Create Your Own Adventure

Topic 1: Statistically, it is almost guaranteed that aliens exist somewhere in the universe. If they do, should the human race communicate with them? Why? How? What complications could there be in attempting an "intergalactic" communication?

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Topic 2: In a little under 3 weeks, the date Marty McFly chose to travel to in Back to the Future II will arrive. The film predicted massive advances in technology, most of which we have yet to achieve. In what ways was the film right/wrong? How are we more or less advanced in reality than in the movie?

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Topic 3: What does Utopia mean to you? What is your idea of Utopia? Why might some people disagree with your "perfect" society? Could our world today become a Utopia?

• "Utopia" is simply a place where everything is perfect. There is no conflict, no violence, no lawlessness; perfection. The dictionary definition of the world, however, adds in one crucial word to that definition: "imagined." By that definition, Utopia cannot exist at all in the real world; humans are imperfect, messy, biased, and sometimes selfish. Already, any idea of a Utopian society in our world looks abysmal if the very definition of the word denies its actuality. But let's not get disparaged just yet. What might a Utopian society look like? In my opinion, it's relatively simple. There should be no conflict, disunion, or maliciousness. Furthermore, everyone should be equal in the eyes of the law, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexuality, or ideology. After all, each one of us is equally as human as all the rest, so why should some have rights that others don't? 
• The next step is to eliminate poverty. A more even distribution of wealth across the world would help to end both poverty and hunger. Here, though, is where the system contradicts itself. At this stage, money must be taken from the rich and distributed to the poor. Few people would disagree that all humans should be treated equally, but many more would fight to keep their wealth; almost no one who is incredibly wealthy would be willing to give up 99% their wealth so that someone else could have 99% more than they had before.
• Of course, we could continue into the dissolution of empires, regimes, and borders, but that would cause even more conflict than global wealth distribution. Unfortunately, the definition of Utopia stands: imagined. We can describe a perfect society with perfect people and perfect economies until we're blue in the face, but that dream (as unfortunate as it is) cannot be realized because natural human instinct is to care for oneself first and others later. So until we somehow collectively figure out that if we put everyone else first, everyone else will therefore put us first, Utopia will have to stay that far-gone City on a Hill.