Final Paper (4/29)

The final paper is an opportunity for reflecting on the “big picture” and uniting the various streams of thought we have been exploring this semester. In your paper, please address the following questions:

•    Why do human beings live in community?

•    How do we help communities progress and people flourish?

•    How do we ensure that communities do not become dystopian?

•    Is the perfect community possible? Will we ever achieve perfect social justice? Why or why not?

•    What would the ideal community look like?

•    What role might faith, doubt, and reason play in avoiding dystopia and striving for the ideal community?

The paper will be between 10 and 15 double-spaced pages long and must incorporate at least the following:

•    Two religious texts (the Ten Commandments, Amos or Micah, the Beatitudes, King texts)*

•    Two philosophical texts (Plato, Freud, Marx and Engels)

•    One dystopian text (Orwell or Atwood)

* Each of these will count as one text. In other words, you may not use the two versions of the Ten Commandments, the two prophetic books, the two versions of the Beatitudes, or two of the King texts as your two religious texts. You must pick two different groups of texts (e.g. the Ten Commandments and King, King and Amos or Micah, the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments, etc.) for your two religious texts.

Additional texts from the course may be used. Please cite biblical texts by book, chapter and verse, and all other texts by author last name, title, and page number.

FYS 122

Final Paper

When people are born into this world they automatically become members of community, whether it is with their family, the neighborhood kids who live down the street, a church congregation, a school classroom, students that live on the same dorm floor, or coworkers. Communities naturally develop. As communities develop they can either progress or regress. However, people must strive to reach perfection, although it might not be attainable. Perfection is not a simple task; however the vision of equality and perfection must give communities ideals to strive towards.

These communities vary. They have different governments, languages, cuisines and entertainment, but there is one similarity that cannot be denied. They are all composed of people whose basic human nature guides them to search for happiness because “what decides the purpose of life is simply the programme of the pleasure principle” (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, 25). For basic happiness a human requires good health, feeling at home in the universe and relationships (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, 27).  Humans must be able to master nature and regulate relationships, but this cannot be done alone. Community is necessary.

Therefore, humans have congregated and joined in community. However, this does not guarantee one happiness. While the advantages are obvious, there are also some disadvantages. Some aspects of human nature are lost due to the necessity to conform, which causes a loss of individuality. Freedom and natural instincts are restricted, which causes unhappiness and creates

a dilemma (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, 29). Community causes happiness while at the same time creates unhappiness. However, the happiness that results from living in

community far outweighs the unhappiness it creates. One could not turn down all of the possibilities in medicine, education, language, technology, order, entertainment, tradition and culture for complete freedom and individuality.  It is undeniable that community is necessary and worth the drawbacks.

Living in community does not mean that everything will be perfect because humans are closer to achieving happiness. While extraordinary heights can be reached, deep destruction can also result. War, weapons, pollution, destruction of nature, prejudice and class conflict all are caused by people living in community. Yet somehow, despite the negative attributes of community, they still remain. However, there are opportunities for these negative effects of society to cast an encompassing shadow over the positive possibilities. When this occurs, a community has approached a dystopia. During dystopia the positive attributions of community cause greater harm to the citizens than they aid, therefore eradicating its stance as a positive contribution. Once that point is reached, one might determine that being a part of a community is not best. People must strive to ensure that their community does not transform into a dystopia. They must hold on to aspects of community that allow it to prosper. Healthy relationships protect communities from developing into dystopias. When relationships are cut off people are forced to feel they are alone in their thoughts and gives them no chance to build connections with others in order to overthrow the oppressor. This is demonstrated towards the beginning of The

Handmaid’s Tale, when Offred meets Ofglen. She wonders if she is a true believer and desperately wants to confide in her about her hatred of the system, but she does not know whether Ofglen feels the same (Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale, 44). This causes their conversations to evolve into nothing more than the weather, eliminating any possibility for revolution or compassion. People must maintain their relationships in order to keep humanity

from reaching dystopia. Restricting relationships leads the community towards thinking that human beings are objects and should not be treated like human beings. Dystopias succeed by treating human beings as objects, rather than the humans they are. The elimination of relationships aids to this notion. When one throws away a piece of paper, they do not feel any emotional connection to the paper and therefore sending it to its grave renders no distress. The abolition of relationships also eradicates the emotional connection towards other humans. This causes people to no longer feel distressed at the suffering of others. The dissolution of emotional connections allow the oppressor to treat the oppressed as objects because there is no one in the community sensitive to their pain. Once the oppressed begin to see their peers as objects, then eventually that will transcend to the point where they will not recognize that they themselves are human beings who deserve rights. In order for dystopia to be avoided it must be recognized and believed that human beings are human beings and are guaranteed basic human rights. When rights are guaranteed to all members of the community, it is not possible for the oppressors to oppress.

