I'm curious what Huxley had to say about nihilism? Because the whole premise of his book is that people do have a choice. Right now I think the choice is between shutting off and doing nothing or staying proactive to set things on a more sane course. I think a lot of people feel genuinely overwhelmed by all the terrible things unfolding which is more than fair and feel nothing they do matters. Empowerment to me is one of the best countermeasures to this as is compassion, something you mentioned. Staying informed but not to the point of illness is possible but only if we learn to filter out the lies and find sources offering genuine information. Ultimately we need to redirect our personal and collective power toward something more constructive for everyone and world leadership doesn't in this moment reflect that vision to us. We need to formulate the vision we seek for the world and follow through on making that a reality.
Good comment. Yes BE what you want to SEE in the world. Empowerment is the word we all need today. To see things the way they really are whether lies or truths. We have all been fed such lies about everything that we have lost our innate sense of truth. It’s still there. We all have it just like every other mammal on this earth. It just needs to be exercised. I was awakened early in my life after reading “Silent Spring.”
I have often referred to this book when discussing this era. The Romans figured this out by putting coliseums around the Empire and staging bloody gladiator battles, the ancient form of entertainment that amused the masses and their efficiency in keeping the masses relatively well fed
These dystopian forecasts have rattled me all my life. Sixty years on, I still feel that there’s something inherently unstable in any radically oppressive society.
But unfortunately my vision isn’t an optimistic one. It’s a vision of cleansing, restorative, annihilation.
I an not saying that we should abandon hope; we must cling to it. I consider this an effort to help prevent the not quite inevitable.
the book “Critical Lives-Aldous Huxley” (Jake Poller) and look forward to reading it. It would seem rather than choosing depth the future looks like the shallows, fed to us, unchosen, but like a happy pill, we will smile all the while. It’s important to be aware of our Matrix moments, which pill we decide to allow. To know or not to choose to know, that is our question.
One of my favorite books. I look around and see soma everywhere in society, in so many forms. Why do we crave what’s authentic even if it hurts us? What’s the satisfaction in something gained through blood, sweat and tears? Why does it feel disingenuous to live in bliss if nothing inherently matters? Seeing the character hang himself in the end instead of giving into the matrix was such an incredible end and something to dwell on its meaning.
I feel we are overwhelmed with media today. Whether it be streaming music, social media or video content. We need to disconnect from this world occasionally to keep our sanity. Your steps for doing this are excellent.
Yes - Brave New World has always struck me as a much more terrifying - and realistic - vision of how we could descend into autocracy than the crude version of control in 1984. And with the Internet and other drugs so totally preoccupying so.many, we are just about there...
I remember reading Brave New World as a kid and identifying with Savage.
There was an OTC sedative drug introduced in 1968 called Quiet World. There were some chilling ads , "When life's everyday ups and downs get to you....Quiet World." Was banned in the early 70s along with Compoz.
Well I have a couple of three difficulties accepting some of this. 1) Question Everything. I do. I've just listened to a radio phone in about should we in the UK pledge our support for Israel. Officially I mean. Only it seems like our Prime Minister and his cabinet already have. They are dragging their feet in making a pronouncement in favour of the Palestinians but keep saying they are going to (because they want to keep up a show of leftie liberalness)even though they are now far to the right of Mrs Thatcher. So the radio host is saying to all the callers in who are saying what is going on is murder and egregious evil that by saying that they are racist antisemites and to criticize anything about Israel is racist and antisemitical. That sounds very closed mind to me.
