Does a world of soma and feelies solve every issue we have in life?
In Brave New World, the World State was created in order give people very stable lives. There are no strong emotions, and therefore strong relationships. No family structure, no individuality, no poverty or extensive wealth, no religion, nothing that will cause differences between people and therefore no potential conflicts. If you had a bad day or just want to be happier, you take the drug soma and/or watch a feelie that will chemically make you happier. There’s no struggle in life, or problems you need to overcome, or sadness, or natural happiness. Just soma and feelies and basic jobs you do every single day. The closest you come to fighting someone is in centrifugal bumble puppy.
Is this utopia worth it? Is it worth giving up sincere human emotion in order to always have a soma-based happiness? Is it worth giving up human connections and family structure in order to never have conflict? Is it worth giving up the experience of seeing your newborn baby, celebrating successes with your family, working through tough times with your friends, having a deep and meaningful relationship with a significant other, finding mean in life through a religion or set of values, struggling but succeeding, is it worth giving up these experiences in order to never feel sad? I really, really don’t think so. Emotions and these experienes are what makes us human. Everyone struggles in life, and some have it a lot worse than others. But we also have our beautiful moments in life too, and that shouldn’t be given up so easily for drugs and feelies. What about human innovation? What about the excitement in living life, the thrill of taking a risk? Learning to ride a bike for the first time or driving for the first time on the interstate? The World State may have thought they succeeded in creating a world where there are no problems, but they’ve gotten rid of too much. The price, in my opinion, is way too high. What did you guy think of this “utopia”?
-Ayat Jaber
Is this utopia worth it? Is it worth giving up sincere human emotion in order to always have a soma-based happiness? Is it worth giving up human connections and family structure in order to never have conflict? Is it worth giving up the experience of seeing your newborn baby, celebrating successes with your family, working through tough times with your friends, having a deep and meaningful relationship with a significant other, finding mean in life through a religion or set of values, struggling but succeeding, is it worth giving up these experiences in order to never feel sad? I really, really don’t think so. Emotions and these experienes are what makes us human. Everyone struggles in life, and some have it a lot worse than others. But we also have our beautiful moments in life too, and that shouldn’t be given up so easily for drugs and feelies. What about human innovation? What about the excitement in living life, the thrill of taking a risk? Learning to ride a bike for the first time or driving for the first time on the interstate? The World State may have thought they succeeded in creating a world where there are no problems, but they’ve gotten rid of too much. The price, in my opinion, is way too high. What did you guy think of this “utopia”?
-Ayat Jaber
I definitely agree with you, Ayat. I think that this world is designed to peel away qualities and environmental factors that make us human. As a result, we see the characters in "Brave New World" miss out on things that we may not. Ultimately, I think that their world in action is quite sad... and the details that you mention in your post serve as evidence to just that.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to live in BNW's society because even though it is stable, I would want to feel real emotions. But that's just because I grew up in our society. If I grew up under the world state then I would absolutely love it because I wouldn't know any better. They didn't really think that the price for stability was high because they didn't even know there was a price. Maybe ignorance is bliss??
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, but I can also see how somebody would really like to be numb for a little bit and just go into a soma coma. The idea seems really nice, but Im not really how that would play out to well in our own society. I feel like it would lead to things like depression easily, or at least have some negative effects on mental health in general.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I've really struggled with reading Brave New World. Because, on the one hand, I agree with you - all those things you mentioned are all incredibly meaningful experiences that I would not want to give up. As much as people I think like to joke about having no strong emotions, we all have them, and they're a hugely important part of our lives. They have the potential to be completely awful, but they also have the potential to be extremely fulfilling. Further, I think from an ethical standpoint what the world state is doing is completely wrong and terrifying, On the other hand, I'm so so privileged, and so it's easy for me to say that life is beautiful and I don't want to give up my way of life. When I focus on all the pain, poverty, war, etc. in the world, I really do see the appeal. Especially if people aren't even aware of anything else, I really start to wonder if it might be worth it.
ReplyDeleteI have also been struggling with whether or not the emotional restraints on society in BNW are worth it. They seem to lose a lot of the things that people in our society put the most value on--love, self-exploration, social mobility, change. At the same time, they also lose a lot of the problems that we have. People don't seem to be unhappy in that society, no one is homeless or starving, there aren't wars, there's no police brutality, etc. So is it worth it? As a person who hasn't had to personally deal with war or starvation I don't really know what a solution to those problems to would mean to a person in those situations, so I can't really value one above the other. I do know that I personally would be unhappy without the things that BNW's society requires a person to give up, but I can definitely see how it could be worth it.
ReplyDeleteThe excessive use of soma in this society seems to be everyone's solution to any form of pain or discomfort. I think that its a great tool to help control a society as it essentially nullifies any creativity and original thought and helps the Worlds State impose their dominance. As an outsider looking into the society of BNW it definitely seems strange but if I was a citizen in BNW, soma whould likely be my answer to anything as it's almost a natural part of life for them.
ReplyDeleteFrom the perspective of someone who has lived on earth and has experienced many of the things you describe, I can say that if I were offered to switch, would certainly say no. If I were born into the WS and had never experienced these things or had knowledge that they could be rewarding, I don't think this society would be too terrible--maybe I wouldn't want to switch into our society if given the chance. I guess it all depends on which society you've actually lived in.
ReplyDeleteBNW feels like the sort of Utopia that someone thought of when things weren’t going well. It’s like when everything seems to be going wrong and it feels like it would be so much easier if bad emotions didn’t exist. In theory it’s nice but in reality it’s not. Going through bad times is a part of life and without the bad emotions that come with them, you can’t really appreciate life. Almost everyone is “happy” in BNW because they’re high off Soma but it seems really bland. In my opinion, this Utopia really isn’t worth it. I wouldn’t want to live my life doped up on some drug that gives me happiness at the cost of experiencing life completely even with the inevitable bad times.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, the idea of can you be happy if you have never felt sad is a question of debate. Personally, I agree with you the happiness you experience from overcoming an obstacle is a feeling the is unmatched in Brave New World.
ReplyDeleteI don't really think that it SOLVES the problems, but makes you forget them. You don't address the atrocities the BNW's government is committing and turn a blind eye to it. It kind of seems like the alphas are the only ones living in this society, and everyone else is just being used for the alphas' goodness. Needless to say, I wouldn't want to live in this society.
ReplyDeleteThere is no such thing as a Utopia, and Brave New World proves that almost perfectly. To have a perfectly Utopian society, everyone must both have the choice to be either happy or unhappy; everyone much choose that they are happy through great thought. That is why Brave New World isn’t a Utopia. No one has any freedom. All of their choices are made for them before they are “born.” I agree, there is barely a chance that anyone would choose to live in the society. Therefore, it is not a Utopia, despite everyone’s “happiness.”
ReplyDeleteAyat, I think you hit the issue with society as a whole perfectly. It seems the world is full of instant gratification. People (often millennials) have a reputation of running from adversity. However, the beauty of life is overcoming obstacles. Without heartbreak and struggles, there would never be gratification and accomplishment. To eliminate sadness from the society is to eliminate what it means to be human. That is why soma is so dangerous in today's society.
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