The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มิ.ย. 2021
- The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K Le Guin.
Written in 1973, this work is as much a thought experiment as a short story. Le Guin was inspired to write it based on the following passage from William James' essay The Moral Philosopher and The Moral Life:
"Or if the hypothesis were offered us of a world in which Messrs. Fourier's and Bellamy's and Morris's Utopias should all be outdone and
millions kept permanently happy on the one simple condition
that a certain lost soul on the far-off edge of things should lead
a life of lonely torture, what except a specifical and independent
sort of emotion can it be which would make us immediately
feel, even though an impulse arose within us to clutch at the
happiness so offered, how hideous a thing would be its enjoyment when deliberately accepted as the fruit of such a bargain?"
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas was the recipient of the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1974 and continues to provide fertile ground for the exploration of ethics, utopias, and walking away from rationalizations today.
Finally a reading without any distracting music added! Thank you so much
My headcanon is that ones who walk away commit suicide. He says, “It is possible it does not exist, but they seem to know where they are going.” And that they walk ahead into the darkness (afterlife) and they do not come back. Just my interpretation.
as much as i love this story there's one thing I can't wrap my head around... How does a suffering soul produce paradise for all others? And why would said paradise crumble if the child was released? I cannot fathom a genuine reason for it..... Just discovered it's about how someone elses prosperity means someone elses suffering. Wow, wow wow wow.
The part where it talks about even if the child were to be let out, it would be too consumed with fear, and feel so unloved no amount of comfort would help it, made me cry. Reminds me sadly of my childhood under 2. I was told by my adopted parents who were told by the social workers, I was locked in a room for hours on end with my brother who had to care for me because our parents were gone and we didnt get treated well. And to this day, I still am riddled with fear and abandonment and even though I try so hard to tell myself I'm adult, life is OK now, I still have such a hard time getting past this. My brother and I's grandparents hated us, literally grandna didnt want to hear us scream and cry and demanded my grandpa kept as quiet as possible. Our grandparents are gone now, but I think I partially wanna scream at her and say how could she do that to us? She beat our mother, I was lucky my grandmother didn't beat me. It still angers me. I think my brother and I turned out pretty good, my grandparents missed out on some really cool grandkids.
When you’re told the same in the real world, it will be with no less conviction- here or there, the child must be freed.
Now listen again, but think of the child as an animal living in a factory farm…
I think I would stay. Most people listening to English audiobook are from contries where our standard of living is thanks to lower from other places. I could easily imagine a beater life for myself, and if the price for that would be suffering of one innocent child, when in the real, flawed world it is thanks to millions suffering, then I would except that.
It's pronounced Omelas not Omelas
Love your story telling
Awesome reading!
very nice storytelling but the "eh-haa, eh-haa" at
This, The Lottery, and The Monsters are Due on Maple Street are the short stories that I read in English that I still carry with me.
This is such an eye opening short story. It’s reflects our world. There are countries where there is suffering while others profit off their misery.
I had not known of this story until now. Thanks for sharing / reading this to us!
Great job! Thank you so much
Brilliant, thank you for reading this to us
Thank you for the wonderful reading
Love it, thanks!
Well done!
Enjoyed! Well done mate. Gripping