Yeah, I'm going to have to go with just genius. I mean, I'm just amazed on how this guy just wrote in his book about how the future would be like; soma a pill that makes everyone feel happy and no other emotion, and babies being made in a test tube, and children being taught at such a young age how to discriminate between social class in the society. This book just had me simply amazed on how much he predicted in the future and how much of it is similar to today's world compared to Huxley's' Brave New World.
Let's start off this the first example; Soma, like I explained before, it was a pill that the characters in the book took when they were having problems, or wanted to change their mood status to happy. This pill soma reminded me of today's antidepressant. Doctors usually prescribe the medicine to people who suffer from depression, having problems with their life and can't handle them any other way causing them to become depressed, many adults, and teenagers take this pill (the antidepressants) to make them feel better so they can handle stress better than they were handling them before. Sure they might work for awhile, just like soma did, but of course they all returned to their lives the way they left them before taking the pills. Huxley must have been simply a genius to predict that the pill soma would become an actual reality pill in today's society.
Second example given; babies being made in test tubes. Even though in today's world not all babies made in a tube, it is now possible and can be an opinion to make your baby in a tube and not the "old fashion way". In the book, the babies under go step by step to to become "perfect", with no defects, and nothing wrong, they all think the same about their own and each others social class. We don't follow the same way the babies are made in today's world, but we can make the baby the way we want them to be. Perfect. With whatever color hair, eyes, or even skin we want our children to have. It's true that we don't make them think the way we want them to think; but who knows, maybe in the next century or two science will discover a way to control the way our children's behavior or thoughts or even attitudes can be.
And finally the last example; children learning at such young ages to discriminate between race, or social class. In the book, after the babies developed into children they start to learn about their class and each others class without noticing because they are learning in their sleep. Okay, this may be the only thing that we don;t follow completely; however, I do notice now a days more than it was when I was smaller, young children discriminating. For example, my own cousin age eight, doesn't like to play with a little girl her age because, her words "she lives with her grandma and she don't got daddy". My own little cousin discriminated another little girl just because the little girl wasn't like my cousin who had a mom and dad and lived with them. How my cousin found out? Really I have no clue. I just remember being completely shocked that a little girl like her would discriminate someone else who wasn't like her. I don't remember discriminated at such a young age... But then again times have changed. And maybe Huxley saw all this things would happen.
It just amazes me to read of the world Huxley made up and compare it to the world we live in now. Then I stumble with an odd question. Could we possibly be the Brave New World? ...
http://apbloggers1011.blogspot.com/2010/07/roaring-twenties-and-brave-new-world.html
ReplyDeleteSee my post. It may not be the future he's predicting, but rather a reflection of society in his time.
Celest, I wouldn't even consider calling Huxley a psychic. He is purely genius and one who sees reality at its greatest lengths. I also compared our world with Huxley's world as you did. Soma is like drugs in our world. Soma was used to make Huxley's characters happy, and in our world drugs make some people worry-free... so in the future, we may have something like soma. Also, test tube babies could give hope to an unfortunate couple in a few hundred years, or even around our time. And yes, discrimination has been seen in young children nowadays- sad isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWith today's technology, who knows what we will see tomorrow. Advances in all fields have definitely changed our course towards the future... rapid, undemanding, and maybe even inhumane.
So yes, Celest, I believe that we might be the Brave New World that Huxley had envisioned. If not us, our children's children.
I do not think we are the Brave New World. Not yet, but what Celest said just shows how close we are to becoming it. All we need now is a war and the government to step in and "save" us.
ReplyDeleteMy original comment was going to be to disagree, and discuss a topic that Celest disregarded. I was going to say that obviously we do not all belong to each other, but giving it more thought, we might. Think about how many boyfriends or girlfriends a person has a year. Or think about how friends will go out with your ex. He "belonged" to you and now he "belongs" to her. All the one night stands that happen at parties, bars, clubs, or college.
We all criticize or judge how the characters in Brave New World give themselves so freely, but it doesn’t seem like our society is that far off.
Think back to Brave New World when they discussed Lenina as if she was meat, and she talked about herself like meat as well. Do guys not do that in today’s world? Do some girls not treat themselves like she does?
Huxley's world is approaching quickly, but I do not believe we are living in it yet. In order to be in Huxley's world we would have to loss all morality and sense of individuality. Antidepressants, test tube made babies and discrimination are signs that Huxley's prediction will establish itself, but not that we are living in it now. Celest, I do, however, believe that you brought up a really good point. All the examples that you gave are the beginnings of Huxley's world.
ReplyDeleteAnother example that proves this is the one that Citlalli gave. We are starting to belong to everyone. Many have no respect for themselves and have many boyfriends throughout a year. Even worse, people have one night stands all the time.