15: The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas (RELEASED)

Agora Politics

A reading of "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula La Guin. Last night, I was on twitter seeing updates on the Democratic National Convention, and I was thinking about the choices in front of us and how we, as individuals, might avoid becoming deranged by our complicity in a system that leaves us but few actionable choices from which to decide our future. For some reason, I was reminded of this short story by Ursula La Guin, which I had read years ago and since forgotten; called “The Ones who walk away from Omelas.” It is the story of a decadent, wonderful, mystical place where everything is perfect and beautiful, but inside all understand that their opulence is sustained by a dark secret. And all who know this and choose to stay are complicit in this darkness. Given the comparison my mind drew between the struggle to live nobly inside of imperfect systems, I thought it would be useful to consider this parable as we reflect on the choices ahead of us. Original Text: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d317/ba42f5716881c691d652672f66de87b4d677.pdf