Let's say school started. I wake up, get ready for school, push myself through every class, go home, do my homework, and go to sleep. But of course, I'm not the only one. I take a seat next to my classmate, the same person I will see regularly for the next ten months, knowing that his routine is very much similar to mine. I also have an idea of what the routine of my teacher is like and what other professions are like. We must follow them, consistently, in order to reach our goals and make a living. From the time we go to school to the time we are old and retired, our purpose is to ultimately serve our society. Could it be that we are indirectly being forced to serve the society, just as the workers are in A Brave New World?
Whether or not you agree, consider this. For the majority of the population, people have to work in order to make enough money to care for themselves or their families. In Huxley's book, significant problems relating to money are not present because their society is stable. However, nobody has something to care for so they turn to over-consumption. Are we also being tempted to work for our society to get the goods we desire?
I think you make an interesting point Claudia. New goods and gadgets are constantly being introduced to us. Society tries to make us feel that we need these new products in order for us to be happy. In reality, we can be perfectly happy and function without some of them. In my opinion, I feel as if society tries to trick us into buying these goods in order to show financial stability, but it's really only to make more money.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I find it ironic how society feeds us the notion that "we are free". However, we are stuck in society's endless cycle: We go to work, follow and buy the latest trends, act what is deemed normal, save for retirement, and obey the law. (Repeat for the rest of your life until you die.)
What happened to mankind's right of pursuing happiness? We, the people, should determine what makes us happy and who we are, not society.