Just as doubt is necessary for faith, doubt is necessary for community.  Considering that a community is composed of human beings who have faults, it is inevitable that something will go wrong. If one denies human imperfection and accepts everything, then they are prone to lose their rights or their relationships. Relationships allow members of community to discuss their doubts. Once their doubt has torn down what they have been told, they will be able to use reason to build their knowledge base. Through reason, people will discover the maltreatment of the oppressors and thus keep dystopia from occurring. Education is also a key determinant of the success of the community. In order to ensure that communities do not transform into dystopias, educators must provide students with information that does not impede justice or lead towards

dystopian ideas. Respecting and embracing individuality also hinders the possibility of a dystopia occurring. This once again relates to the fact that human beings are human beings and not objects. Dystopias deny that each person is unique and try to eradicate the individual. They do this by forcing members of community to conform and erasing each person’s distinct personality, temperament and appearance. For example, in Nineteen Eighty-Four by George

Orwell, every member of the community wore the same blue, raggedy overalls (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, 2). They were all told to speak Newspeak, which allowed for no individuality in phrasing (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, 53). By limiting words one also eliminates original thought. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would not have been able to say “the dark colds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty” if he were limited to the vocabulary of Newspeak (King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 13).  It is necessary to remember that community is a group of individuals, and at the same time individuals cannot forget that they are a part of a community. If people are engaged and connected through

collective action, then the community can ensure that they will stray from becoming a dystopia. When individuals are invested in the community, they will fight to stop it from moving towards the wrong direction.

In order to avoid dystopia, one must also examine the leaders of the community. In both dystopian novels, The Handmaid’s Tale and Nineteen Eighty-Four, the people in charge possessed the entirety of the power. With all of the power, one will be able to do as they please. In order to stray from absolute control, power must be regulated.  This also coincides with the

need for doubt. Absolute control cannot occur if there are others with power available to question

the actions of others with power. By doubting, the people of the community will recognize that those in power will not always make the most ethical decisions. Once this is recognized, people can reason in order to react. The leaders of the community also have control of the economic standings. As shown in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the people of Oceanian were kept in economic deprivation (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1). There living space was dysfunctional, they ate the same boring, meal every day, and even their cigarettes and liquor were cheap (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, 5). This allowed the government to have more control over the thoughts and fears

of the members.  The people of Oceanian were not concerned with revolting when they were working long hours just to get food on the table. Their time was limited to work.  The government must also respect the privacy of its citizens. Lack of privacy causes members to lose all of their control and freedom. The government gains access to every aspect of the human life and cuts off the possibility for the cycle of doubt and reasoning to occur. With the freedom to privacy, members are allowed to have control over what they consider to be public knowledge. They are able to doubt, reason, do leisure activities, chose their own path, and live freely. With this freedom, society will not drift towards dystopia.

Through respecting what must remain in order to ensure that a community will not transform into a dystopia, communities begin to progress in hopes of reaching perfection. However, attaining perfection is not a simple task; it may not be possible at all. The perfect community with no doubt requires justice because “injustice is never more profitable than justice” (Plato, Republic, 31). Therefore, if justice is present then perfection could become a reality. But to determine the possibility of justice, it must be understood what justice entails because like perfection, obtaining justice is not a simple task.  It can be best understood by examining what must be done to reach justice. Justice is found in relationships, but not just

relationships with one’s peers. Both horizontal relationships and vertical relationships must foster justice, and this notion of depth in one’s relationships is illustrated in the Ten Commandments. The first portion of the commandments state that one shall “honor your father and your mother…you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet…anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Ex 20:12-17). These commands all give direction to maintain a strong relationship with one’s peers that will allow justice to reside. By following these commandments one may attempt to perfect horizontal relationships. But the commandments continue, adding on that “you shall have no other gods before me…you shall not make wrongful use of the name of the name of the Lord your God…Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy” (Ex 20:1-11). These commandments all address the need for a powerful vertical relationship and describe what must be done in order to ensure that justice can ensue from the relationship. However, it must be remembered that these two relationships are not on two different planes; however, they

contribute to one another. The actions that one takes in order to strengthen one’s horizontal relationships also cause one’s vertical relationship to grow. This is no casual coincidence. The two relationships do not just strengthen one another, they require each other. People cannot develop a truly just relationship with their peers without having a just vertical relationship. Likewise, true faith requires horizontal relationships that produce just acts. They intersect and balance each other. Without each other, the possibility for justice would collapse.

However, it does not stop there. Even more confirmation that one must consider both horizontal relationships and vertical relationships is given through biblical texts. The bible contains two versions of a sermon preached by Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain.  The Sermon on the Mount provides blessings that illustrate justice for people

currently in search for hope. These blessings include: “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are

the meek, for the will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Mt

5:3-12). Many may look at these blessings and question Jesus’ motives. However, this does not mean that Jesus desires for his people to find themselves in these situations of struggle. Jesus is simply ensuring those in these times of despair, that these times will not last forever and that through strengthening their vertical relationship, they will find justice.

