My introduction to the dytopian/utopian worlds was through Time Machine by HG Wells. The book though technically impressive, and probably better than what I remember, was probably done an injustice to by being handed over to a 12 year old boy. At that point of time, I was ill-equipped to weigh the real strengths and arguments of the book.
Following, that, multiple exposures to futuristic movies, from 2001:Space Odyssey, to Blade Runner, Matrix Equilibrium, Genesis, etc. have again and again reinforced that sibliminal message that the world as we know it will someday implode and collapse on its own. This bleak vision of the future of humanity is best identified by two iconic books, 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
1984, is perhaps the most influential as well as depressing book I have read till date. The society posited in the book as a Dystopic Utopia leaves one aghast. Literature wise, the book takes the reader through a whole gamut of hope, adventure, and a powerful ending. Don't mistake me though, the book is not for the faint hearted. The ideas of 'Thought speak' and pervasive government surveillance(Big Brother), of a society living in fear of perpetual war, leave much to think. The book deserves a separate piece itself, which hopefully I will get to one day.
'Brave New World' is spoken of in the same parity as 1984. With its stark distinction between a World State and Reservation much like the 'Oceania' and the 'Proletariat', it also create a futuristic vision for mankind. It also has protagonists who 'supposedly' think different. However, the similarities end
there. Huxley's vision of futuristic utopia was highly inspired by USA of the 1920s, with its religion like focus on consumption and mind numbing consumerism developed as an answer to the Great Depression. A broader description of the world state can be found
here. The book paints two pictures, one of a society steeped in indulgence, controlled through eugenics, conditioning, and recreation drugs and sex. The human emotions, which are generally blamed for society's ills, like religion, God, passion, sin, jealousy, and along with them aspirations, dreams, are simply purged form society. The other of a savage settlement, steeped in useless mysticism, and devoid of any progress, the Reservation. Its inhabitants are voodoo savages, believing in Gods, indulging in self-flagellation ceremonies. The first is a moral downfall into a trivial pleasure, the other back into an uncivilized world. Huxley himself put it best, it was a choice between the crazy and the insane.
Sex, the point of creation of incessant troubles in society, with accompanying passion, jealousy, insecurity, is stripped of all connotations and trivialized to just a recreational activity. 'Sex is good'. Children are encouraged to play with each other. Reproduction is no longer a goal of sex, it has been disallowed. the concept of birth, family, etc are rendered obsolete and almost pornographic in the world state. There is meaningless sex, just for recreational purposes, without any use whatsoever.
Its a capitalist form of communism, where in 'everybody belongs to everyone else'. There is no individualism, only collectivism. Every citizen of the World State has a place in its well-oiled machinery, and is happy about it. The machinery, turns and churns, keeping everyone happy, yet its going nowhere. The goal of human civilisation, of bettering itself, through time, is somehow lost somewhere in the sea of trivial pleasure.
That is the question that raised itself to me, is it really required, this famed pursuit of progress. If by some mechanism, society is rendered satisfied, albeit at the cost of loss of individualism, is it really so bad? My answer was a obstinate YES, we have been conditioned to believe in the hope of a better future than this, one which enables man to attain further heights. No matter how flawed man and society is, we have to believe in our strengths and hope.