2+3) Use Empathy + Compassion. Well I've learned that this can be a trap. Weaponised Compassion can be used to destroy an Empire. The Roman Empire grew top heavy with a population kept on bread and circuses but not working which to a great extent wasnt their fault because the spread of Slavery into mainstream use lowered wages and just like AI now removed many jobs from people's view. Why pay someone to be your servant when a slave is a one off purchase and can live on scraps. If they die,you just get another one. So the Romans ended up with a huge surplus population that they bunged with bread and entertainment,just like now in fact. Same scenario just not in togas. Also - I send £5 to a charity for starving kids in Africa . I feel good about myself. I'm kind. That starving African family has the gumpton to by hook or crook get to the west and live next door to me. She,the Mom is loud and aggressive. Her kids play in the garden and shout all day. It's like living in the Jungle. When I go out to tend the beautiful garden I've created they shout at me as they think gardening is weird,not being part of their culture. They are loud,noisy and aggressive bastards. And they're not waiting patiently for PATS ON THE HEAD from the likes of me. I admire that even through my loathing. Being empathic and compassionate is actually a stance you can only take if you feel yourself or consider yourself SUPERIOR,ABOVE the object of your piteous understanding. It's very White Saviour,very Literacy Class. They can speak English alright! It's actually condescending and when the object of your compassion reacts with dismissal,mockery and demanding ness we wonder why they aren't grateful. And 18th century writer William Hazlitt has a brilliant essay on that phenomenon.
You're confusing sympathy which is akin to pity and empathy which is a much deeper emotion that acknowledges the suffering of others. There is nothing supremacist about the 2nd at all. Realizing we all suffer is a innate part of human existence which calls on us to be proactive in mitigating the suffering of others and by extension ourselves. Compassion is the antidote to unraveling the hatred this world is facing right now. You cannot be nihilistic and compassionate at the same time. Compassion is active and intentional while nihilism is just indifferent.
You wrote this referring to your own video "Check out this video essay that EXPERTLY breaks down Huxley's ideas: "...ewww, that's icky....good article though
I wonder if today is a synthesis of the 2, 1984 control while being narcotized by the Brave New World of likes & remote relationships? Humanity is in a struggle and as always Will’s words ring so true once again, “To be or not to be that is the question
I'm curious what Huxley had to say about nihilism? Because the whole premise of his book is that people do have a choice. Right now I think the choice is between shutting off and doing nothing or staying proactive to set things on a more sane course. I think a lot of people feel genuinely overwhelmed by all the terrible things unfolding which is more than fair and feel nothing they do matters. Empowerment to me is one of the best countermeasures to this as is compassion, something you mentioned. Staying informed but not to the point of illness is possible but only if we learn to filter out the lies and find sources offering genuine information. Ultimately we need to redirect our personal and collective power toward something more constructive for everyone and world leadership doesn't in this moment reflect that vision to us. We need to formulate the vision we seek for the world and follow through on making that a reality.
Good comment. Yes BE what you want to SEE in the world. Empowerment is the word we all need today. To see things the way they really are whether lies or truths. We have all been fed such lies about everything that we have lost our innate sense of truth. It’s still there. We all have it just like every other mammal on this earth. It just needs to be exercised. I was awakened early in my life after reading “Silent Spring.”
I have often referred to this book when discussing this era. The Romans figured this out by putting coliseums around the Empire and staging bloody gladiator battles, the ancient form of entertainment that amused the masses and their efficiency in keeping the masses relatively well fed
These dystopian forecasts have rattled me all my life. Sixty years on, I still feel that there’s something inherently unstable in any radically oppressive society.
But unfortunately my vision isn’t an optimistic one. It’s a vision of cleansing, restorative, annihilation.
I an not saying that we should abandon hope; we must cling to it. I consider this an effort to help prevent the not quite inevitable.
“Would I even care that I don’t have a choice if I’m happy not having one?”
Only if I remember what choice used to feel like.
Just last week I found
the book “Critical Lives-Aldous Huxley” (Jake Poller) and look forward to reading it. It would seem rather than choosing depth the future looks like the shallows, fed to us, unchosen, but like a happy pill, we will smile all the while. It’s important to be aware of our Matrix moments, which pill we decide to allow. To know or not to choose to know, that is our question.
One of my favorite books. I look around and see soma everywhere in society, in so many forms. Why do we crave what’s authentic even if it hurts us? What’s the satisfaction in something gained through blood, sweat and tears? Why does it feel disingenuous to live in bliss if nothing inherently matters? Seeing the character hang himself in the end instead of giving into the matrix was such an incredible end and something to dwell on its meaning.
