The time in which we are living is one of great change. Events such as the terrorist attacks this past September have shaken the very roots of our society. Wars are not just fought on the battlefield by those in uniform -they now are fought in the minds and fears of everyone everywhere. The issue of substance abuse is a constant problem with no remedy in sight, millions are addicted to prescription and/or illegal drugs and cannot get help. And we live in a world where the media has the power to influence and change mindsets of millions at will. You might ask how this could possibly relate to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley? Very easily. While the society in the novel may seem very alien and impossible the road to it - is not so far fetched. .
First, looking at September of 2001 we can see many places where reality and fiction run parallel. Prior to the events, we resembled the citizens of the "brave new world". We were ignorant of our surroundings. Just as they were conditioned to see their world as the ideal place, we had given ourselves the false hope that everything was fine in ours. Life was good. What could go wrong? The cold war had ended ten years before and other national security threats were not seen as of severe importance. There were no domestic worries and a strong economy fueled the emotional state of the nation. September,11th served as the wakeup call showing that we were not living the utopian style life that it seemed. Just as it took an outsider in John to see the problems in Brave New World, it took a tremendously tragic event to see the wrongs in our own lives.
Huxley, in his own time, was influenced by the changing world around him. Living in England, he witnessed Adolf Hitler's rise to power under National Socialism. Just as we see our world changing today, Huxley saw his world change and was unsure about its possible outcomes. Huxley certainly must have been influenced by the intense nationalism seen by the German people and adapted it to his novel.
