Brave New World
Today, in 21st century United States, people are concerned with the fast pace of new and growing technology, and how these advances should be used. In the last decade alone we have seen major advancements in technology; in science, cloning has become a reality, newer, more powerful drugs have been invented and, in communications, the Internet has dominated society. There is a cultural lag due to the fast rate of increasing technology, and while the governments of the world are trying to keep up their role as censors and lawmakers, we as individuals are trying to comprehend the effects it has on our lives. Will these advances enhance our lives to an unprecedented level of comfort, or lead to the loss of actual happiness? In the early 1930's, when Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World, this was a question he felt was worth asking. In Huxley's Brave New World there are two forms of happiness: physical and actual. The fulfillment of physical happiness is the basis of the New World society. Residents never have to worry about food, shelter, job security, or sickness. One will never look fat, wrinkly or become weak with brittle bones and, thus, even the fear of growing old is taken away. Mustapha Mond,
We see that knowledge and emotion are reserved for a privileged few, and are too dangerous for most individuals in a stable society. In Huxley's Brave New World individuality is dangerous and will lead to pain and suffering. Actual happiness "relates more to the mind and heart" (HH Dalai Lama 21). Other individuals in the Brave New World are content while these three characters are searching for something not given to them by the government, something beyond physical happiness. The levels of medication are adjusted to keep people at an emotional level that is considered physically pleasant, often without actually dealing with the emotions themselves. It is hard to decide what sacrifices are worth making for social stability and physical happiness. Through the use of use of oxygen, alcohol and hormones the child's intelligence is shaped to fit the level assigned to him, Alpha (as the highest class) to Epilson (the lowest class). This lack of intimacy, or emotional ties to others, is the key ingredient for stability in Brave New World. After birth the government is constantly conditioning children so they will know their place in the world. In the United States, it seems that everybody is either somewhat manic-depressive, or the children are too hyper, and accordingly doctors prescribe medication. They are searching for actual happiness. Huxley doesn't have the answer, but he leaves the reader with an idea of why balance is so hard to find: "Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery" (Huxley 221). Mustapha Mond never questions what happiness is and considers its meaning to be self evident. John, unable to adjust and adhere to a world which caters to physical happiness, with no regard to actual happiness, commits suicide. While the state stops the spirit to stabilize the people, it seems John does the opposite, repressing the body so that the mind and spirit remains free.
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Acceptance Essays
