I’ve always found myself to be an idealist. Lost in thought about how the world can be a better place. But is this idealism simply a flight of fancy?
Idealism is often associated with a certain unreasonableness, even fantastical thinking. And is often linked to the concept of utopia - a fictional place where life is pretty damn-near perfect. Interestingly, the term utopia has two meanings, from Greek:
eutopia: good place
outopia: no place
Can’t help but wonder, are my idealist tendencies a lost cause? A futile attempt to bring about a positive change in the world? Is an idealistic mindset not simply envisioning a “good” world, but also envisioning a world that does not and cannot exist?
Recently, I had a first hand experience stumbling into the concept of speculative fiction as a way to bring my idealism to life. It was born out of a restlessness and discomfort with the status quo of life, an itch to imagine a more desirable way of being. A life in greater connection with myself, with other animals (human and otherwise), with the planet.
What started as an exploration in more communal living, has given way to more collaborative projects and plans to move out of my current single family home that I share with my partner Dave. All born out of an idealistic notion that maybe if I start imagining a new life, that slowly this vision will become reality.
Perhaps there’s a way to breathe life in speculative futures by articulating them in great detail, and sharing them with the world. For now, I’m focused on stripping away everything in my life that I don’t need. Freeing myself up to spend my time envisioning a world that just might exist, and attracting the other idealists out there, keen on building our version of utopia.