Class 9

Omelas

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" - Anna Xuan


It is easy to say I would walk away from Omelas. If I were present in the joyus city I believe the decision would be more difficult. To live in the city one must accept the child's oppression and misery. The conscience has to play a major role in your inhabitance. All societies have a contrast of happiness and ease of life with suffering but the wellbeing of Omelas citizens relies solely on the suffering of the child. All of the citizens are complicit and endorse the child's mental, emotional and psychical abuse. Whatever lies beyond Omelas surely endures suffering and happiness may be harder found. However outside of the untroubled city I could live by my own morals and find happiness on my own terms.


 I think the story also points to the fact that maybe it is impossible to live in a society without some form of suffering. I see parallels with Omelas citizens and those of us living in the western world. The child could take form in sweatshops, lithium extraction, ship breaking yards or the slave trade. Do we have to pay a price for our happiness? Is our happiness built on the suffering of others while we live in ignorant bliss? Is life possible without suffering? I believe it is. Perhaps it is not an easy aspiration to attain but if your will is strong it can be achieved to an extent. Living in Omelas does not provide that option. To live in Omelas is to accept suffering and affliction as a means to happiness. If i were to stay in Omelas it would make me complacent it would cease the want and need to create a better world. 

The hellish fantasies of Hieronymus Bosch | All media content | DW ... 


This then leads me to ask myself how will I live my life once I leave Omelas? Will I become complicit in a form of indirect suffering? What happens when I stop writing and leave the computer? Will I continue consuming like the rest of the western world which indirectly leads to climate change which will affect third world countries disproportionately? 


My avatar will leave Omelas and live morally on my terms.


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