Posted in Monday Mayhem

No More Dystopia

Last week I wrote about Utopia. I made a correlation with Star Trek, its technologies and moral code with that of the present era. Not only is the world currently absent from a Utopian paradise, but it also lacks the motivation to change what is broken. It will take some time before anything changes.

Mussolini at Palazzo Venezia
Mussolini at Palazzo Venezia

With that out of the way, I’d like to talk a bit about the other side of the equation. Naturally, if there is a Utopia, by all arguments, there should also be a dystopia.

For those new to the concept, dystopia is what happens when a warped sense of reality begins to rule a society. For instance, a world leader proclaims that funny hats make people happy, and the only way people will ever be happy is if they wear a funny hat. Of course, a segment of the population will grasp the concept and make it their own, but like all fads, it will fade away. However, if that leader decides people are better off dead than not wear a funny hat, and he or she makes it a national law to wear said funny hat, all of a sudden that nation becomes a dystopian society. Simple, right?

Imagine if the concept wasn’t all about a funny hat but about something bigger.

How much genocide has taken place due to a Utopian idea that took a wrong turn somewhere? I once read that humanity’s worst moments happen because of good intentions. A Utopia gone bad is not what this world needs now.

Am I sounding an alarm? I sure am. This world needs solid leadership that will not follow centuries of corruption and scandal. The direction needed to clear the waterways, plow the garbage from the streets and never turn a blind eye to those in need, especially the homeless, is lacking. That direction can only come from a change in mindset.

I hope you don’t think I’ve gone insane. Actually, I hope you do think that. If I can be an example for others, then so be it. I’m exhausted hearing the same old story repeatedly that new leadership will bring positive change, new leadership will provide for the masses.

My take on it? Don’t just say it. Do it.

We the citizens of the world don’t need politicians meeting together, enjoying $2,000-a-plate meals, driving around in fancy limos ad nauseam. We the citizens of the world demand action. We’re sick of hearing excuses. No more lies. No more stories. We want to see you with rolled up sleeves ready to work. Not just before election day.

I challenge you, politicians, to prove me wrong. Show me where you’ve stepped in to eliminate hunger for kids living in poverty around the globe. Show me where you’ve proven yourselves worthy for intervening when families have not died for defending their homes in times of war. Show me how you’ve eradicated pestilence and disease for the weak and unfortunate.

Because it is only when the heart changes that the world will become a better place. Politicians have to recognize goodness comes from the top down. Without that—there isn’t much hope other than maintaining the status quo that has been around since time immemorial.

I challenge you, leaders of the world; make a change for the better. Not just in words. But in action.

No more dystopia.

Posted in Women Who Wow Wednesday

Hero Girl

She doesn’t have a name. Her costume consists of a nightgown. By the time it’s all over, she sports the moniker “Leader”. I’m proud to include Hero Girl from the movie Polar Express in my Women Who Wow Wednesday series.

Polar Express' Hero Girl
Polar Express’ Hero Girl

During its release, not many people liked the film Polar Express. Ratings on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes confirm the movie’s status as, if at best, average. The production budget for the flick came in at $165 million while the overall take at the box office worldwide netted $308 million. I wouldn’t call it a financial disaster. Far from it, I’d call it an opportunity movie where it’s best to watch with the lights turned low a few days before Christmas.

Since its release in 2004, this film has become a staple viewing tradition for our family every evening of December 23rd.

Why do we like it so much? For us, the song Believe by Josh Groban says it all:

Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that’s playing
There’s no time to waste
There’s so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
If you just believe

That’s where Hero Girl comes in. We don’t know her name and throughout the movie she second-guesses every decision she makes. In some respect, she wouldn’t qualify as a hero at all. But her faith in what she doesn’t see is what pulls everyone together to work as a team, lending credence to her belief in something altogether greater than anyone or anything they know as real.

Leading the others
Leading the others

Hero Girl also provides the direction the group needs to continue on their way to the North Pole. Not an easy task for a young child, let alone a girl who doubts everything she says. Her strength, however, lies in her ability to lead those willing to follow her to their true destination. This involves trust on the part of her friends, and an eternal hope that she will lead them to their true destination.

Once Hero Girl affirms her leadership status, not in name but in action, the group of kids follows this time without dismissing her ideas. She leads them to where all the magic begins.

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Have you seen Polar Express? What did you think of Hero Girl’s role in the film?