Dystopia
Show progress in a certain direction and improve things minimally - just enough to continue to change a touch each year, indefinitely. Or create the perception of change by bringing up the same old passionate topics every so often. Simply stir the media pot and the masses will be satisfied. New improvisations can be manufactured. Teach a few children how to innovate creatively and give them whatever resources they require – but don’t let that trend spread to all schools because most people need to just learn how to be sheep or slaves. Especially those in rural farm communities. We need them to feed everyone else. And certain other communities. We need them to work in prisons, camps, factories, or mines without question.
Be transparent. People always say they want a transparent government… So be relatively transparent, but in a calculated way to promote unity and trust. If a citizen wants to know what is happening to others at their expense, they can find out relatively easily. But the reality is that most regular people don’t want to think about what is happening to others at their expense. That also applies to internal transparency. Hold everyone accountable by telling them you’re spying and maintaining social or credit scores. Regularly share your perspective on what it means to be “good.” Make the expectations abundantly clear for everyone. Additionally, ensure the expectations are generally reasonable - people can essentially do whatever they want as long as it is decently safe, respectful, and responsible!
Be particularly transparent about socially positive behaviors demonstrated by local officials to build a sense of community and pride. Discourage competitiveness, except when it comes to workplace efficiency (or innovation and leadership skills, in the case of a chosen few). But if something becomes controversial, according to the most conservative of citizens (which may change as the populations age - adjust laws accordingly), just encourage residents to do it somewhat in private and not bring in too many other people. This particularly applies to outsiders. Encourage outsiders to stick together and avoid mingling or bonding with the “common” folk.
The laws are openly rarely enforced because they only exist to appease the “law-and-order” segment of the population. Prevent revolt against the laws by allowing people to break them without consequences. In most cases, a person should not be arrested. Unless they genuinely break the social rule of keeping everything chill, they are free to do whatever (besides question authority or get too noticeable for “controversial” reasons). But no matter who they are, they will have plenty of food to eat, an ability to socialize in safe and comfortable environments regardless of class or status, beautifully maintained parks to exercise in close to home, a job to give purpose and direction in life, and hopefully a close knit multi-generational family. Citizens personally care most about genuine stability in their lives.
As much as we want to care for others outside of our social spheres, most people really don’t because it would be overwhelming to acknowledge how much of what we have comes at the expense of others. Perhaps we convince ourselves that we are superior in some way so as to justify the treatment of others. As social creatures, most humans don’t mean to intentionally hurt others (emphasis on most, not all). So, without justification, many people would struggle (on a deep philosophical level, at least) to enjoy an ideal life knowingly at the expense of others. And yet millions and millions of people are living their ideal lives quite directly at the expense of the quality of life of others.
Some groups get more advanced products more quickly and more cheaply because laborers elsewhere are paid less and less. Citizens can be fully aware of those conditions elsewhere, but as long as there is never a risk of them (or anyone they love) becoming part of that poor system, they will never truly care. Because they can’t. Because that would be far too much of a burden for any one person to carry.
Calculate a decently precise ratio of well-off people that can be maintained (based on food supply and other limiting factors) and try to raise the number as innovations develop. Thus so, it continues relentlessly that “utopia” is built.
But it is not possible without hell. Perhaps this is the biblical Heaven and Hell. The devil was an angel, too. God wanted to build a utopia for everyone, including the devil. But the devil strove for more, as was in his nature. Most of the angels, like most people, wanted to just stay in the utopia and live their lives peacefully. But for the devil, it wasn’t enough. There are the rare few for whom it is never enough. They want power. They want total authority above all else. Or perhaps they believe they have an even better idea for utopia. The devil was radical, and quite possibly in an evil way. And so, the exile from paradise began… to protect the reigning leader. As with Adam and Eve.
By eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they understood the game. They understood that they were mere facets of a machine, and so could not enjoy their paradise anymore. They were cast into a life of pain and struggle because pain and struggle are the foundations of heaven. Perhaps it cannot exist without it. Without those prepared to challenge the paradigm, without a disgraceful other, maybe the “good” don’t feel as good. Because even those among the pacified majority want power. Everybody wants more. Hierarchies start to pop up in any gathering of more than a few individuals. For the vast majority, it is enough to be more than some other mere human. But a rare few want to be more than God. And those are the rare few who likely rule the world. Because they know how to build Heaven and they know how to build Hell.
But what if instead of craving more, we learned to crave peace? We can refuse to the play the game and instead choose to live a life of love and respect for ourselves and others. Our desires shape the world in which we live. What is it that I desire?
