Nov 4, 2008
Los Angeles, CA
First time in over 2 years do I regret not having a live TV. All I can do is hit the refresh button on CNN with more frequency than necessary.
This has been long in coming. I feel that we are at the precipice of a revolution, of a Brave New World. 8 years of bad leadership and bad policies, domestic and foreign, 8 years of fear. Enough!
I have never been this excited before for an election, been this excited to exercise my right to vote. I voted today believing that I am choosing a better future.
The World is waking up, I can feel it in my bones, in my heart, all around me. Not just how the fate of the World is dependent on the outcome of this election, or how active voter turn out as been. But in other ways as well. We have finally awaken to problems that are around us, from global warming to buying locally, in all ways, we are finally AWAKE!
I am excited to be a able to contribute to the dialogue.
Despite my excitement for the Presidential outcome tonight, the phrase “Brave New World” is stuck in my head. So I wikied a refresher on the novel since its been over 14 years since I have read Huxley’s novel. At the end of the wiki article, I found this which I thought was interesting:
Social critic Neil Postman contrasts the worlds of 1984 and Brave New World in the foreword of his 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death. He writes:
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.
Neither version of the future is what I hope for us all, yet, over 70 years since the publication of both novels, the prediction of the future is too eerily close for comfort.
I dream a better future for us all!
You are good with the English language, some very profound words indeed. “Brave new World”? I fear not, just the same as the old one, dressed up different. There will be a great honeymoon period, but Obama has SO much to do after that idiot WWWWWWWWW Bush, I fear that the right will take the high ground while he is swimming in the creek of s–t created by his predecessor. Cynical ? Yes. Realistic? Yes. Never rely on others to make our worlds, make our own.
Really enjoyed reading your blog.