Gizmodo posted an excellent article on Why We Need Utopian Fiction.
I wouldn’t call “Five Fathoms Beneath” utopian fiction, but it does have a very positive and un-cynical ending, and for that reason this line in the article about utopian fiction really resonated with me:
As children, we are told to dream for better futures; as adults, we are told they are unrealistic. If all we see is an onslaught of depressing news as the world goes to hell in a handbasket, we might give into the idea that a better tomorrow really is just a fairy tale. Yet, in such a bleak reality, hope is radical. And the more we dare to dream about our own utopias, then we might just be inspired to stop the end of the world—as impossible a dream as that may seem to be.
Which reminds me of another favorite quote of mine, this one from Margaret Mead. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Be the candle in the darkness, the tosser of starfish, the person who is thoughtful and committed to changing the world.
