Brave New World?

The interesting thing about our human species is that we can see into the future; we have the capacity to discern how things repeat over time. These cycles are collectively called “samsara” in the Sanskrit language. Samsara, a word that means “wandering” and “world,” implies “cyclic change” or, more casually, “running around in circles.” It is an apt description of the human condition. We can identify cycles, but we fail to take proactive measures to reverse potential negative consequences, resulting in a tiresome pattern.

Many insightful beings have pointed out the nature of cyclic existence. They are the spiritual teachers and saints who have walked among us, but they are also authors who have taken a place of prominence in our collective psyches. I’m particularly thinking about George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. Both writers had an uncanny ability to predict the future simply by observing repetitive cycles.

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (pub.1932) is often compared with George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (pub.1948), since they each offer a prescient view of a dystopian future. They were very accurate in predicting what was to come by simply observing repeating cycles. Cultural critic Neil Postman compared these two authors in his 1985 book, Amusing Ourselves to Death:

“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. … In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that our desire will ruin us.”

How did they know? I wonder when we will collectively grow weary of these patterns. Perhaps it is the field in which we test our capacity to love. May we all, with compassion, become outstanding in this field!