Brave New World

Wow, I just finished "Brave New World," and I found it really fascinating. I realize, however, that I would not have been nearly as intrigued by it a decade ago as I am now. I have a much broader understanding of human nature, and a decidedly less dogmatic view of morality as I did then. The idea of "everyone belongs to everyone else,"may have been such a distraction to me then that I may not have been able to think about the greater point. I think one of my favorite characters is Mustapha Mond. He is not a main character, but he represents an interesting worldview. I suppose to a certain extent he may represent my worldview. From my reading of reviews of the book, the appropriate response of the public who reads it is to be disgusted at the lack of freedom society has in the book. I don't necessarily feel this way. I think that most people alive now would respond well to a society that conditioned them to be happy in their station in life. They would really enjoy having attainable goals, and parting with the relationship drama that plagues so many lives these days. If a society like the one portrayed in the book could be attained, I think the majority would be willing and happy cogs on the gears in the mechanism of life. I would really like to know the exact truth of what happens on the "islands" free thinkers are sent to, however. If they are truly islands where people with dangerous ideas are allowed to experiment with them outside of the framework of regular society, then I think that is a possible acceptable way to preserve both free thought, and drone society. If the "islands" are code for some sort of extermination, or permanent drugged state, then I suppose I would not prefer that system as much.

I think it is interesting that when reading this book the majority of people will consider themselves an alpha, or possibly and alpha plus plus in this society, and others, never themselves would have to be deltas and epsilons. The truth is, most people who read this book are not alphas, they just don't realize it. Wouldn't there be some usefulness to giving those people peace with their station in life. It is true that there are some jobs that no one prefers to do. Who does these now? Underpaid people who often have very sad, very hard lives. If people were bred for these jobs, and their lives were pre-programmed with plenty of food, recreation, sex, and no-side-effect drugs when they needed a break from life, might that not be an improvement? Of course then there is the downside of life for people like Mustapha Mond, who must sacrifice his own intellect, and scientific advancement for the whole of society to preserve the illusion for the majority.

What would it mean to society if the only people who truly suffered were those whose intellect allowed them to comprehend more than the life they experienced. People like Mustapha Mond, Helmholtz Watson, and Bernard Marx. And even though they suffered, it was an intellectual, and not physical suffering, experienced by those who had the mental capacity, not only to empathize with others, but to suppress their own desires consciously for the greater good. In some sense, I believe people who have greater life comprehension do that now in order to function in society, so this would not be a very big sacrifice. If you were allowed to have your own ideas as long as you did not spread them, that may not be so big a sacrifice.

The savage is a wonderful character as well, and years ago I would have identified with him to a greater degree. He presents a beautiful confusion, that is able to show interesting sides of the different people he interacts with. I don't particularly find value in the simple life for it's own sake, so I don't feel particularly sorry for him. I also see him as a combination of all the guilt and pain brought on by the responsibility we have felt toward organized religion, and other philosophies that were more prevalent in past times. I am not nostalgic for olden times because there seems to have been some kind of beautiful magic in them that we can no longer access. I believe old ideas are interesting, but unlike the savage, I don't hold that they are all true and valuable. I don't believe in unnecessarily harming yourself because of guilt brought on be putting inappropriate importance on texts that likely had very different original meanings than we ascribe to them. I think of them as a view into other thought processes. It is nice to honor ancestors, but I believe it is wrong to keep society from exploring it's potential, imprisoning it to voices from the past that we do not fully understand. I do find it interesting that old ideas are so taboo to the stabilization of society. It is also fascinating that even though their society is portrayed as modern it is not allowed to advance for fear that change would bring destabilization.

Where I would fit in this society I don't know. I value my right to explore unconventional thinking and archaic ideas alike. If I had the option to do this exploration in my private life, on my own time, but would still be required to exist in a superficial society during the work day, I would very likely take that deal. I do love being a mother, but I also understand that if a society could manage to create healthy individuals without the family unit, there would be certain advantages to that. If I could understand the inner workings of the system, even if I couldn't change them, I would not necessarily charge for revolution. Maybe a happy medium. Maybe, if need be, and if the islands were really islands where people of free thought could do what they wished, I would join them. Maybe it would be like an artists colony where wise people could pool their thoughts and leave them for future generations.

In the end, I know this entire world is just another theory: a utopia, or dystopia, as it is labeled, to add to the museum of ideas that could never really work in the near future, anyway, because human nature has such a desire to fight against it's own best interests. While I am not anywhere near ready to give up being viviparous, there are some things I would be willing to hide if it meant that the poorest among us could have happy lives with little hardship.

While this society may or may not work in reality, I believe it is arrogant of Americans, and first world countries in general to think there is no other better organization of society than what we have now. Maybe now, in our time we are at the pinnacle, but in the future, we may find that the individual freedom we value so much now, is not helpful for the furtherance of humanity as a whole. We may find that if our purpose isn't defined by things like meaning, and oneness with the universe or self-actualization, that a more unified goal may emerge that is better for everyone. Maybe we will decide that peace and a sort of deluded happiness for all is worth the price. I honestly can't imagine it, but it is worth considering.






I just watched a few clips from the 1998 movie that was made from the book. (I hear there may be a new movie of the book coming out in December of this year). I found them to be superficial. It seems to me that if you obsess about the promiscuity, and indoctrination of the population you are missing some very key points. If you think about it all children are indoctrinated to some extent, and most grow up to be approximately as deep as most of the population in Brave New World. As far as promiscuity, the type that is portrayed in the book is not the type that we are familiar with. Promiscuity in present society is deviant to monogamy, whereas promiscuity in Brave New World basically is monogamy. They have put great planning into making it basically as safe as monogamy and, in Brave New World, monogamy is deviant. The promiscuity in Brave New World, was really the equivalent of monogamy today and therefore, not nearly as exciting to those who participated in it as quality monogamy is to us. Get over it people. That is why I think the movie is going to get bogged down in things that are really beside the point. The sexuality thing was just a symptom of the real solution that society had found, which was really fascinating.

You may also be interested in getting a flavor for the times Aldous Huxley lived in by viewing this interview of him.