I wish I could say that I would walk. I wish I could be one of those individuals who, one day, just got up and blindly walked away, but I do not think I am. I probably would stay, and be one of those citizens who just continued to live their life happily. I might even go back and visit the child, but I do not believe I would ever leave.
In order for me to explain my reasoning I must bring in the third topic, which is the analogy with society today. I have shopped at Walmart, even though I know it is a horrible corporation. I take fifteen minute showers and waste food every day, even though I know that there is probably someone out there who needs that water and food I waste. When I walk down the streets of Vancouver and come across a homeless person, I tend to look away and try to pretend that they are not there. Why do I do these things? Perhaps I do it because it is the social norm, or maybe because I am unable to face the problems within our society. To tell you the truth, I really do not know. I know doing these things are wrong. I feel awful during and afterwards, but I still do them.
This is why I feel that if I were a citizen of Omelas, I would stay. I would probably be one of those kids who, when brought down to that cellar for the first time, would stare blankly at first, then with disgust, and finally with fear. I would then turn away and have the door close behind me as I ran away to cry in my moms arms. It would take me a couple of days to register what I had seen, and so many thoughts would run through my head: astonishment, fear, confusion. It would probably take me a few years to get all of my thoughts together, and then I would muster up the courage to go see the child again. I would probably continually see the child throughout my life, I do not know why I would do this, but I have a feeling I would.
It is very hard for me to explain my full reasoning, and it is also very hard for me to justify it, because I do not have all the answers. I do not know for sure if what I explained would really happen if I had grown up in Omelas. I also do not know why I do the things I do within our society, but I do, and that is all I can base my answer off of.
Monday, September 19, 2011
If you were a citizen of Omelas, would you stay or would you walk?
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Hi Daniella,
ReplyDeleteWell done! This response gets to the heart of the issue: our gut reactions to leave Omelas are largely hypocritical because of the ways we live our lives in the 'real world'. Our dependence on Walmart, for example, makes us implicated in these social injustices - just as the people of Omelas are implicated in the abuse of the child (even if they are not abusing him/her directly).
However, I would like to challenge you on one thing: you seem to run on the assumption that walking away from Omelas would be the ethically 'correct' thing to do. You say that you wish you had the strength to do that. But, I ask you, what would that accomplish - other than to relieve you of your own guilt? Isn't it just as selfish as staying?
Perhaps, when dealing with large social issues, it is not the solution to walk away from the structure - but to work within it to make changes. Can you think of any examples in which walking away might not be the answer? For example, would walking away from our society actually stop Walmart from committing its social crimes? Or, to initiate change, might we need to stay?
- Patrick