A Perfect World?

I never thought I'd be one to say it, but I quite enjoy dystopian fiction. Well, I'm not sure enjoy is the right word, seeing that one of its main hallmarks is an exceptional amount of tragedy...but it makes me think. The recent trend of stories about a world trying to pull itself out of chaos (with disastrous results our unfortunate protagonists must then suffer and survive) speaks to the unsettling times our own world is in. There is a sense that we are precariously near something that may upend the world as we know it, and we see a variety of tenacious efforts to preserve the stability of society in the midst of rapid, unprecedented changes.

To me, dystopian stories dramatically illustrate many of the moral tensions facing our postmodern world. We must wrestle with very real and difficult questions, such as:

• How far is it acceptable go in the effort to establish and maintain peace?
• What is the responsibility of leaders towards the people they govern?
• When is it permissible to sacrifice the individual for the greater good?
• Who gets to set standards and determine what is good for others?
• What qualities are fundamentally necessary to a healthy society?
• What is worth fighting for, and what is to be resisted at all costs?
• Where is the balance between order and freedom?

The answers to questions like these seem increasingly unattainable as our world subtly grows more and more like the stuff of fiction. But maybe the stories have it right after all -- even with the best of intentions, human efforts to create a perfect world inevitably lead to horrific abuses of power and ultimately greater suffering. Attempts to control humanity end in a tragic loss of humanity. A brave few may stand up against the system, but always at tremendous cost and for seemingly little gain. And there the stories end, with the haunting question: Was it worth it?

Is there any good option for those who bemoan the world's ills? We may follow the tide of human effort in vain hopes of holding onto as much of the familiar as possible. We may shout desperately in equally vain hopes of reversing the world's self-destructive trends. We may throw up our hands in despair and hide away while everything crumbles around us. Or, as believers, we can remember that Jesus told us this would happen, and stake all our hope on the promise of His coming. Yes, it is worth it to faithfully do what's right, even though we will almost certainly lose in the world's eyes. For us, the ultimate answer will be found in the Lord's return and the perfect world only He can build!

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death

or mourning or crying or pain,

for the old order of things has passed away.

Revelation 22:4