Utopia vs. Society and Catholic traditions

Utopia, a book written about that a perfect society. Sadly, 500 years into the future, we are still far from achieving such a thing. The world is still full of the same war, poverty, hatred and tiranny that Thomas More observed in 16th century England. Since More´s Utopia is based on the non-existence of money and the sharing of goods (socialist ideals) many of his proposal´s are irrelevant in the capitalist world of today. I will thus focus on: 

Those Utopian proposals that are applicable in a capitalistic society. (some will shock you… trust me)

1. Catholic clerical marriage: Thomas More, a deeply religious catholic himself, believed marriage should be a option available to priests. A priest´s wive is encouraged, not required, to lead a life of commuity help. That way, a motherly figure is made available to give advice about children/family values, should someone seek it. (such measure should also help solve the Catholic Church´s current pedophilia scandal)

2. Few laws and no lawyers: the more simple and clear the law is, the more just it is considered. The fewer the number of laws the better. In order to avoid lawyer´s attempt at circumventing laws and blurring the truth (a practice QUITE common in today´s legal system): everyone over the age 18 will have the obligation represent himself in court.

3. Pleasure as the only and principal source of human happiness: be this pleasure of a spiritual or mundane nature. This pleasure should never come at the expense of suffering (own/another´s), produce excesive fatigue or be followed withdrawal symptoms. Maintaining a healthly, physical and mental balance is considered the greatest of all pleasures.

4. Yes to Euthanasia: Eutasiania is acceptable as long as it´s voluntary and only when the patient is no longer able to carry out his vital functions. Not only is it viable alternative, but it´s considered an honorable death for those seeking to avoid living a life of torment for themselves and their loved ones.

5. Seven Supreme Rulers: elections are to be held anually and two of the ¨rulers¨ are local gobernors, who switch every week. (Instead of two changing rulers, I propose two ¨rulers¨ of a racial minority). This reduction of the political system would truly help reduce the burocratic/political bickering that dominates the politics of today. There are still of course regional elections and governors in charge of the need of their locality.

Thomas More (1478-1538)

6. Pre-Marriage ¨Peep Show¨ and Age Limit: Thomas More states that the age limit for marriage should be 18 for women and 21 for men. This might seem rash, but taking into account the actual high porcentage of divorces; establishing a 21 year uni-sex marriage limit might be good idea after all. Also, More proposes that before the wedding is pronounced, couples should be allowed to see  each other nude during a brief one minute ceremony. This is done in order to avoid traps or unpleasant after-marriage revelations. So sex or no sex, one should at least get a preview of your companion´s nude body before the wedding.

7. Forced Social Labor for Criminals: Thomas More proposes death for grave crimes (first-degree murder/rape…), and enslavement (forced social service) for the rest of crimes. Forced social service in which ¨slaves¨ that present good conduct and behavior are rewarded back with their freedom and those ¨slaves¨ that commit another crime or escape while serving time are killed. I propose replacing the ¨killing¨ part with perpetual arrest. Such measures will greatly discourage ANY kind of crime.

8. Religious tolerance: the belief that in the end we all worship or seek to obtain closer access to the same God. The religious beliefs of all others are to be respected. (atheists included, More said, even if he himself found their logic irrational/despicable). Those who incite violence through religion, and can´t be dissuaded, are arrested as criminals.

9. New Type of Confession: of all the catholic sacraments this is the one whose fundations on the Scriptures is the most shaky and dubious. Thomas More proposes that a real, pure confession should be made by kneeling in front of the person wronged and pleading for the forgiveness of the sin commited.

10. Future Buildings with a minimun three floor height: the future is in building up, not sideways. This way we help to better preserve our natural resources, drainage areas and ecosystems (forests, prairies…)

Human Fraternity Above all Else

Without a doubt, Thomas More was a visionary man with ideas way ahead of his time. He believed that nature invited all mortals to mutually help one another in the search of a happier life. Humans should be able to look at each other as brothers and be able to put aside all religious, political or social differences. (More himself didn´t believe money should exist)

I quote from his book: What shall I think of the rich men who exploit the poor daily? In reality they get away with it, not through their own squemes, but through the protection of our own laws. [… ] I see the sprouting republics of today – God forgive me – like a group of rich people who seek, in the shadows and in the name of the republic, only their own benefit. [ … ] When the rich manage set these social traps in the name of all, their own and that of the poor people, they pass on to become respectable laws.

