Funny, the things we do in highschool, and hate, are the things that we end up repeating later on by our own desire and volition. Life’s irony never ceases to cause me to chuckle.
During my recent indisposedness (those times when you are conscious, but wish you weren’t cause you don’t have the energy or drive to do much of anything) I took the time to reread A Brave New World. It has been several years since I last read it. The book was just as (or more so) thought provoking, innovative, inspiring, and insightful than I remember. However, it was also more vulgar and, at parts, arguably inappropriate than I recall as well, and would therefore caution anyone reading it to be guarded about some portions (they may be simply skipped over, which is what I did).
For those who don’t know the plot or background I am not going to give much of it. Suffice it to say that it takes place in an unforeclosed future time where society is filled with genetically prearranged classes of people, preprogrammed to reproduce their assigned task. Happiness and comfort of the individual is the end all of human, or social, existence. Men and women are biologically conditioned to not think of anything that might lead to unhappiness, such as: love, guilt, hope, God, pain, etc. They are conditioned to indulge their basic whims and carnal desires, and to not deny themselves any pleasure. Basically, it is the Solomon of Ecclesiastes, but without chapter 12 or the realization that it is vanity (those undesirable consequences are silenced by drugs, which have no ill side-effects).
Anyway, in my opinion the book is insightful (nearly clairvoyant) because it captures the essence of the Humanistic society. In contrast to the Orwellian society, which is dominated by Fear and Repression of human freedoms, Huxley (the author) shows a society repressed by the unlimited access to human indulgences and freedom from consequence. I feel that Huxley, not Orwell, plays a more probable dirge to which our “free”, post-modern society is marching. It is a society which has all the pleasantries, trinkets, and amusements, yet without any of the prerequisites or consequences. It is a spoiled society, but yet so spoiled as to be ignorant that they are missing anything. I think it relates quite appropriately to western ‘civilization’.
I would sum the book up by a quote from Gibran Khalil Gibran; “Verily, the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral”.
Often we think that satan is trying to make the world full of bad people. The truth is, we do that ourselves. Satan, is trying to make us numb, soma sucking infants; anesthetized to the pain and guilt of our sin, as well as to our potential for good works. He is a roaring lion, but his roar may be the quiet offering of a bit more comfort, a little less self-denial, and a few more worldly pleasures…
Well that was my nerdy, academic post. I really do love good literature, it is such a thought-provoking (and for me, spiritual) exercise.
If you want to understand the cartoon completely you'll probably have to read the book...I just didn't want to post without a picture...I guess I've been conditioned that 'pictures are good'.
During my recent indisposedness (those times when you are conscious, but wish you weren’t cause you don’t have the energy or drive to do much of anything) I took the time to reread A Brave New World. It has been several years since I last read it. The book was just as (or more so) thought provoking, innovative, inspiring, and insightful than I remember. However, it was also more vulgar and, at parts, arguably inappropriate than I recall as well, and would therefore caution anyone reading it to be guarded about some portions (they may be simply skipped over, which is what I did).
For those who don’t know the plot or background I am not going to give much of it. Suffice it to say that it takes place in an unforeclosed future time where society is filled with genetically prearranged classes of people, preprogrammed to reproduce their assigned task. Happiness and comfort of the individual is the end all of human, or social, existence. Men and women are biologically conditioned to not think of anything that might lead to unhappiness, such as: love, guilt, hope, God, pain, etc. They are conditioned to indulge their basic whims and carnal desires, and to not deny themselves any pleasure. Basically, it is the Solomon of Ecclesiastes, but without chapter 12 or the realization that it is vanity (those undesirable consequences are silenced by drugs, which have no ill side-effects).
Anyway, in my opinion the book is insightful (nearly clairvoyant) because it captures the essence of the Humanistic society. In contrast to the Orwellian society, which is dominated by Fear and Repression of human freedoms, Huxley (the author) shows a society repressed by the unlimited access to human indulgences and freedom from consequence. I feel that Huxley, not Orwell, plays a more probable dirge to which our “free”, post-modern society is marching. It is a society which has all the pleasantries, trinkets, and amusements, yet without any of the prerequisites or consequences. It is a spoiled society, but yet so spoiled as to be ignorant that they are missing anything. I think it relates quite appropriately to western ‘civilization’.
I would sum the book up by a quote from Gibran Khalil Gibran; “Verily, the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral”.
Often we think that satan is trying to make the world full of bad people. The truth is, we do that ourselves. Satan, is trying to make us numb, soma sucking infants; anesthetized to the pain and guilt of our sin, as well as to our potential for good works. He is a roaring lion, but his roar may be the quiet offering of a bit more comfort, a little less self-denial, and a few more worldly pleasures…
Well that was my nerdy, academic post. I really do love good literature, it is such a thought-provoking (and for me, spiritual) exercise.
If you want to understand the cartoon completely you'll probably have to read the book...I just didn't want to post without a picture...I guess I've been conditioned that 'pictures are good'.
4 comments:
Thanks Noah...you always have something interesting and somewhat educational on your blog...I am always learning something new. Praying for you...Jenn
Did Time Square inspire you to read that one again? Mrs. S and I were looking for an audio book for our next road trip, so , it is off to the public library to see if that one is available.
Sounds interesting. I'm not sure if I'll add it to my list, I tend to stay away from literary dirge, I should tell you my Catcher in the Rye story at some point, but I definitely have to agree with you on the point that society is in more danger of repressing itself through the amusements that it indulges in, by not facing the concequences of its actions than it is via Orwell's ideas. I don't think that there could be much else that is worse than a person being trapped by their own lack of moral conscience. However, that is what sin does to people, it desensitizes them from any guilt that they would otherwise feel, if they were living in spirit and truth.
Where are you Noah??
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