"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas"

   2. Although the people of Omelas are fully aware of the child's suffering, those who remain in Omelas don't seem to feel any guilt. In fact, Le Guin reinforces this in her story.   Do you think it's possible to constantly feel guilty about the misery of others?  Please explain and provide examples.
 

    “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K Le Guin was a striking, and quite disturbing read for me.  I found myself trapped in a moral dilemma when I put myself in the shoes of a citizen of Omelas. Would I be the one walking away from the issue or would I ignore the mere fact that a child’s happiness is non existent, impossible perhaps, for the people of the city and remain in Omelas?  “One thing I know there is none of in Omelas is guilt” (Le Guin 2), but is this possible?  Would I let such a thing slip in my mind or would I constantly face a battle of guilt.  But of course, Le Guin reminds me that guilt is indeed non existent and that at as a citizen, I must repress any guilt I have inside of me. I would begin this battle of guilt by first seeing the child for myself.  I will probably want to cry, but in my utopia tears are a sign of weakness, and weakness is a characteristic utopian’s do not possess.  I may not feel guilt, but I would probably catch myself thinking about him constantly.  But how many days can I keep on thinking about the same child? In this utopia I do not feel any sadness.  This goes back to the question I am faced with: Do I think it is possible to constantly feel guilty about the misery of others?  In a perfect world, I want to say of course!  However, when I think about my own greediness I contradict myself.  I may feel guilty about the circumstances of an individual.  My eyes may even glaze over when watching a documentary on the Africans deprived of resources readily available to us in our society. But the real question I face is how long will I remember their situations and how I felt?  I won’t.  Rather, I will push away any guilt and slap a smile on my own face.  I will become greedy and remind myself that I am not in their shoes, and that one person helping won’t do much no matter how much I may believe that.  Yes, I may become committed to their aid, but it won’t last any longer than a year and even that’s pushing it. I would love to say that I am a selfless individual, but I simply know that I cannot feel guilty about the misery of others constantly.  In my eyes, it is not possible.  Now when I take myself out of the equation, I still have the same opinion about the majority of others.  It is not possible to constantly dwell upon the misery of others and always feel guilty.  Some may be able to go out of their way to help others, but as a whole many will have their own problems to deal with.  Humans have dilemma’s going on in their own lives; everyone is facing their own problems therefore, they are not able to always feel guilt for others.  This is exactly what appears to happen when there is an issue being faced by everyone.  Take Japan’s tsunami for example.  At one point this catastrophe was all over the news and people felt guilt.  Many donated money, and took time to watch the news and discuss the problems being faced by Japan as well.  What about Japan now?  How many times in the last month has Japan’s condition been broadcasted over the news?  Truth be told: feeling guilty about others misery is not as possible as we may want it to be. Yes, we may all want to be sympathetic and feeling guilt when we see others going through hell, but we will all somehow forget and move on with our own lives just as those who stay in Omelas.