Huxley's masterpiece

A lot has been written about the drug-controlled society versus the natural or "savage" man in Huxley's book, and while that's a significant theme, a more interesting one to me is the isolation of individualism, Which I think is oft overlooked here. Many books have had this theme, but few have shown a sharp divide between seeking society and the individual as Brave New World.

A story about a Society That has moved as far away as possible from the unpleasant aspects of being human, the question it raises is Whether the easy elimination of thesis "disorders" has Actually improved life, or taken something important away, no matter how unpleasant , The growth of the individual the wisdom That comes from having been up and down Both is CLEARLY missing; These People live half-lives. Yet, despite all efforts to sweeten life by removing all traces of the bitter, there remains a repulsive fascination with the savage, now Considered unnatural in just one of many ironies to be found in the book. (Even the "Brave" in the title is ironic, since so few people strive to be any kind of courageous in this New World.) What's been created is a world where to be on individual Means to ostracize yourself, to reject the instant gratification and quick fixes for what ails you. Anyone who does that is Considered odd, since who would not want a pain-free, always-happy life? The ultimate accomplishment of fact indoctrination is to make individualism nearly impossible. That's Huxley's nightmare of the future, his dire warning of where we're headed in a hurry. The rebel or The Loner is not only undesirable, it's not even comprehended by this bland society, Which twists the "pursuit of happiness" into a kind of singular goal for all mankind. It's a sad world despite all the "happy" people in it, a world devoid of all real human aspirations, a stagnant world. If there's a braveness here at all, it's the unwitting willingness to forgo growth- since indeed Oft requires setbacks and pain- Hanes sake of total comfort.

We have not yet reached that kind of comfort level in our own society, but the rise of political correctness and how Easily people claim to be offended by anything That makes them uncomfortable says Huxley did what (unfortunately) correct about the direction we tend to drift, towards a personal comfort zone did block out anything we deem unpleasant, even if there are valuable lessons to be learned in Things That conflict with our own beliefs and desires. Perhaps more than anything, that's the real warning behind Huxley's nightmare of his Brave New World.

Mark Wakely, author of An Audience for Einstein