The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

by Ursula K. Le Guin

This is a very interesting and thought provoking short story about citizens living in a Utopia, called Omelas, enabled through the continuous misery of one child. It doesn't go into the technicalities of how this works, but makes the reader think about what they would do.

Some citizens rationalise keeping the status quo in various ways: The miserable child probably would not get much better if let free; Freeing the child would prevent other works of brilliance and beauty from existing.

Others, upon seing the misery of the child, simply walk down the street, keep walking and walking and eventually leave Omelas. They are The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. The author states that the place they head to is even less imagineable than Omelas. I take this as a hint that it might be better. Meaning that if you have the courage to walk away from something apparently wonderful, yet disagreeable , you might actually reach somewhere even better.