The ones who walked away from Omelas

In this short story (only five pages long) by Ursula K. Le Guin and published in 1973, the narrator tells the reader of the fictional town of Omelas.

All the citizens of Omelas are prosperous and happy. Apparently, there is no sadness or misery, only joy. A true Utopia on the surface. Set during the annual summer festival, the narrator describes in vivid detail the appearance of the quaint little town and how everyone is celebrating and happy.

Everything is not as uncomplicated as it seems; however, because a terrible secret is lurking under the blissful surface. Once in every inhabitant’s lifetime, he/she is let in on the secret.

When the inhabitants of Omelas reach the age around 8 to 12 years, they are told that in order sustain their utopian life, a child is held captive in a windowless cellar under the most horrific circumstances. They are taken to this cellar to look at the emaciated, dirty, suffering child.

You then have a choice to accept the situation or not. The ones who walk away are the ones who cannot accept that their wonderful life is dependent on a suffering child. For them, their utopia turned into a dystopia.

 The Latin prefix “dys”, means “bad”. Dystopia literally means “a utopia gone wrong”. The intention to create a perfect society has gone terribly wrong because of rules and laws which make the lives of (some) of the people who live there untenable.

The theme of the book is an old one and was also used by Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov. The universal theme of one person or a group of people suffering for the greater good. More examples of dystopian fiction include George Orwell’s 1984, Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. https://study.com 

In this time of Lent, Christians do introspection of the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. The story of Omelas is a bleak reminder for me of the fact that Jesus died for my sins so that I can have a choice: Am I going to continue living the way I did before I knew this, or am I going at least try to follow the example Jesus set?  

In his book, Leef Lig, Jaco Strydom writes about five habits of the early Christians:

Ø Spend time alone to pray.

Ø Travel light.

Ø Live together in unity.

Ø Be good to your enemies.

Ø Care for the world.

The author practices what he preaches in the Echo-Communities he runs. In these communities, material things like cars for example, are shared with someone who needs them.

In his book Jaco Strydom paints a realistic picture of the ups and downs of living in such a community. There are two groups living in this community: The ones who need help and the ones who are willing to help.

The principles of the early church are lived out in a pragmatic way in these Echo-communities. The author believes that Christianity today needs more action than knowledge and theories.

In our world today we sometimes still choose to look the other way and live our lives. There are still children suffering today and there are still groups of people suffering today.

We consume and buy goods manufactured in factories where the workers work in appalling conditions. We amass more and more stuff; we do not travel light.

Sometimes we need a reminder that if we call ourselves Christians, we are supposed to live like Christians.

May we take the opportunity of Lent to reflect on our way of living.

Love and Light till next time.

Shirley Rose

Sources: Wikipedia, YouTube, Google, www.sparknotes.com.

Resensie "Leef Lig" deur Chante Kelder Jansen Van Rensburg