I dream of a utopian world where planet Earth would no longer feel as small and confining as it does in these dark times. There would be only one people, and countries would no longer exist, because the very concept of borders would never have come into being. The word "border" would never have been invented. Humanity would have a single motto: "To love more and more, as though we could never love enough."
Women would give birth under the same conditions, and always by choice.
Children would always be wanted and would grow up in homes overflowing with love and affection. They would never have to worry about going to bed hungry or falling asleep to the sound of bombs. They would never have to queue for humanitarian aid, stand under the scorching sun selling random objects just to survive, or be exposed at such a young age to the cruelty of the world we are leaving them. Their only concern would be to keep learning, both at school and in the school of life. They would practise whichever sport they chose and cultivate whatever art their souls called them to pursue. Little girls would not be forced to grow up too soon or into marriage, even if that meant never marrying at all. They would never be mutilated or abused. They would be allowed to preserve their innocence for as long as possible. They would have the same right as boys to play outside for as long as they wished, ride bicycles, play football, ride motorbikes, and simply play. They would constantly be reminded that they are just as intelligent and just as capable of running a business, commanding an army or raising a family. The choice would be theirs.
Teenagers would only have to worry about the problems of their own age. They would experience their first heartbreaks without ever having to know financial hardship, family conflicts, abandonment or betrayal. They would never have to become parents to their own parents. They would have nothing to worry about except their future, and they would have a family around the dinner table who understood their inner struggles, even when they remained unspoken.
Young adults, meanwhile, would not have to take out twenty-year bank loans to finance their education. They would not have to leave their families and loved ones in search of a better life. They would not have to bury their dreams beneath the weight of the harsh realities of adulthood. They would not have to fight harder than others to find a decent job because of the colour of their skin or the sound of their names. Nor would they have to put off travelling, embarking on an adventure or starting a family in pursuit of career advancement.
Adults would not be forced to project their dreams onto their children. They would have the means to keep dreaming themselves, without constantly worrying about their children's future. They would not think of retirement as the only time when they could finally enjoy life; instead, they would have the luxury of enjoying every single day.
As for the elderly, they would never be pushed to the margins of society. They would be role models, the wise advisers of a world that always strives to do better and refuses to repeat the mistakes of previous generations. They would always be surrounded by others, serving as the pillars of families that would have to rebuild themselves should those pillars ever crumble.
I dream of a utopian world where entering politics would not be an act of self-importance or a means of showing off, but a meaningful and weighty responsibility; a profession devoted to serving others, where the goal would not be personal gain but the common good. A world where we would no longer have to beg philanthropists and self-proclaimed do-gooders to fund hospitals and schools. A world where athletes would not be paid salaries that could feed entire tribes for a year. A world where justice would not be an occasional ideal but an unconditional reality. A world where the economy would not revolve around profit but around equality. A world where art would not be a market to study or conquer, but an expression of the soul and of the artist's convictions; a bridge to reconnect what has been torn apart.
The world I am talking about would not be built on endless battles between men and women, Black and white, rich and poor. It would simply be one world. There would be no North and South, no First World and Third World. There would be only one humanity, united in the face of disasters. There would be a single ministry: the Ministry of Human Rights; a single leader: "Morality"; and a single nationality: "Humanity".
If all this sounds too unrealistic, then I want to be an idealist. I will not give up believing in it, in the possibility that such a world is not so difficult to achieve. The world I dream of is not impossible. It requires just one sacrifice: loving others as much as we love ourselves, if not more. I do not believe that love is a miracle bestowed upon us by God. Love is a choice, one made by reason as much as by the heart. We can choose one another. We can choose never to do to others what we would not accept being done to ourselves. Believe me, this is hardly a great sacrifice. We would all be better off for it. It is the greatest legacy we could pass on to our children.
And what about my own future? It would be filled with simple joys. I would wake up early every day and have breakfast in the vast garden of my house, perched high on a mountain. I would wake my children and dress them in the simplest of clothes. Then I would take them to school, where they would be taught to be curious. I would return home, put on a long, colourful skirt and a lace top, climb onto my beautiful bicycle, with its elegantly slender wheels and handlebars adorned with a wicker basket, and ride to the nearest hospital, where I would work as an internal medicine physician. I would help people feel better and suffer less.
At the end of my shift, I would visit my parents for coffee. My mother would bring me up to date on the family news, while my father and I would launch into an endless debate. I would then return home to prepare a meal free of pesticides and carcinogenic substances. My children would play outside with the farm animals, rolling around in the mud and dancing in the rain. They would learn how to light a fire and play the guitar. They would sing "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. They would be happy because they would never have known the world we know today. They would have the freedom to become whatever they wished, because they would not be constrained by the need to survive in a world that forces everyone into a predetermined mould.
Finally, when my whole family had gone to bed, I would pick up the books that made me dream when I was little, just to make those books jealous of the world I had helped create. I would gaze at the stars with the right person, in a silence that would never feel heavy.
So yes! The world I dream of may never exist. But perhaps dreaming together could be the first step towards building a world founded on peace and fraternity and sisterhood, on love: love for others, love for ourselves and love for life. And allow me one final dream: that I might have convinced you.
