Euphoria and Utopia

Euphoria and Utopia. Similar sounding but these very different words are related. For if you have visions of Utopia, you are imbued with a sense of euphoria. If you have Euphoria as related to society, it may well be you have some utopia in mind.

Utopias, BTW, encompass all forms of socialism including communism, even some devoid of politics. However, did you know there were quite a number of Utopian regimes begun with Martin Luther’s Reformation? All failed. Indeed, with the demise of kingship, many utopias have emerged from time-to-time. Utopian concepts seem not to work in practice, but that does not deter novices who cannot learn from the past. Their default position is, “This time we’ll do it right.”

I wonder if Plato really understood with publication of his seminal “Republic,” the first entry to Utopian worlds, he had opened a Pandora’s box of perpetual conflicts. I suspect he did, and with a smallish grin unleashed it to the world.

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