Raging with the Machine

A friend once told me that he'd always considered me a utopian thinker. My first reaction was to scoff mightily, considering my many rants against the current state of affairs. On reflection though, he was absolutely right.
Not only that, but my ranting was just an extension of that very utopian way of thinking!



You see, my ranting has always stemmed from a fervent wish to see the world improved, somehow. Whether it be raging against the consumer-driven economy; or the short term thinking of democratically elected politicians (theres something to be said for dictators - they at least plan for life!); or simply the callous impatience and lack of common courtesy of the 'common man' (and woman), my yearning has always been for a better world.

I think this is also reflected in my sometime obsession with world building games - Civilization, Dwarf Fortress, Master of Orion, The Sims... ok maybe not the last one, but you get the idea. It could just be my latent megalomania talking, but the idea of being able to create a world, and then control it's growth and the direction it takes... it very much appeals to me. It is perhaps an extension of the worlds I have always created, those worlds of the mind. Stories, novel ideas, roleplaying worlds... I even have a persistent world in which a high percentage of my dreams occur, complete with a recurring set of characters, and a favourite movie theatre.

Recently though, I've come to embrace mayhem a little more closely.
Much as it pains me to watch whenever a favoured world imploded under the stresses of various social, economic, religious and alien invasion factors, it's also somewhat liberating to sit back, and watch the chaos unfold.
Now, I'm not saying I'm intending to get all nihilistic, or replace utopia with dystopia. But let's face it: my idea of utopia isn't going to be everyones kind of picnic. So perhaps a little revolution and anarchy is good every now and again.

After all, a little mayhem is surely preferable to the apathy that binds much of the population today, hmm?

Get out there and feel alive people!