I I read Thomas Moore’s Utopia when I was very young. Odd, I know — but when you grow up in a small Catholic school taught by nuns, brothers, and priests, you read things like that. You research. You question. You wonder why a man so devoted to his church would imagine a “perfect” society where divorce, women priests, and euthanasia were acceptable.
I don’t remember the language of Utopia anymore, so I Googled it recently and was stunned to rediscover that Moore also imagined a world where people weren’t executed for stealing. Imagine that — the idea that a man shouldn’t be killed for taking bread to feed his family was once so radical it could only exist in fiction.
Years later — not at the recommendation of any priest I knew — I read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Again, I was fascinated. A caste system where Alphas rule and Epsilons take out the trash. A world where destiny is assigned, not chosen. A society where people who live by free will and desire are labeled “savages.”
And then I had a thought I wish I could unknow:
What if Huxley wasn’t imagining the future? What if he was warning us about the one we’re buidling?
It is possible. Just something to think about.
And so, if I could experience any book again for the first time, it would be Brave New World — not because it’s comforting, but because it made me uncomfortable in all the right ways. And for fellow Huxley fans, while I don’t want to live in a world where order is kept by separation, I would like to live in a world where Soma holidays existed — I mean wouldn’t you?
Today’s post inspired by the WordPress daily prompt: What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time? Cover image a screenshot of the cover of Brave New World.
DISCLAIMER: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Nothing here is medical, nutritional, or therapeutic advice. Also, I’m a writer and an editor. And I try my best to make sure every post is articulate and free from errors. However, being that I edit my own work—and it’s next to impossible to properly edit your own work—I admit, occasionally there may be an error or two I miss. But doing so doesn’t make me an idiot so don’t be mean. Just smile, pat yourself on the back for finding an error and be glad you’re not the only one who makes mistakes sometimes … xoxox
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