“Nobody owns anything but everyone is rich - for what greater wealth can there be than cheerfulness, peace of mind, and freedom from anxiety?” Thomas More, Utopia
The idea of a utopia was born here, in his book Utopia, Thomas More sparked a conversation that has followed us strongly 500 years hence. In this fictional novel, Thomas More himself is a character, as are many of his friends and in a twist of antique urban fantasy, we have the island nation of Utopia. In the first half, we meet and greet Raphael Hythloday, a traveller and philosopher who is singing the praises of Utopia.
The book itself is very interesting in the way Thomas More blends his imagination with reality, ribbing his readers by adding in real-life incidents, people and ideas. It feels almost like fanfiction written about current affairs. Thankfully, we, years later are aware that major chunks of it are fictional. Although perhaps, that isn't surprising - the book is called Utopia.
More's Utopia presents an island nation with a radically different lifestyle, politics, governance and laws that were diametrically opposing that of 16 century England. His Utopia, as perfect as it was to him, is not without faults. For one, slaves still exist. But centuries after, Utopia isn't about how perfect his so-called world is, but rather the idea he was challenging then. More actively spoke out against what people thought was just the way of life. He wanted more, and he wanted a world where things were good, different - he wanted to change.
His idea in the book, which was very radical for the time, cause us to look not at just the perfect place but at the possibility of one. They make us want to question the world we live in, and the lives we take for granted or given. Of course, this was highly irregular in his time and could have gotten him executed. More distances himself from his utopian ideals by using himself as a character who was cynical of Hythloday's utopian ideals. Unfortunately, in real life, his ideas caught up with him and he was executed for his "radical thoughts".
Ultimately, Utopia isn't just about believing in a perfect world, but also about believing in a better world and questioning our current way of life. His Utopia also started discussions about what the perfect is, was and can be? Is there one world that is perfect for everyone?
A friend jokingly said to me that in her perfect world people could give 'tit for tat', and we laughed because that sounded like a dystopia but also, could potentially work out as a utopia.
A big part of why More's Utopia is so convincing is because he is convinced. This place, this island isn't one he is proposing or telling us we can make, but rather one that exists and from Hythloday's exposition, we gather it has existed for a long time now. He is so insistent and certain about Utopia, we as readers feel like we're the weird ones for not believing him. Believe and you're halfway there, it strikes true in this case.
What is the perfect place? Is there such a place? Can we make such a place? To begin with, what makes it the perfect place?
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