The Sermon on the Plain addresses struggles one might find in their horizontal relationships. The Lord blesses “you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God…you who are hungry now, for you will be filled…you who weep now, for you will laugh…you when people hate you and when they exclude you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven” (Lk 6:20-23). These blessings are assured to those whose lives have been affected by unjust acts of others to continue to search for justice. The sermon continues discussing acts that impede justice for everyone. “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets” (Lk 6:24-16). Once again one must first examine the true meaning behind these

blessings. God does not desire for his people to live in desperate poverty, however he does not also desire for one percent of a population to control the same amount of wealth as the other ninety-nine percent. Justice occurs when those who impede justice and those who search for justice interact. It is commanded to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” and by doing so people are one step closer to justice (Lk 6:12). This relates to the ultimate commands that were given towards establishing justice when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees, “Teacher which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Mt 22:36). His response, “You shall love the lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,” clearly illustrates that both relationships are essential (Mt 22:37-40).  If it is possible for people to devoutly follow these two commandments, then justice is possible and therefore the perfect community is possible. Wherever there is social justice, perfection follows because the door is open for everyone to prosper. This all requires that humans repress their thanatos nature and extract that eros nature (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, 65). By doing this, the best of human nature will be prominent and people will be capable of embracing

the two encompassing commandments. Therefore, when humans determinedly adjust their nature in order for their thanatos nature to need to be extracted and for their eros nature to reside on the surface, justice will occur and perfection will be possible (Freud, Civilization and Its

Discontents, 82). With this glimpse of hope, it seems that the perfect community is possible; it

just requires that humanity desires it.

With this new possibility, the vision of a perfect community is just out of reach with a large, daunting gap separating it from today’s society. A detailed vision of a perfect community

might look different depending on the individual. However, after evaluating what a dystopia includes and what justice entails, one is one step closer to understanding what the perfect community might possess. It is undeniable that the perfect community must possess social justice. Social justice creates harmony for the whole. The citizens of the perfect community must agree with the words of Dr. King; for he states “he’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land” (King, “I See the Promised Land,” 6). Through his perseverance and faithfulness, he has provided a vivid image of the perfect community and he has shown what social justice activists must look like.  They must be an “extremist for love” and an “extremist for the extension of justice” (King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 9). And the community must consist of people who, like King, share the

belief of Amos that justice must “roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” (King, “I Have a Dream,” 3). They must believe that true justice is for all and “either we go up together, or we go down together” (King, “I See the Promised Land,” 4). In times where it seems justice might be diminishing, people must “refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity in this nation” (King, “I Have a Dream,” 1). People must hold strong to the idea that “injustice

anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” (King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1).  When one remains devoted to these values, social justice can be achieved. King’s Promise Land is a perfect example of what the perfect community requires.

However, there is more to the perfect community than social justice. Examining how to ensure that community does not mold into a dystopia relates significantly to what the perfect

community looks like. By perfecting those aspects a clearer picture of the perfect community can be developed. Related to the aspect of social justice, there must be a stable economy in the

perfect community. This does not mean that at the end of the day every citizen leaves with the same amount of money in their pocket. It means that the lowest in the community are not “plunged into the abyss of despair” because of the economic state (King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,”). It means that the biggest concern on a parent’s mind will never be whether they are able to afford to feed their children dinner or whether they will have a house over their head at this time tomorrow. While there may still be an income gap, it will not be as vast as present day’s society. The perfect community will also be united by strong relationships between one another. Citizens of the community will strive to “love the lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37-40). This includes a desire for the well being of the other members of the community. This desire for others’ well being ensures that humans will be treated as human beings and not as means to an end. The perfect community requires this. It is not possible for social justice or strong relationships to occur when people are not viewed as people. It goes against the basic view of human rights, which a community must have and it also inhibits productivity. A community cannot possibly thrive to its full ability if everyone in the community is not allowed to contribute to their full ability and when people are dehumanized. The ideal community occurs when people recognize that all of this must be true. In the perfect community everyone would also have the same ultimate concern. This does not mean that everyone is Christian, Jewish or Muslim, but it means that that they all share the same devotion to something. Each individual may refer to the concern as a different name, but sharing the same ultimate concern allows the people to be

devoted towards a common concern. This increases the ability for the community to coexist with one another.

Considering that humans are not perfect, it is inevitable that someone will make a mistake. However, if the community is arranged in order to deal with those imperfections then it will still remain a perfect community. The perfect community can handle those mishaps by ensuring that its citizens are not afraid to question. Doubt must be embraced in the community. It must be taught that it is acceptable, even desired, for people to doubt. Without doubt, the community would not be able to admit that there is a flaw, accept it and reason in order to do something about it.  Without doubt a community can never be perfect because it will have no

way to account for the inevitable mistakes that will occur. The system of government must also endorse doubt. All of the power of the government cannot be given to one person because then there is no one else with power available to doubt if something foul may occur. All of these aspects of the perfect community need to be taught to the citizens and this must be done through education.  What is taught in schools decides how the community will strive. If some schools receive, then the economy might end up like the present days. Or if students are taught that humans are not humans, but objects, then society might end up like a dystopia. It is important that the schools in the perfect society are equal for all students and that they are learning what it takes to be a model citizen of the community. Education is the opportunity to enlighten people about what is necessary for a perfect community to form, including embracing one’s eros nature and depressing their thanatos nature (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, 82). These aspects of a perfect community allow the vision of one to become much clearer.

Even though communities surround and consume everyone, there has yet to be a perfect community. But that cannot stop people. They must search for the Promised Land like King