Infographic Template Galleries

Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 Truth Vs. Happiness Social Conditioning "Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand." -Aldous Huxley "...most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution."-Aldous Huxley By painting an image of a world whose values contrast greatly from our own, Aldous Huxley is able to get across the idea thatvalues are not universal but rather arbitrary. Seeing as how values are arbitrary, by creating the image of an all-powerfulgovernment Huxley makes his readers realize hat the governmentis able to create society's values. The world state is able to condition its inhabitants to the point where society's values become those of immediate gratification and ignorance. People are always happy because they have been conditioned to simply be happy withthe robotic lives which they lead. Through means of sex, drugs, mass media, and repetition, powerful organizations are able to create the values (set the sources of happiness and dismay) as they see fit in order to control the population and keep it contempt. If I'm happy what reason would i have to rebelagainst the ruling class? ? I failed my test... I can't believe i let myself do that, how pitiful. Yayyyy everybody expected me to fail and I did! Im living up to all my expectations. Huxley is able to reveal his theme of truth vs. happiness through antithesis. By contrasting the ignorant happiness which the people of theWorld state live in to the painful truth which John is subjectedto. Thus one realizes that a trade off between truth and happiness occurs. The more an individual knows about the world, the more he seems to suffer, on the other hand though, the more ignorant one is to his or her surroundings, the happier he or she is. People of the world state feel, more or less, the same emotions as we do (even if those emotions are based on lies). All that differs is the reason for those emotions. If I'm always happy, why would i ever try to revolt against the ruling class? Thus by means of social conditioning, a government is able to easel.ly create an effective totalitarian state in which the citizens are happy in exchange for truth. Although at first glance truth seems to be a small price to pay for a world of prosperity and happiness, in actuality without truth (good and bad), people lose their humanity. If we lose our humanity and just become mindless entities in constant search of pleasure, what is the point of living? Would there be any significance to our time spent alive? Although Huxley's Brave New World has a handful of themes, they all seem totie back to one major point: don't lose your humanity. Wether it be through keen awareness of government brainwashing or a strict allegiance to the truth, do not allow yourself to lose the only thing that makes life worthwhile. "Don't gain the world and lose your soul; wisdom is better than silver or gold." -Bob Marley If ignorance is bliss, there should be more happy people. Victor Cousin Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Aldous Huxley You can rule ignorance; you can manipulatethe illiterate; you can do whatever you wantwhen a people are uneducated, so that goes in line with corrupt business and corrupt politics.-will.i.am Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom ofindividual ignorance.-H. L. Mencken
Create Your Free Infographic!