Utopia or Not?

Watched a documentary last night: “I Am.” It chronicles Tom Shadyac’s pursuit of asking this one question: What ails the world and how can we improve on it? Shadyac is the award winning comedy director of films such as “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” Very successful and insightful director!

Shadyac suffered a serious injury from a bicycling accident. Although his wounds healed the pain and trauma triggered a long lasting depression and neurological upset. It took over two years for his return to health. Meanwhile he was moved to interview major thinkers around the globe to ask his question and to ponder their answers.

These thinkers included Noam Chomsky, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, historian Howard Zinn and many other academics, authors and luminaries. His travels were fascinating; the interviews fruitful.

This documentary is worth your time to view. We got it from Netflix and streamed it from the computer to the TV.

Some of the discussions were without guidance as to a positive end to Shadyac’s question. In other words the world does indeed ail; mankind is its nemesis – it creates earth’s troubles and it is in mankind’s DNA to not fix those troubles; the ailing earth will go on until its doom in this manner.

Swell! Nice vision. But the other thinkers said otherwise. Their take is that humans have been raised on competitive instincts, taught that way of thinking; it is that behavior in pursuit of the competition that brings the troubles. But that is not DNA; it is taught by family and tribe. What is learned can be unlearned and improved upon. So doom can be held at bay.

The global luminaries corralled by Tom Shadyac were mostly of the opinion that mankind’s social instinct is based on cooperation and collaboration. It is that behavior that brought revolutionary discoveries and inventions: fire; wheel, agriculture and animal husbandry; village design and defenses; hunting and subservience of the animal kingdom; healing arts; visual arts; performing arts.

The act of togetherness is more fundamental than competitive instincts to win, survive or best another person’s effort. Those instincts may be present, but the major, ruling need is to share life with another, and then others. Family. Friends. Tribe and nation. It is a good thing. And something that pleases my inner soul.

Sorry about that! But this documentary revived my hunt for things that matter to us all. That is the inner core that has driven me for decades. Although this bent of mine may appear foolish to others, it is what moves me. It is the inner voice that tells me that politics and its manipulation of our business and governance systems is wrong. That we can do better. And that we must do better for the benefit of us all.

The utopian pursuit is not the issue here. Critics may pounce on that theme but they would be wrong. That won’t stop them from their noise making, but it should not stop the rest of us in pursuit of what we believe is the higher good, the higher benefit.

Utopian dreams may be unrealized; but they do provide the motivation to pursue the common good. Even a partially acquired dream is better than none. And surely it is better than handing over sheer power to those who only want to wield it for their own good and enrichment. Sound familiar?

If we were to discuss economics and the partners who function within the entire economic system, I think we would find that benefits to all would enlighten the captains of industry and government. The knowledge gained would unleash the natural strengths of the ‘tribe’ within so that jobs, goods and services, and financial transactions would flow to the benefit of most of the people. This is a good result. It should be worked for. Not manipulated. And not enslaved to an ideology. The latter is for power alone. And not of public value.

The global scene of health and wealth and economic enhancement is a good teacher of what we can do. America victorious alone over industry and wealth would be a disaster both to our nation and the global community. It is our role to help others benefit from our discoveries and inventions.

So let us pursue that better role. Along the way the global family, the tribe, will work to defend us all for the common good. The old ideological enemies will shrink from such strength.

Utopia or reality? What do we have to lose in trying to best baser instincts?

Really!

June 30, 2012