If you were a citizen of Omelas, would you stay or would you walk? Please explain and justify your decision.
If I were a citizen of Omelas, I would stay because it would be the only life I’ve known and I wouldn’t be courageous enough to take a stand and walk away. Though the honourable decision would be to fight against the inhumane and cruel treatment of one person for this one utopia, I believe that humans are selfish, and we must meet our own needs and fulfill our own happiness before we can help others. I say that the honourable decision would be to walk away because it seems unlikely that the current lifestyle of the citizens of Omelas would change. It is a utopia and the abandonment of that idea would most likely lead to an outrage if say, you try to release the child and convince everyone not to get a replacement. Then, even if you managed to do this, you would be responsible for the unhappiness and disorder that would ensue. By walking away, the individual is saying that they will follow their morals and give up all they have achieved and accomplished in Omelas in order to make a statement, which is that they do not condone the imprisonment of the child. It is true that perhaps, the individual is trying to relieve some guilt by walking away instead of facing the circumstances, but I believe that a little bit of guilt will always follow.
I also think that when helping someone compromises our own happiness, which would be releasing the child, in Le Guin’s short story, most of us would put ourselves before others instead of risk our happiness and our families. We become so absorbed in our own lives and relationships, that it becomes easy to forget that there are those who are less fortunate. Even if I were to see the impoverished child suffer and live in misery with my own eyes, I would probably learn to forget the image or accept it because that would be what everyone else was doing, and society shapes who we are. Because of the disastrous outcome that would result from releasing the child and walking away, I wouldn’t be able discard my utopia. Who would sacrifice their own happiness and bliss for one child? My family, friends, and everything I have cherished would be left behind if I chose to walk away. If I were truly happy and were not capable of feeling remorse in this utopia, then I would not be willing to give up my “perfect” life and walk off into the unknown.
Comparing Omelas to our society today lets us see similarities between two worlds that don’t seem so unrelated when we delve deeper and analyze the way we live our lives. We are constantly shown images and hear about those who are less fortunate in the news. Some people in Third World countries and even in our own city don’t have enough to eat, a place to sleep, an education, and good healthcare. This, of course, is similar to the squalid conditions the child in Omelas lives with. I feel guilty for taking the simple things in life for granted, and it is bothersome to me when I reflect on this, that we just accept this fact and continue living our lives. Initially, we may feel sorrow and pain for those who live in poverty, and do our part by making donations, but it clearly isn’t enough, and all too soon, we forget. However, there are some people who have dedicated their lives to helping others who live in poverty and that is truly admirable. I cannot say that I am one of those people. Therefore, I would most likely choose to forget about the child if I were living in Omelas and stay even though I do not think it is the most moral or “right” choice to make.
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