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Beyond A Utopia
Riaz ChowdhuryEmail: [email protected]
Like many of you, I have a dream of a world where every individual is happy, where all the basic needs are fulfilled, and where the whole world lives as one big family in peace and harmony. Yet, while asserting such optimism in any conversations, most people argue if such thoughts are pragmatic and deduce the idea as an idealistic nonsense. However, I do not underestimate human potentials and believe in our will power. It is important to understand that perceptions create reality. Adherence to strong desire and a change for the betterment of mankind is absolutely essential for the possibility of creating an ideal world.
I have set forth the following agenda to achieve our objectives:
In order to fulfill our goals, simultaneous global changes are required in terms of social, political and economical settings. But first, a brief discussion on economical systems might clarify some of the aspects and problems we are dealing with. The world is in the grasp of capitalism. Much of what Adam Smith described in his book, �Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations� remains true to date. Although ccapitalism provides incentives for efficiency and innovativeness and give people a sense of freedom; capitalism, however, has some inherent problems. In a capitalist economic system, chances of inefficient usage of resources are high. The concept of profit also promotes and sustains greed that infects society with carelessness. It also creates irrational inequality in the society. Sometime the cause of social-alienation is closely related to capitalism. On the other hand, a true form of communism never took place in this world. Some imprudent attempts to implement communism (e.g. the Marxist-Leninist version of communist doctrine) only created chaos and confusions with little or no success. Hence, the manifestation of communism remains just as a theory. Insightful education is necessary to adopt a communal system and it requires aspired participation by the people. As a result, recognition of demands serves the purpose of incentives, diligence assures efficiency, and the joy of research fulfills innovativeness among the people. We have enough resources in this world to fulfill the basic needs of all the individuals. Sadly, there are more people living below the poverty line than not. The ongoing crisis remains due to a number of reasons. Lack of proper allocation and utilization of global resources, lack of leadership, lack of education, corruption, division and segregation are most prominent reasons among many others. Division and segregation occur due to differences in age, sex, race, class, religion, ethnicity, culture, membership to a particular group, and nationality. Differences are natural, divisions are not. There is a fine line between difference and division. We may categorize due to differences, but must not divide and segregate. We need to stand united despite the differences we have. Perhaps, the most important aspect of being a human is education. Education is necessary for autonomy, liberal good, and to produce good citizens. There is no alternative for education. Education supplements and complements education. We need to realize that human beings are social beings and we are interdependent. So, we have the greatest reason to care about each other and to be compassionate. A balance between individualism and collectivism is very important. Through the means of mass communication, it is possible to transform a global culture of love and compassion, which in turn creates a happy and healthy society, a democratic-communal-society. A good intent is fundamental for any good deeds. Apart from other leadership qualities, a leader must possess good intentions and honesty. Recognition of vital demands, proper assessments of resources, and efficient utilization of those resources to meet our demands are crucial. While dealing with the question of scarcity, balanced allocation and utilization of global resources is the key to eliminate poverty and fulfill the basic needs of human being. Finally, while addressing on global unification, we should focus on USA as an example, where fifty states united under one federal government. Likewise, empowerment of United Nations (UN) is possible where the sovereignty of a central authority will be recognized by the nations of the world, while retaining certain residual powers of government. Leaders of the world need to make such decisions for the wellbeing and welfare of the world. Once UN gains the ultimate authority to exercise, I suggest UN to execute the following course of actions to initiate the process of global unification:
I urge you all to be optimistic and zealous about reforming our world. Our actions will lead us to our dreamed world � a Utopia as it may seem now.
New York 07/09/2006
[Note to the Readers: I have been always inspired by the thoughts and writings of my friend, Jahed Ahmed. Few weeks ago, one of his articles--�A Mother Without Boundary�--evoked my desire to write an article on global unification. In mind, I thrive for perfection and unification. I agree with my friend that people are more similar than they are different, and thought that there�s no better time to start writing than now. However, this article might turn out to be a little oversimplified as the topic is a broad one and requires a lot of research and thinking. I apologize to the readers for any deficiency in my writing. But I believe in what I have put in my article and stand firm to support it. Any feedback is warmly welcome. Thank you for your time and interest. �R.C.]
About the author: Riaz Chowdhury--a Business Administration major--has done his Bachelor in Science degree from the Minnesota State University in 2000. He lives in New York city.
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