Huxley was way more accurate in his forecast for the west
I feel we are overwhelmed with media today. Whether it be streaming music, social media or video content. We need to disconnect from this world occasionally to keep our sanity. Your steps for doing this are excellent.
Yes - Brave New World has always struck me as a much more terrifying - and realistic - vision of how we could descend into autocracy than the crude version of control in 1984. And with the Internet and other drugs so totally preoccupying so.many, we are just about there...
I remember reading Brave New World as a kid and identifying with Savage.
There was an OTC sedative drug introduced in 1968 called Quiet World. There were some chilling ads , "When life's everyday ups and downs get to you....Quiet World." Was banned in the early 70s along with Compoz.
Well I have a couple of three difficulties accepting some of this. 1) Question Everything. I do. I've just listened to a radio phone in about should we in the UK pledge our support for Israel. Officially I mean. Only it seems like our Prime Minister and his cabinet already have. They are dragging their feet in making a pronouncement in favour of the Palestinians but keep saying they are going to (because they want to keep up a show of leftie liberalness)even though they are now far to the right of Mrs Thatcher. So the radio host is saying to all the callers in who are saying what is going on is murder and egregious evil that by saying that they are racist antisemites and to criticize anything about Israel is racist and antisemitical. That sounds very closed mind to me.
2+3) Use Empathy + Compassion. Well I've learned that this can be a trap. Weaponised Compassion can be used to destroy an Empire. The Roman Empire grew top heavy with a population kept on bread and circuses but not working which to a great extent wasnt their fault because the spread of Slavery into mainstream use lowered wages and just like AI now removed many jobs from people's view. Why pay someone to be your servant when a slave is a one off purchase and can live on scraps. If they die,you just get another one. So the Romans ended up with a huge surplus population that they bunged with bread and entertainment,just like now in fact. Same scenario just not in togas. Also - I send £5 to a charity for starving kids in Africa . I feel good about myself. I'm kind. That starving African family has the gumpton to by hook or crook get to the west and live next door to me. She,the Mom is loud and aggressive. Her kids play in the garden and shout all day. It's like living in the Jungle. When I go out to tend the beautiful garden I've created they shout at me as they think gardening is weird,not being part of their culture. They are loud,noisy and aggressive bastards. And they're not waiting patiently for PATS ON THE HEAD from the likes of me. I admire that even through my loathing. Being empathic and compassionate is actually a stance you can only take if you feel yourself or consider yourself SUPERIOR,ABOVE the object of your piteous understanding. It's very White Saviour,very Literacy Class. They can speak English alright! It's actually condescending and when the object of your compassion reacts with dismissal,mockery and demanding ness we wonder why they aren't grateful. And 18th century writer William Hazlitt has a brilliant essay on that phenomenon.
You're confusing sympathy which is akin to pity and empathy which is a much deeper emotion that acknowledges the suffering of others. There is nothing supremacist about the 2nd at all. Realizing we all suffer is a innate part of human existence which calls on us to be proactive in mitigating the suffering of others and by extension ourselves. Compassion is the antidote to unraveling the hatred this world is facing right now. You cannot be nihilistic and compassionate at the same time. Compassion is active and intentional while nihilism is just indifferent.
I'm afraid our future will consist of a blend of both Orwell and Huxley.
Future? It is already underway.
"Too many shadows, whispering voices
faces on posters, too many choices
If? When? Why? What?
How much have you got?
Have you got it? Do you get it?
If so, how often?
Which do you choose
a hard or soft option?
(How much do you need?)"
- West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys
I just now finished reading this book. I feel hollow inside.
the end is like giving up- very much like I feel when reading american news these days.
I'm glad my children decided to not have their own children.
You wrote this referring to your own video "Check out this video essay that EXPERTLY breaks down Huxley's ideas: "...ewww, that's icky....good article though
I wonder if today is a synthesis of the 2, 1984 control while being narcotized by the Brave New World of likes & remote relationships? Humanity is in a struggle and as always Will’s words ring so true once again, “To be or not to be that is the question