Amir H. Payberah - 2025-08-26

Ursula K. Le Guin, the feminist writer, has a story called "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas". Her tale is about an imaginary, prosperous city where the happiness and well-being of all its citizens depend on the suffering and torment of a single child locked away in a dark basement. When the people of Omelas learn of this reality, they respond in two different ways: some choose to leave the city, while others accept the situation and continue their carefree lives.

But Omelas is not merely a fictional city. Today, we can find its parallels in many corners of our daily lives. A striking example is the extraction of cobalt in Congo, a vital material for producing the batteries that power nearly all of our electronic devices: cars, mobile phones, and even the very laptop I am using to write these words. We, the users of these devices, are like the carefree citizens of Omelas, while the Congolese workers are that child imprisoned underground.

And faced with this reality, what do we do? I have no answer to that question.