Another philosophy paper:)
Behind the formation of every utopia is a driving force, something out of the ordinary enough to make extraordinary changes. This paper will examine some of the motives and driving forces behind the beginnings of selected readings on Utopia: fear, suffering, motherhood, brotherhood, and individual/collective passion.
For each of these motives, I give a visual picture: fear as a driving force looks like a stampede—the masses are moving forward, where no one (or only a select few) know where it is going. Suffering looks like a sigh of resignation, picking up your load and grinning and bearing it. Motherhood as a driving force is a picture of carrying the young (the next generation) into Utopia, whereas brotherhood is walking in hand-in-hand. Lastly, individual/collective passion is marching to the beat of your own drum (or the drum that drowns out everything else).
Before diving into these five motives, two things should be noted: most often, the driving forces are a mixture—and they might even change for the individual or group while they are in the process. When the driving force changes, so does the utopia—or what it looks like. It is very rare indeed for more than one generation to have the same driving force (as circumstances change, and the people themselves change) which is why very few utopias can last more than one generation.
“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Fear gives us three choices—to stay where we are, to run back to the past, or to run on to the future. Depending on the circumstances on which direction we head: whatever way we feel is the safest, and will relieve the fear pressing down upon us. With the visual of the stampede, you see the crazed eyes of the group moving forward, stumbling along, simply to get away.
Fear as a driving motive towards a utopia is often the easiest and the most effective. The masses might not respond to reward or adventure, but make them scared and unity is easily gained. An example of this is in the graphic novel Watchman. At the end, someone releases a monster on New York, destroying millions. In the chaos that follows, an almost utopian society flourishes, bought from the fear created and freedom sold.
In Red Mars, Ann shows a deep fear, something that drives her through the entire book, until near the end, when she realizes from necessity she must snap out of it. Her utopia is Mars untouched—but as well, Mars discovered and enjoyed: “But when I do that, I change it—I destroy what it is, what I love.” Her conflicting emotions end up the most part with her resigning herself to fate, and following the stampede since she finds no other solution.
Maya, on the other hand, has a different kind of fear that drives her: the fear of being left out. Her passion is relationships, and she thrives off the drama. Maya has to be in the middle of the stampede, admiring the strength of those in front. Both of these women have other passions and drives, but fear seems to be dominating. While other examples may consider themselves beyond this more primitive driving force, in all honesty, fear is a part of every change—when the cost of standing still is greater than movement.
“People have to really suffer before they can risk doing what they love.” – Chuck Palahniuk
Suffering brings us together in a much deeper unity than fear. Fear is grasping at straws, whereas suffering together creates a brotherhood that is difficult to break. The picture of suffering as a driving force is assessing and understanding the situation, realizing that to survive you need to pick up your burden and grin and bear it.
In utopian reading, you often find that people are only willing to reach towards utopia after every other idea has been tried and broken. Even in our own lives we see our unwillingness to change until there really is no other way around it. In class, the question was brought up “Why do we wait until the last moment to change?” And that question still calls for answers.
The Dispossessed is based on pain and suffering. It was the unifying drive that started and continued their utopia. The group rebelled and “chose” exile on the moon: the moon where survival meant much pain and suffering.
“It is our suffering that brings us together. It is not love. Love does not obey the mind, and turns to hate when forced. The bond that binds us is beyond choice. We are brothers. In pain, which each of us must suffer alone, in hunger, in poverty, I hope, we know our brotherhood. You have nothing, you possess nothing, you own nothing. You are free. All you have is what you are and what you give.”
Suffering as a motive is very closely related to brotherhood, and like all of these driving forces, never is a single force, but part of the DNA make up of the decision to move towards a utopia. Human nature often requires pain to stimulate movement. We are naturally a lazy bunch.
In The Dispossessed the first generation began their utopia with suffering, as well as the passion of the teachings of their leader. The second generation continued to have the motivation of suffering, since the climate was so harsh, continued the teachings (although they lacked passion in many), and grew in the motivation of brotherhood. Because the driving force remained similar, the utopia was able to continue. The main character and his friends help bring about a sort of “revival” of the original ideals, which by the end of the book, give hope that the society will be able to continue.
