Augustine Mary F.

Abellana

Dreaming of a utopia

From Thomas Hobbes Leviathan, to St. Augustine’s Civitas Dei, to John Lennon’s
“Imagine”, and especially, to Plato’s Republic, we often dream of living in an ideal society. We
want to live in some place better where all of us are decent people. I mean who doesn’t want to
live in a place where everyone lives a happy and just life. Isn’t that wonderful? But if people
strive to live in a utopian world, then everyone must work it out. Like Plato in his Republic, there
is a process of education in order for people to unlock their full human potential and become
philosopher kings. Sometimes we ask, why can’t everyone become rich? Of course most would
say that if everyone will be rich then no one would become fishermen or farmers or even garbage
collectors. Karl Marx would say that there has been always class struggles and it is true until
today because the system is unjust. It is hard to imagine a government without corruption. Even
for Thrasymachus, the ethical principles are already corrupted because of the rulers. That is why
we are living in an unjust system. Even the church is unjust. I think what we need right now is a
sense of injustice! As a student of philosophy, I must strive to be a solution that is why I should
be serious with my studies and be true to my seminary formation. Because becoming a priest or a
professional entails a genuine process of education.