918 dead, 5,792 illegally working, or thousands happy? Without explanation, most would certainly prefer the latter, as it is seemingly the least adverse situation. However, the context behind these statistics raises more questions beyond the initial emotional response. The first two, the death toll of Jonestown and the number of children illegally working in the US as of 2023, are those in which free will, the ability to make decisions independently from others, is in play, whereas the thousands happy living in utopia in The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, have no free will. Free will causes actions of greed that undermine the principles by which utopias are created, oftentimes leading to the fall of attempted utopias and societies headed there.
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Furthermore, in addition to defection from utopianism by higher-ups, free will in a utopia also leads to mass social dissatisfaction and separation of ideas due to the desire for control. In the business world, especially that of the US, companies look to maximize profits as much as possible. This can mean consciously hiring minors illegally, as “with lax enforcement by overstretched regulators and fines that max out at around $15,000 per child, some firms have decided there’s little risk to hiring minors,” unequivocally greedy acts of free will that encourage rejecting humanitarian progress, a core utopian ideal (TheWeek 3). These actions lead to outrage at companies for practicing this behavior and at the government for allowing it to happen. Still, when one side of the political spectrum garners support for a humanitarian movement, the need for power takes over. When Democrats began lobbying for child labor law reform, many conservatives quickly claimed that, “states must ‘eliminate unnecessary hurdles’ and ‘leave the decision-making to parents’” (TheWeek
Furthermore, in addition to defection from utopianism by higher-ups, free will in a utopia also leads to mass social dissatisfaction and separation of ideas due to the desire for control. In the business world, especially that of the US, companies look to maximize profits as much as possible. This can mean consciously hiring minors illegally, as “with lax enforcement by overstretched regulators and fines that max out at around $15,000 per child, some firms have decided there’s little risk to hiring minors,” unequivocally greedy acts of free will that encourage rejecting humanitarian progress, a core utopian ideal (TheWeek 3). These actions lead to outrage at companies for practicing this behavior and at the government for allowing it to happen. Still, when one side of the political spectrum garners support for a humanitarian movement, the need for power takes over. When Democrats began lobbying for child labor law reform, many conservatives quickly claimed that, “states must ‘eliminate unnecessary hurdles’ and ‘leave the decision-making to parents’” (TheWeek