Much of the same formula is seen in the Kibbutzim, a true experiment in utopia, as read in the article “Utopia and its Discontents.” Melford Spiro points out three things that happened to create something different (collectivism) that lead to the beginning of the kibbutz and utopian living: first, “adolescent rebellion against parents and other authority figures who represented the values of the regnant social order,” second, “an emotionally powerful social experience (or experiences),” and lastly, “a motivationally powerful belief system.”
The second motivation—the emotionally powerful social experience—was two-fold: the shock and suffering of moving to a new land with no protection from people who sought their downfall, and the connection of brotherhood with those around them. Again, we see suffering and brotherhood closely related.
In Red Mars, the character with the drive of suffering is Nadia. Growing up in Siberia, she knows little else: pain is a part of life. To get though life, you grin and bear it: you hunker down and get the work done. Nadia uses work to numb the pain and feelings she has. Through the book, you see her discover beauty, and then return to work when the pain comes back. Suffering as a motivation is often very productive (probably the most productive of any of the driving forces), as we see in Nadia’s life when she becomes the first president of Mars (later in the trilogy).
“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” ~Tenneva Jordan
Our class discussion on motherhood was eye opening for me. Think of the characteristics that the word “motherhood” conjures. These were the ideals of Herland, the utopia that had only women for 2000 years. The picture for this driving force is of a mother carrying her child into utopia. The suffering component comes in the sacrifice that is given for the betterment of the next generation.
Herland magnifies what I feel is missing in society when Terry, the male chauvinist of the story, is disgruntled by how his girlfriend applies motherhood to him: “The only thing they can think about a man is only fatherhood! …Fatherhood! As if a man was always wanting to be a father!”
While the focus is in utopia is more often aimed at brotherhood, it is interesting to compare and contrast the differences and similarities of the two. Motherhood is more outward focused, with a future vision for their children, and a willingness to sacrifice and formulate their utopia around those children. In Red Mars, the character with the motherhood motivation is Hiroko, who is not at the front of the action, but always pervades the movement of the utopia.
“It snowed last year too: I made snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea.” Dylan Thomas
Brotherhood: perhaps what we settled for since the sacrificing nature of motherhood (or fatherhood) didn’t suit us. Brotherhood is the most well-known and common driving force for utopia. It was foundational in the founding of our own nation. It is the picture of moving forward, hand-in-hand, toward a utopia. Communism, the golden rule, and equality reign.
Looking Backward says this is the main difference between current life and utopia: “The solidarity of the race and brotherhood of men, which to you were but fine phrases, are, to our thinking and feeling, ties as real and as vital as physical fraternity.” News from Nowhere has much of the same sentiment.
In the article on Kibbutzim, “Utopia and its Discontents”, it describes brotherhood as passion for community, or “Communitas.” Communitas produces this passion, and is “an emotionally powerful social experience consisting of primordial and reciprocal identifications among the members of a small social group…A family-type community, between twelve and seventeen young men and women would sit together every evening after work…and exchange impressions and opinions…longing of each for his neighbor, a desire to sit together until late at night.”
Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night. ~Terri Guillemets
Passion is marching to beat of the drum in your own heart. This can be alone, or with others. This can be the passion of motherhood or brotherhood, and is often religious. One of the three characteristics of the Kibbutzim was their passion for Zionism. The Dispossessed had their Odom sayings. But Red Mars brought out some of the individual passions that drive people towards utopia.
Each person had their own composition of drives and motives, but on Red Mars, Frank and “twin” John have a passion for control. John’s passion seems to tend more towards brotherhood and unity, but it is Frank, who is so driven that he indirectly kills John and then says “Now we’ll see what I can do with this planet.”
Frank works tirelessly, and while reading the book I kept looking for his motivation. Besides getting his hands into everything and getting his desired outcomes (control), I can find none. Even in his death he is telling people what to do. Passion gets us places, and hopefully those places are good.
In conclusion, we all have motives behind what we do. We have driving forces that cause us to move from inactivity to activity. Beginning and continuing a utopia is no different. Careful examination of the drives and motives (and combination) behind a utopia can give valuable insights to its future.
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