Imagine a world where you are genetically pre-engineered, do not have a family, and never face any personal hardships or difficulties in your entire life. This is the exact dystopian society Aldous Huxley created in his classic novel Brave New World. I chose it for this month’s read for three reasons. First, I wanted to branch out of my comfort zone into a fictional novel. Second, it came highly recommended to me as a classic. Finally, the quote featured on the back of the book caught my attention: “I don’t want comfort. I want God. I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness.”
Brave New World takes place roughly 500 years into the future where all remnants of current life, such as books, art, and knowledge of history has been destroyed by the ruling elites and forgotten about by the common citizens. The goal of the current elites is to create a stable society where pain and suffering are essentially eradicated, and all conform to what is perceived best for the collective. There is no individual choice, because if left to their own devices, people will make sub-optimal decisions that lead to pain, loss, and disorder. It is not until the introduction of a character from outside the society, who visits and lives within it does anyone begin to question if this is really how everything ought be.
A key area of exploration in the novel is true happiness, which is something the citizens in the society lack. Rather, emphasis is placed on doing anything to achieve temporary happiness or to suppress negative emotions. There are no human connections, striving for excellence, or conversations seeking truth. Instant gratification at all times is desired, no matter the action taken to get it. Huxley does an excellent job of illustrating the absurdity of the actions of the characters, while at the same time causing the reader to reflect on areas in their own life that they might be neglecting and choosing the easy way out.
While the novel focuses on personal life satisfaction and desires, connections can be made to people’s financial actions as well. Are we sometimes too quick to seek superficial comfort by frivolous spending and overconsumption? Do we fail to plan for both the present and the future, instead turning a blind eye to our finances and hoping to just wing it? Do we get caught up in what we have always done, even if it continues to be detrimental to our financial and even personal lives?
Ultimately, Brave New World challenges us to consider whether a life devoid of struggle is truly a life worth living, urging us to embrace the necessary discomforts that lead to genuine freedom and growth in every aspect of our lives.
