BNW

4. Huxley’s vision of the future is not what I would call “horrifying”; it is simply not humanity. He has created a perfect state where nothing can possibly go wrong. Citizens are free from war, pain, suffering, and unhappiness. From before birth, every aspect of their lives is regulated. There are different castes, but within those castes, abilities are the same. Emotional attachment does not exist, and the community comes first, always. At first glance this does not seem so bad. Who wouldn’t want a world without war, fear, and pain? I know many people who would do anything to be happy constantly. But in the end, life is not about consistent happiness. My opinion lies on the same plane of John Savage. As the quote says “…I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness, I want sin.” Every aspect makes life worthwhile. Some hurt more than others, but if everything came for free, it wouldn’t have nearly as much value. Instant gratification, the basis of the World State, serves no purpose.
The world that we live in is far from perfect, and I’m a little misanthropic, but we give and we take, and life goes on. There are always things worth living for, and the pain to get to those things is what makes it all worth it. I want all the things that John wants and realize that some of them come at a cost. Wanting God puts one in the hands of something one cannot see. Faith is a terrifying thing, and it is far easier to dismiss the concept than to embrace it. Faith teaches people to beware of sin, for it is humanity’s downfall. But I want that too, because to be human is to sin. We cannot live without it.
I do not want Huxley’s world. It is too perfect, too farfetched, too impossible. I want life and all its brutalities. As John says, “I claim them all.”