At breakfast the other day my husband posed an interesting question. He asked, “What would a perfect world look like?”

We considered the idea. In a perfect world there would be no birth defects, no injury, no illness, no aging and no death. There would be no power struggles, no ego struggles and no struggles for survival. There would be universal love and kindness and brotherhood – a perfect community.

Immediately we recognized problems. If nobody died the planet would soon run out of room for more people. How would this world be run (our political systems are far from perfect now); who would decide what type of house one lived in, what type of food one ate? What would we do for a living?

What would the pharmaceutical companies and hospitals do if their products and services were no longer needed? Aw! I really want this now; a world without drugs and hospitals! If no one grew old, nursing homes would be unnecessary too.

This utopia sounds less and less viable and I know we’re just playing a game here, but is it inconceivable because we’re so accustomed to the world as it is? Have we come to accept struggle, challenges, pain and grief as a part of life? I believe we have.

One could argue that some of our greatest advancements were born of necessity and struggle, that some of our most wonderful works of art and literature emerged from pain and suffering. But does this make pain and struggle valid or does it just say that we are incredibly adept at validating it? We make the best of what we have, assigning perfection in retrospect but rarely in real time. We’re like that, aren’t we?

Still, I would like to live in a perfect world.

What would a perfect world look like to you? Have you ever wished this world had a little more joy and a little less pain and suffering? Would you like to live in a perfect world?

photo credit: Derek Keat