There is a lot of dystopia in today's culture. Perhaps the most poignant example of this is the recently released Mad Max: Fury Road. In an offshoot of the classic post-apocalyptic series, Fury Road features all of the characteristics of a dystopia, a broken world. There are raging bands of desperate bandits roaming the burnt fields. They kill indiscriminately and without cause. Even the hero is forced to engage in brutal combat just to survive. Resources are virtually nonexistent. A life means next to nothing. This is not the picture of a bright future.
The world dystopia evolved out of the word "cacotopia" as a counterpoint to utopia. George Orwell's 1984 is a classic example of a dystopian world. Even though this form of science fiction was popular in the late twentieth century, it has become incredibly popular amongst today's audiences. Hunger Games, Divergent, Zombieland, The Walking Dead, and The Maze Runner are examples of movies and TV shows involving dystopian futures that are wildly popular.
Dystopias evoke a sense of despair. Often, humanity is on the brink of collapse or extinction. More often than not, there's the looming possibility of global destruction. This is not the vision of the Gospel. We as Christians do not fail to recognize that this world is not perfect. There is evil in this world, a fair amount, actually. But that does not mean that we have given up on this world. God has already won the ultimate war against evil. And because we were created in the image of God, we must always have in mind the essential good that is in the human race. We should have a strong hope in the outlook for the future.
Dystopias can become dangerous when we are inundated with them like we are today. They foster and feed an environment of hopelessness for the future. Sure, we might not actually think that the world will be destroyed by zombies, but watching dozens of hours of media where just that occurs inclines our o so impressionable minds towards an attitude of despair. The eyes are windows to the soul. Just as we need to watch what we eat, we need to watch what we see. Dystopian media is not intrinsically evil. In fact, many examples of dystopian books and movies are thought-provoking. They force us to turn a mirror on our own society. We become more socially aware of the potential dangers that lie in the future by examining the worlds that those dangers have already destroyed. We simply must make sure that our viewing diet is not restricted solely to dystopias. That makes for a very lean and malnourished mind in deed.
What we need more of today is a relic of the last century. We need science fiction with a side of optimism. We need more books, movies, and shows that follow in the tradition of Flash Gordon, Lost in Space, and Star Trek. We need media that looks to the future with a sense of hope. Where the forces of science work towards the betterment of humanity, not its destruction.
The recently released film, Tomorrowland, is a good example of a more optimistic outlook. Without ruining the plot for those of you who haven't seen it yet, Tomorrowland reveals a world where technology and science have bettered the lives of man. There are space ships routinely carrying men and women into space, there are hovering monorails, jetpacks, and robots. While peril is not absent from this film, the world of Tomorrowland is exactly what dystopias like Mad Max are not, hopeful. Tomorrowland gives audiences a bright view for the future. It shows us that, no bad how our world gets, we can still fix it. We need more Tomorrowland's and less Mad Max's today.
Deus Volt!
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