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The Message Behind Music

The following is an analisis of the message behind the 10 most relevant music genres of the moment. A dauntless task with enough material to write a book, I will do my best to condense such vast information in the following post. That being said, no music style is superior to another.

Music through history

1. Classical Music: Harmony

Clearly not of actual relevance, this genre makes the list because of its long history: the oldest wind-pipe and string instruments dating back to 7000- 6,600 B.C, China. In his book Fedon, Socrates states that there are only two pure things in the world: the soul and harmony. He then states that classical music is pure harmony. No point in trying to argue agaisn´t such a wise man.

2. Traditional Folk Music: Culture

1800s. Folk, Waltz, Salsa, Merengue, etc. fall under this category. This type of music and dance are reflections of the society´s they sprouted from. They transmit the traditions, values and beat of their creators. In other words, the culture of our ancestors.

3. RnB: Festivity

1940s. RnB is short for Rhythm and Blues. This type of music sprung from the saloons, tabarets and gentlemen clubs of Lousiana (Moulin Rouge, etc.) Its beats, which are derived from African heritage, and are very contagious and danceable. They promote a festive, yet formal enviroment where social and romantic interactions are encouraged.

4. Pop: Popularity

1950s. The word ¨Pop¨ is literally an abbreviation of the word ¨popular¨. It´s the cameleon of music genres, as it tends to adopts the popular sound and music tecniques of the moment. Pop has no caracteristic sounds of its own, and is thus can only be defined by it´s goal: to be ¨popular¨.

5. Rock & Roll: Rebellion

1960s. A rebellion agaisn´t everything that opresses the human spirit: be it loneliness, authority, social conventions… It gains strength in a time where society is going through some remarkable cultural changes (the 60s). It´s a cry of the human soul wanting to be free.

6. Reggae: No Stress

1967. Sprouting from rock, reggae adds the elements of racial equality and poverty to the spirit of rebellion. This rebellion is agaisnt the system of Babylon, which opresses the common man through repetitive work.  Reggae music views ¨stress¨ as negative agent, and thus seeks to promote happy, stress-free moments.

7. Hip-Hop: Protest

1970s. Hip-hop originates in the slums of New York City, where life for the avergare poor African-american was really tough. Thus, originally hip-hop was afro-american´s way of protesting agaisn´t the violence, poverty and social inequality that sorrounded them in the 70s. From there it transformed into a music genre capable of promoting violence and sex. But heck, nobody is perfect and neither is hip-hop.

8. Indie Music: Different

1980s. The word ¨indie¨is short for independent. It originated in the early 80s when artist found the need to break the abusive grip of the big label companies had over the music industry. This group of artists was tired of having to modify their music to their contractors wishes. So they decided to strike out on their own and have provided original, innovative music ever since.

9. Reggaeton: Pleasure

Late 1980s. Reggaeton draws elements from reggae dancehall and hip-hop. While it may contain some violence, modern reggaeton is more about transmiting pleasure through dance. And, what a pleasurable dance it is. While controversial, this dance is also consentual and contrary to what some may believe: brings joy to both parties.

10. Techno: Chaos

1988. House, Trance, Electronic, Acid House… are all derivatives of Techno and thus fall under this category. This music genre is a perfect reflection of the society and lifesytle of the 21st Century. A society dominated by frentic work hours, chaotic cultural developments and lack of tranquility. A stage in human history where chaos seems to triumph over order, where ¨fate¨ is replaced by chance.

Interesting Comparisons

Opposites

Classical Music/Techno: mind over body, or body over mind. Harmony and order vs. Chaos and letting go

Pop/Indie: being popular or being different.

Traditional Folk Music/Hip-Hop: reflect a society or protest agaisn´t it.

Hand in Hand

Rock & Roll/Reggea: they both rebel against opression of the human soul. (some through violence and others through peace)

Rhythm and blues/Reggaeton: they are both pleasurable music. The only difference being in their formal/explicit nature.

Same End, Different Means

Reggae/Techno: they both provide solutions to liberate stress. Reggae´s solution is slowing down our lifesytle and not following society´s speedy footsteps. On the other hand, Techno´s solution to stress is speeding up and embracing modern society´s chaotic lifesytle.

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