美丽新世界 - 书评

幸福的

　　“I am glad that I am a Beta. Alphas are too tired because they have to do lots of mental work. Gammas and Deltas are too silly. Betas are the happiest and the luckiest……”
　　
　　You are in the fetus education room of the Brave New World, 2503. Before birth, all people here are divided into five hierarchies: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon. They receive dream education to accept what they are made to believe and to be happy with it. They are made to loathe books and flowers, and love collectivity and purchase. You may find it crazy, but this brave new world gives what you actually crave for a lifetime---- Happiness. In this world where technology is immensely developed, you have enough to eat, enough to wear, enough health, enough sensation movies, and enough sex. Your brain is made to love what you do. By taking a Soma pill, all the stress would vanish, and you are taken to a beautiful fantasy.
　　
　　However, all these are at the cost of discarding personality, family, art, history and even tragedy---- all this are crucial to the Freedom of humanity. You would not have your own values thoughts and opinions. You would not devotedly love another people and build your friendship. You would not know the truth of art and history---- and you would not even want to; all you crave for is simply another sensation movie. You can regard this as the most successful brainwash ever: based on superior technology and aimed at the absolute stability of the society, no one knows that she/he has been brainwashed; people in the brave new world even find them realized all the “freedom” they deserve.
　　
　　Which world would you rather choose to live:
　　The world of Happiness, or the world of Freedom?
　　
　　I have thrown this question to several people around me. According to my mother, she would be happy living in the brave new world, because everyone, to some extent, pursuit happiness and comfort. With all these in the new world, you are happy with who you are and what you do----in our contemporary society, too many people are unsatisfied with their lives and work. But when it comes to one of my teachers, the answer is opposite. He breaks the happiness fantasy by confirming that every human being, no matter in which corner of the world, has some way to obtain some message of freedom, and as soon as she/he got it, she/he would spare no effort to fight for freedom. You see, even North Korea has converters, and even the brave new world has people like John.
　　
　　Personally, I tend to agree with the latter idea, but I still managed to figure out some possible reasons for those who believe in the former one, which may not be true:
　　
　　People of the same age as my parents, had a tough childhood. Food and clothing were scarce, and there were political movements consequently. My mother’s biggest wish then was to find a job and earn money as early as possible, so that she and her family could have some meat to improve their living standards. When Deng Xiaoping came out with the idea of Reform and Opening Up, the strong desire for a better materialistic life and a stable society prevailed over other demands. Then came the slogan of “Stability overrides everything” and the bloody military suppression 24 years ago. Seeing their peers dying on the square simply for the demand of freedom and democracy, they would pay no more attention to their ballots---- They have too much bread to earn.
　　
　　As far as I can see, the 1960s and 1970s in Mainland China were like what was written in <1984>, while the years after 1989 were like the Brave New World. After reading articles and posts about democracy all day, I went to the nearby supermarket, indulging myself into countless items and choices, and persuading myself that what you were worrying about are completely nonsense. This is the real world we live in: As long as you transfer some of your crucial freedoms such as the freedom of speech and independent thinking, you can have the “freedom” of fully entertain yourself. Nevertheless, this is not the Brave New World after all. As long as you are unwilling to fight for your rights you deserve, millions of children of your motherland would suffer from the loss of freedom---- even happiness.
　　
　　Freedom and happiness, is never an either-or. Those who value happiness over freedom would get neither; while those who value freedom over happiness would get both. Be thankful for all the mischief, for they remind you of the value of happiness and freedom.