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The City of Omelas: The Price of Paradise
Season 1 Episode 234
In this episode, you step into one of the most haunting ethical parables ever written: Ursula K. Le Guin’s Omelas — a utopia built on the hidden suffering of a single child.
Through vivid storytelling, beachside metaphors, and second-person “you are there” immersion, this episode confronts the moral cost of comfort, the psychology of denial, and the quiet cruelties people accept to protect their own paradise.
You explore:
- The utilitarian dilemma: is the suffering of one worth the joy of many?
- The price of privilege in modern society — from cheap labour to environmental damage.
- The psychological forces behind wilful ignorance, denial, and the stories we tell ourselves to avoid guilt.
- Why some people “walk away” from morally corrupt systems... and why most never do.
- The parallel between Omelas and The Beach, where paradise collapses the moment suffering becomes visible.
By the end of the episode, listeners are asked uncomfortable but essential questions: What suffering are you willing to ignore so your life stays comfortable? What illusions do you maintain so you never have to confront the truth? And if you lived in Omelas… would you walk away?
A powerful, challenging, and transformative episode designed to sharpen your moral awareness and deepen your self-understanding.
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Published on 1 month ago