Utopia
Meaning- Utopia
is an ideal community
or society
possessing a desirable socio-politico-legal system. The word was coined in Greek by Sir
Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia,
describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to
describe both international communities that attempt to
create an ideal society, and fictional societies portrayed in literature. "Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia, line 1-3"
The
word refers to an imaginary ideal place where nothing can possibly go wrong. It
is a state in which a person is not bound by any negative aspect of life such
as fear, aggression, cruelty, pessimism or helplessness. Generally, it is
termed as a far away island where happiness, prosperity, satisfaction and love fill
the world. Basically, the meaning of utopia can be summarized as a “perfect
place”.
The first example of Utopia that
crossed my mind was heaven where nothing can go wrong. There is no fear of
death, restlessness of poverty or greed of money in heaven. Each soul is content
and happy. Similarly, the “happily ever after” of a fairy tale could also be
considered as utopia. The prince kills the devil and then, the prince, along
with his princess lives a peaceful life in his kingdom. These are however myths
or stories and no one living at the present could have experienced these. If we
consider the practicality of a situation, it has to be experienced by the
common people. But for the common people, the “perfect place” might not exist
in the “perfect” sense. And it could be different for different people. For a
child, who has nothing to worry about, that Utopia could be achieved easily.
But as the child grows up, his expectations and desires will increase and then
for them, the utopia slides further away.
Dystopia
Meaning - An imaginary place or state in which
the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or
terror. “Free dictionary.com”
In my understanding, the word refers to
a place where there is no social understanding among people. It is a place
where sin, misbehavior and wrong doings take place. There is fear, threat,
anxiety and apprehension everywhere.
As
I went through the meaning of dystopia, the first example that struck my mind
was today’s world. The world in the current age is filled with chaos,
desperation, insecurity and misery, all of which symbolizes characteristic of a
dystopian world. Corruption, terrorism
poverty, prejudices and pollution has been signified as a major problem in
today’s world. However, only a handful of population is ready to lend a helping
hand for the elimination of these severe problems. There is no integration and
respect among each other. One part of the world is filled with luxury and comfort
while the other is filled with grief and disappointment. The world has been separated
in terms of caste, country, race and class. Thus, the ruthlessness of today’s
world can serve as a good illustration of a dystopian world.
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