Omelas

Omelas is a fictional city introduced in Ursula K. Le Guin's 1973 short story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas." The story depicts Omelas as a utopian society, characterized by its beauty, happiness, and the absence of suffering. The citizens of Omelas live in a state of perfect contentment, celebrating their annual Festival of Summer. However, this apparent paradise is maintained at a terrible cost.

At the heart of Omelas's prosperity lies a dark secret: a single, neglected child is kept in perpetual misery, confined to a small closet or cellar, deprived of all comfort and care. The story reveals that the happiness of all the people of Omelas depends entirely on this child's suffering. Every citizen learns of this arrangement at some point in their childhood, and they are faced with a profound moral dilemma.

Individuals who are unable to reconcile their own happiness with the child's torment have two choices. Most accept the situation, rationalizing that the collective good outweighs the suffering of one individual. They continue to live in Omelas, participating in its joys. However, a minority, known as "the ones who walk away," cannot abide this compromise. These individuals choose to leave Omelas, abandoning the city and its comforts to walk away into the unknown, presumably to live lives free of the moral stain of the child's suffering, though their ultimate fate is left ambiguous. The story is a thought experiment exploring the nature of happiness, sacrifice, and utilitarianism.