Huxley describes a utopian society that has a high consumption of a drug referred to as soma. He describes soma as having ‘all the advantages of Christianity and alcohol’ and a ‘perfect drug’ which is relaxing, surreal and whose effects last for ten hours (Huxley 32). Any feeling that is not appealing is generally repressed by the soma drug which ensures that people are not able to effectively address the cause of their challenges. Huxley tries to enlighten readers through the soma drug the way people try to deal with their frustrations in their day-to-day personal experiences.
The text is informative with regard to the state of mind of the people within the society and how the use of drugs to deal with challenges in societies has become a rule rather than the exception. People adopt behaviors in a bid to avoid facing their problems and solving them. Among the behaviors that people have adopted in modern societies is the use of antidepressant prescriptions. In contemporary societies people use the antidepressants in an alarming rate whenever they feel unhappy despite the fact that such prescriptions are usually meant to deal with serious cases of depression. Consequently in frustrating situations most people turn to alcohol and other drugs in a bid to escape certain reality.
The use of soma drug in the novel as a way to ensure people remain happy also reflects how authoritarian states preoccupy themselves trying to make citizens happy even when people they have no reason to be happy. This is usually based on the on the belief that when happiness is achieved then prospects of social stability are enhanced. As such, most political operatives in modern societies are more enthusiastic about boosting the happiness levels of the masses. Consequently, more funds end up being spent in agendas and projects that create a sense of content. This may be regarded to as purposeful social engineering taking into consideration that authoritarian regimes take what seem to be deliberate steps to undermine populations in order to do as they please and have easier work controlling citizens in the pretext of achieving worldly ethics and universal peace.
Some of the state supported movements in contemporary societies and which work like the soma drug in the book include the radical movements. Such movements promote aspects of ‘political correctness’ rather than nurture critical thinking and rationalism. For instance, the Hindu caste system one of the most suppressive ideologies in the world today yet governments and people in influential positions continue to support those advocating for the sustenance of such aspects. Another strategy that is usually employed by state operatives and which works like a drug is the use of propaganda. Propaganda was effectively used by the Nazi regime in Germany and most recently in the war in Iraq (Rampton 65).
The book shows that drugs have considerable effects on the human state of mind and their reactions to issues that are challenging or new to them. The fact that soma is depicted as a universal drug that is used by everyone in the society is very instructing on the fact that the behavior of people in dealing with challenges is not only typical in the regions that people consider to be poor but such conduct is usually widespread and affects virtually every social class. This point is pegged on the fact that depressing feelings are not distinctive to only one part of the society. Every person adopts various ways of suppressing both the real and perceived problems depending on the circumstances.
Based on Huxley’s use of soma drug and the social concepts that the author discusses throughout the novel, it is clear that he was able to envision how civilization works. As such, although civilization brings about liberalism and individual freedom, interventionism strategies by state are a reality in civilized societies.
Work Cited
Huxley, Aldous. Bloom’s Guides: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. New York: Infobase
Publishing, 2009.
Rampton Sheldon, John Stauber. Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in
Bush's War on Iraq. New York: Tarcher, 2003.
