrow’s wings echo
through the tranquil sanctuary of my bedroom’s
open window,

it's time to peel off the day's attire,
the cocoon in which I journeyed
from the soft familiarity of home
to a different identity of work then back,
and consign them to the hamper's depths.

To prepare for the same tomorrow,
a ritual that has been etched in the sands of time
it's also time to confront the closet,
to select the hues that will adorn my skin
tomorrow.

But tonight, the closet stood barren,
a hollow echo of what once was.
there was nothing in there
to change into.

I stood puzzled, bare and vulnerable,
like a deer caught in the glaring headlight,
and it slowly dawned on me,
like the first rays of a daybreak,
that today, I had let go
a significant part of me.

Today, I had retired.

What is more likely to come - A dystopia or a utopia?

 

But Humanity, in its desire for comfort, had over-reached itself. It had exploited the riches of nature too far. Quietly and complacently, it was sinking into decadence, and progress had come to mean the progress of the Machine — E. M. Foster

Arun Kumar

Entropy is often cited as a fundamental principle of nature. As time progresses, physical systems tend to move towards a state of greater disorder. This principle subtly ensures that after birth, as I get nourishment from my mother’s milk, I grow and defy the principle of entropy. However, my cells will eventually disintegrate, and at some point, I shall cease to exist.

Entropy is the guarantor that I am mortal.

The core idea behind the concept of increasing entropy is that as time progresses, there are far more ways for physical systems to become disordered than ordered.

Take a set of coins. If you shuffle them on a tabletop, they could all land heads up. While this is a completely plausible state and could occur, the likelihood of it happening is much smaller than having a mix of fifty heads and fifty tails.

An unsettling possibility is that in the room where you are sitting, all the air molecules might randomly end up in one corner, leaving you gasping for air sitting on the other side. It is not a conscious decision on their part, but rather a result of random causality.

Although the chances of the above scenario happening are, once again, minuscule, they are not zero. The scenario could happen. It is improbable but it is not impossible.

Perhaps it is one of those unsolved mysteries of a healthy person sitting in a closed room being found dead that no one has been able to crack the mystery. Given eight billion people living over one thousand generations, who knows what rare events can occur? If something can, given enough time, it shall.

The tendency of physical systems to transition from an ordered to a disordered state is the reason a movie (a sequence of events) viewed in reverse appears strange. In our past experiences, we have not seen a bald head slowly sprouting hair and ending up with a head full of lush hair.

If entropy is the ultimate guardrail that gently propels physical systems in the direction of chaos, it is intriguing to consider the potential futures for human progress. The specific question is whether, starting from our current state, in the long run would we end up in a worse state (i.e., a dystopia) or a better state (i.e., a utopia), and if one is more likely than the other?

Consider a utopia, or a future that is better than our present. Although history tells us that we are better off in many ways than we were before, this may not be the norm. A malnourished and mistreated baby will still grow, but beyond a certain point, it will lag behind its peers who were treated better.

So, even though we have historically moved towards a better state, this trend may not continue. For humanity to keep improving its lot, much more from us would be required. The characteristics we would need for the masses to possess are wisdom, cooperation, equity, sustainable practices, tolerance, a growth-oriented mindset etc.

Do we have the psychological wherewithal for these qualities to flourish?

If there are any indications, such as a decline in average IQ, heads bent over smartphones engaged in endless scrolling, the answer may be a no.

Unfortunately, evolution also prefers the path of least resistance and does not optimize our behavior for the future (which requires wisdom). Coupled with a notion that technological advances can override the basic tenets of natural selection (e.g., higher IQ and better fitness may no longer be an advantage to survive and reproduce), two could be a fatal combination and could set the stage for our downfall.

Now, let us consider chances for dystopia, i.e., a state of humanity that would be worse off than it is now.

The increasing complexity of our society, combined with the challenges posed by technological advancements and the competition for limited resources, could potentially steer us in this direction. There are far more ways for humanity to devolve into a state that is worse than to evolve into a state that is better.

Initially, the condition of society might appear to be improving, but beyond a certain point, it may find ways to limit its progression.

So, while it is possible for society to evolve towards either a utopia or a dystopia, the principle of entropy working with human nature would suggest that without conscious effort and cooperation, moving towards dystopia is a more likely future.

Ciao.