Brave New World--- Sixteen

Quote from Pg. 221:

Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with overcompensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.

This is a crucial part of the plot of the story. It explains what Helmholtz has been attempting to write. Also, Mustapha is basically stating something that I've said my whole life-- there can't be an up without a down. The people can't know true happiness without knowing feelings of longing, sadness, anger, etc. They may think they understand these emotions, but they don't. Happiness itself means nothing without the other emotions; without a contrast, happiness is just normality.

I'd also like to point out that Mustapha himself isn't really happy, and it seems he has to convince himself that what he's doing is right.

People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get. They're well off; they're safe; they're never ill; they're not afraid of death; they're blissfully ignorant of passion and old age; they're plagued with no mothers or fathers; they've got no wives, or children, or lovers to feel strongly about; they're so conditioned that they practically can't help behaving as they ought to behave (pg. 220).

He keeps repeating how much better life is without instability, yet I doubt he believes it all the time. At one point in time he himself wanted to think and create outside the carefully-drawn lines set by the world leaders; I bet he sometimes wishes he had chosen that lifestyle instead.

What confuses me a little is that almost everything they gave up to achieve happiness are things that make me happy-- family, art, science, books, passion, love. I understand why love had to be abolished in a sense, because love and passion lead to rash, crazy actions. That's not exactly conducive to a stable society. What I don't understand is why they would want stability when instability is so exquisite.

Until Next Time,
Alysse