Stop Creating Dystopian Stories. Stop it. You're not helping.

The human mind is a powerful force. Perhaps the most powerful force in creation.

We can convince ourselves that sugar pills are medicine and heal ourselves via The Placebo Effect using only the power of our mind.

On a quantum level, The Observer Effect demonstrates there is no such thing as 'objective reality' because every phenomenon which is observed... is changed through the (subjective) process of observation. Such is the power of the human mind.

Such is the power of Consciousness.

Consciousness is the 'stuff' of which the human mind is made. Our brain is the tool by which Consciousness is processed. Like a light bulb is the tool by which electricity is processed. The light bulb is not electricity itself, merely its channel. So the brain is our human tool which channels Consciousness. The Electricity of the Mind.

You don't need to be a subscriber to a belief in a religious God to be able to understand the objective, scientific power of the phrase:

I Am.

Whatever follows that magical phrase... becomes.

So whether your approach to the power of the idea of I Am has a religious foundation or a scientific one, both sides of the conversation can agree that there is Phenomenal Cosmic Power lamped in that two-word, three-letter phrase.

What this has to do with writing dystopian stories

When we use our creative energy - our Consciousness - to craft imaginary dystopian worlds, we scientifically add energy - amplify - the idea of a dystopian world in our world.

We 'I Am/We Are' ourselves into a dystopian world via the creative process (on the part of the author) and the power of suggestion (to the reader/audience).

"But it's just imaginary," one may suggest in reply (if you'll forgive the straw man exercise).

The light bulb was 'just imaginary' before it was real.

The television was 'just imaginary' before it was real.

The Internet was 'just imaginary' before it was real.

Imagination is not no-thing. Imagination is thought. Thought is Consciousness. Phenomenal Cosmic Power, remember?

When we use our imagination to create dystopian worlds, we are scientifically amplifying the likelihood of creating a dystopia in our real world. We are 'adding mass' to the potential reality of a(n even more pronounced) dystopia on earth in a very real way.

The Psychology Behind Dystopian Creativity

Put simply, the psychology behind dystopian creativity is understandable.

Example: Game of Thrones.

GoT is one of my favorite book series and was (through Season 5) one of the greatest television shows ever to have been made.

Without question, it was one of the most successful television shows ever to have been made.

Why?

Because the world of Essos (Westeros) is absolutely miserable.

So, the psychology behind the appeal of dystopian creativity is simple:

Watching GoT, we see a world that is worse than our own. This helps us feel better about our world.

It generates a sense of faux-relief when the episode of GoT ends and we return to our own world, which is full of awful things happening, but hey, at least we're not getting roasted by a dragon or betrayed and murdered on the toilet by a family member!

This is understandable. Our current world is a dumpster fire of planetary proportions - literally and metaphorically. The impulse to take some time out of our day to spend a few moments in a place that's shittier than our world is an understandable escape reflex and coping mechanism.

Problem is: Then we do nothing to make the truly sub-par / shitty aspects of our world better in real life.

The faux-relief we get from watching/reading/spending time in a world that is more awful than our own robs us of our energy and motivation to enact actual change in our real world. *(see footnote/sidenote at bottom)

Furthermore (one more straw man, if you'll indulge), "What's the big deal? It's just a TV show/book/video game."

Think of what a sensation Game of Thrones was. Tens of millions of people followed that show ravenously. And GoT is just one show. Whether you were a fan of GoT specifically or not, take a moment to acknowledge the power our entertainment (in the form of film/TV/books/video games/sports/music) has to unify us under one cause.

Now, imagine for a moment if - instead of 10,000,000+ people discussing an imaginary world steeped in misery... imagine if those same 10,000,000+ people were discussing an imaginary world steeped in enlightened ideals.

Imagine if the countless forums, YouTube, Reddit & Discord channels, and media outlets were all discussing [the author's] masterful crafting of a society that was not only thriving, but holistic, realistic, and how it might actually be achievable; discussing [the characters'] relationships with one another as constructive, open, and healthy; discussing [what might happen next] in the vein of all the amazing, mind-blowing potential outcomes.

^That's not boring. That's damn good television, if done correctly.

The truth is: We have very little practice at creating entertainment that does the above in any way (much less does it well). To date, Star Trek & Ted Lasso are two of our only examples of this phenomenon being done well and reaching a state of mass popularity.

Challenge: Create Something Better

The bright side of this conversation is that this overall phenomenon is a coin with both a heads and a tails side.

While it's true we can use our imagination to create a deteriorating/dystopian society (tails), it is also true we can use our imagination and creativity to craft and build a pathway toward a more enlightened/utopian society (heads).

So, I challenge every writer - on Vocal and beyond - who has had the impulse to craft a dystopian work:

What if you applied your Phenomenal Cosmic Powers of imagination and creativity to craft a story which lays out a plan for a more enlightened/utopian society?

When I use the word 'utopian', I do not mean some pie-in-the-sky, head-in-the-clouds fantasy that would never work. I mean ground it in reality and science. Make it gritty and visceral. Make us believe it. Make us believe that your creation - or something like it - just might be possible... if we work together to achieve it.

Whether we create a dystopian future or a utopian future is up to us.

As writers, we have embraced our role in the world: To Create.

Only you can decide whether you want to use your Creative Power to make the world a brighter or a darker experience -- for you, and for all.

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*(Footnote/Sidenote: Dramatic Television does this formulaically, by the way. Keep an eye out for it in all your favorite TV shows. Star Trek & Ted Lasso are two of the only shows ever made (so far) which break this formula and leave the viewer genuinely feeling uplifted, inspired, and healthily-optimistic about life after watching them.)

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Author's Note: (8/8/23 - 24 hours after original publication)

This article is not suggesting there is no benefit in dystopian writing - past, present, or future. There is great benefit in dystopian writing via the lens of contrast (we know what we want more clearly when we bounce off of that which we do not want).

What this article is suggesting is that we balance the scales by adding in some additional creativity toward a more enlightened/utopian society. Currently, our society focuses almost exclusively on dystopian creativity as it pertains to this conversation (of utopian vs. dystopian).

For writers/artists/creatives who gain benefit from channeling dystopian energy through creativity, it is good to continue.

For writers/artists/creatives who don't have a strong pull in one direction or another but would be writing/creating dystopian work merely for the potential commercial success of it (aka: because it's trendy) - these are the dystopian creations we can do without. And these are the writers/artists/creatives I'm challenging to reach for something else.

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Continued reading, if you'd like to take a poetic walk down Empowerment Boulevard:

And if, yes, you would like spicy sauce to go with your order today:

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. If you enjoyed it, please leave a heart, and I'm always grateful for any feedback in the comments.