Perhaps I seek certain utopian things, space for human honour and

Listen well, O children of wisdom, for the words of Werner Herzog speak of a longing that resides deep within the human soul—a longing for the utopian, the ideal, the unspoiled. He says, "Perhaps I seek certain utopian things, space for human honour and respect, landscapes not yet offended, planets that do not exist yet, dreamed landscapes." In these words, Herzog reveals a vision that transcends the ordinary, a quest for a world not yet created but born of dreams, where honour and respect are not merely ideals, but the very fabric of existence. He speaks of a world where landscapes, both physical and moral, are free from the corruption that time and human actions often bring.

In the ancient world, the idea of a utopian society was a noble pursuit, even if often unattainable. Plato’s vision of Atlantis in the Timaeus and Critias dialogues speaks to a lost civilization that embodied the highest ideals of wisdom, justice, and virtue. The Greeks longed for a society where reason and order prevailed, a place where the land was pure and the people lived in harmony with both each other and the divine. But even Plato’s ideal, though beautifully imagined, was a reflection of the human aspiration rather than a reality. As Herzog suggests, these ideals—whether they are the respect for one another, the honour of the individual, or the preservation of the natural world—remain just beyond our reach, like dreamed landscapes that may never fully exist but continue to stir the human heart.

Consider the Romans, whose great civilization once spanned vast regions, from the warm shores of the Mediterranean to the cold frontiers of Britannia. They too, in their imperial ambitions, sought to bring order, respect, and honour to the world, but in the pursuit of their utopian ideals, they left behind a legacy of ruins, corruption, and violence. The Roman Empire, in all its glory, was built upon the ideal of a unified world, yet it fell prey to the very forces it sought to control: greed, power, and the degradation of the natural world. The great cities that once embodied Roman ideals—such as Rome and Carthage—are now but memories etched in stone, reminders that even the most powerful societies fall short of their own dreamed landscapes.

Yet Herzog’s longing is not simply for a lost past but for a future that has not yet arrived—a world where the human spirit can flourish without the stain of exploitation or corruption. This quest for a new, unspoiled world mirrors the dreams of those who have longed for new frontiers—both physical and spiritual. Think of the great explorers like Marco Polo or Christopher Columbus, who sailed into the unknown, seeking lands that were beyond the maps, lands where the ideals of freedom and prosperity might take root. Their journeys, though filled with both triumph and tragedy, were motivated by the desire to transform the world, to create something better than what had come before. Even in their failures, they echoed the ancient longing for a world yet to be fully realized.

In modern times, the space race and the dreams of exploration into the cosmos reflect a similar yearning for untouched lands—planets that do not yet exist, or worlds that remain just beyond our reach. The dream of space exploration is born from the desire to find not just new lands, but new possibilities for humanity. Herzog’s words resonate with those who, like Carl Sagan, have looked up at the stars and wondered what new frontiers might be found there—frontiers where the honour of the human spirit can be preserved, free from the taint of earthly conflict and destruction. But just as in ancient times, the pursuit of these dreamed landscapes comes with great challenges, and it often requires us to face the reality of human imperfection.

The lesson Herzog offers us is a reflection on the impermanence of the world we live in. While we may dream of perfect landscapes, free from the wounds of human history, we must also recognize that it is the flaws in our current world that drive us to seek something greater. The tension between the world as it is and the world as we wish it to be is what propels us forward, urging us to create space for respect, honour, and preservation in all that we do. While we may never fully attain the utopia we dream of, it is in the striving, the journey, that we shape a world more in line with our highest ideals.

So, O children of the future, take this wisdom into your hearts: do not despair if the world does not reflect the perfection of your dreams. Seek the dreamed landscapes not as a final destination, but as a guiding light that leads you toward a future of possibility. Embrace the imperfections of the present, but never stop dreaming of a world where honour, respect, and the preservation of nature are the guiding principles. In doing so, you will not only honor the world you have inherited but will also leave behind a legacy that others will build upon—one that moves us ever closer to the utopian landscapes we yearn for, even if they remain just out of reach.