A Utopian Realist

It gives me great hope that we may decide to avoid really screwing things up with coal-fired power plants – and choose to build clean, safe, and sustainable power generators.

I may have been accused of being a starry-eyed Utopian – by some self-proclaimed “realist.” But, whatever they might say, I believe that I'm a realist. I simply believe we should aim, with all our heart, for what we really want.

I shoot archery. I have found that my shots are either right exactly where I aimed, or end up who knows where. Whether I hit or miss depends primarily upon my attitude. By living at (least a moment) in focus: of determination, self-assurance, and desire – I can hit my target... By force of will, I can hit my target. Indeed, there is no other way. I suspect that life is very much like this.

Life, of course, is far more complex than just shooting something to get what you want. But we can still use the shooting analogy for goals we set for ourselves. Life's targets are constantly moving, changing, and changing in number. I cannot tell you what to aim for. You will know yourself far better than me. I can only warn you to be cautious. Misspent effort will be your greatest regret in life.

So, what do we aim for? I'll let you know when I figure this one out. But I do have a good general idea – the usual stuff; health, happiness, awareness, and a purpose or two (the fuel for our dreams).

Our dreams are a main component of who we really are. Our dreams help determine what we want to achieve. Our dreams are our ideal vision of our future. If we are not working towards our dreams, we'll never really be happy. So, I would claim; if you're not a starry-eyed Utopian, you're probably not living your potential to the fullest... you've just accepted that you'll miss your target (not the type of realist I want to be).

Should those like me really be considered starry-eyed Utopians at all, when the alternative is just to put up with the pain. I believe that it is the true realists who insist that we:

• breath clean air

• are not denied our healthy ecosystems

• are not denied a peaceful, healthy future

• live in legal systems that function

• live in economic systems that function

• and ensure that the Earth's Environment doesn't collapse

Question: What kind of “realist” would deny these critically important goals?

Answer: A very dangerous realist.

Maybe all of us “realists” should consider the concepts of heaven and hell also as analogies for this life. Humanity can create a hell on Earth. But we can also create something like a heaven. Aren't religions trying to get us to constantly be striving towards heaven? This may be life's ultimate test. Can we hit our targets? Can we create a Utopia? Will we even try?

For those of you who do believe in a heaven in the afterlife, this ultimate test might be the determining factor for your entry into heaven. “Did you really screw things up here?” Or, “Did you make things better?”

I'm no angel, but if I were the one who decided who made it to heaven and who didn't, and I saw what a mess we're making here on Earth, I'd be concerned that humans weren't ready for heaven.

Maybe we're not ready for Utopia. Maybe we need to keep screwing things up until we eventually get it right. But then again, maybe we only get one chance.

I have hope that we can use our chance, we can do what it takes, and we can make things better.