In the famous 1930’s novel, Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, a huge theme within deals with happiness. Soma, a drug used to create simultaneous happiness, is referred to numerous times throughout the novel. Not only does it make people happy, but it seems to be the only source of happiness within the utopian world. In a passage from the novel, there takes place a conversation between Dr.Shaw and John, regarding Linda’s dosage of soma. The Doctor states that
Throughout the wonderful adventure we call life people seem to go to extreme measures to reach the “height” of their happiness. Cliff diving, for example, from any height can in no way shape or form be considered “safe”. In fact, it is one of the most dangerous sports a person
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People ask why do people do that? It’s not worth the harm caused to your body, or even the end of a life. What people don’t understand is that sometimes people can be in such bad state of unhappiness, or depression that the only way to solve the problem is by taking these antidepressants. As in Brave New World, soma is used as a stimulant to result in an extreme amount of happiness in a very short amount of time. Just as antidepressants are used in today’s society. The people who take these drugs may be using it for depression, or other conditions such as anxiety or shyness. They can even be taken by people who are 100% healthy to make them feel better about themselves. Some may argue that these pills aren’t truly making one “jovial”, that the drug being used is really just covering up their unhappiness but putting them in a slightly better mood. “People can also drown their sorrow in alcohol or get a euphoric feeling using narcotics, but few people who do would be called truly happy.” I would never personally recommend that someone takes antidepressants to make them happy. However, I believe that if someone is truly unhappy, that to fix it with other methods such as therapy would take years, maybe even months. That’s a waste of lifetime. Years and months that could go by with not the slightest bit of happiness, when at the pop of a lid, and a sip of water happiness
In his article "In Pursuit of Happiness: Better Living from Plato to Prozac," Mark Kingwell describes how there has been many debates on the meaning of happiness for many years yet still a singular, justifiable definition eludes society. The pursuit to define and understand happiness has invited several debates, questions, arguments, and suggestions alike. In 1996, a hand full of genetic and behavioral studies suggest evidence that one’s achievable degree of happiness is genetically decided, with evidences showing that no achievement will change your happiness, you are either happy or you’re not. Some studies demonstrated a correlation between dopamine levels in the brain and expressions of personal satisfaction, while others indicated that
In Huxley’s Brave New World as the one of the ten Controllers of the world Mustapha Mond explains, the drug soma is Christianity without tears, meaning in their society, instead of turning to God in a state of crisis, the citizens turn to soma, which makes them “happy” and high without any of the negative side effects that a religion may have. Essentially, soma is just a quick fix, a way of covering up the negative emotions that may occasionally lead to people questioning all that their world stands for. In this way, soma is similar to some antidepressant drugs, such as the class of antidepressant drugs tricyclics.
A professor of history at Florida State , Darrin M. McMahon, in his New York Times article, “In Pursuit of Unhappiness”, (11-29-2005) he persuades that happiness is a relentless desire to achieve if you find it on your own. the article written by McMahon he quotes that ”Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness..”. He uses evidence to support his claim by using philosophers John Stuart mill and Carlyle quotes to prove that they all have similar views on how to achieve being happy and be cheerful. It's better to do something that makes you carefree rather than waiting for happiness to come “knocking at your door” as if you gain contentment as pure luck. Sometimes it is better to be bliss
54) Soma, was the drug of choice in Huxley’s novel. This drug seemed to have all of the same effects as antidepressants do in our society. Soma even gave people the false idea that one pill, would cure all negativity in their lives. However if we re-read the quote at the beginning of this paragraph, we come to realize the drug doesn’t physically take the problems away, it only gives a false sense of happiness and security for the time being. In the novel there are some instances that occur when characters become extremely unhappy, vunerable, and even suicidal.
Huxley, on the other hand, did not like the look of that future. Brave New World’s desire for instant happiness is starting to share more similarities to ours everyday. With the invention and use of Soma as a drug that is a quick cure or escape from the common emotion of sadness, an emotion that everyone feels, bears a bit resemblance to antidepressants used today. Can it be possible that in order to never be depressed, that our government will one day so it's not possible to feel it?
In Brave New World if you weren't happy it would be very concerning, because the utopia was built for you to be happy. The use of Soma helped them fulfill this emotion and brighten their day. “ This a world where people think they're
1. Alpha: The highest caste in the system, typically conditioned to be intelligent and are given higher jobs than other castes. 2. Beta: Second highest caste in the system, they can interact with the Alphas and aren’t looked down upon, unlike the lower castes. 3.
Jim Lynn references a TV ad for Prozac in which the announcer, in a soft voice, gives the feeling of peace and serenity. Prozac is the panacea for all that ails humanity. Never mind the long list of side effects given at the end of the ad. “Are they the answer to man’s quest for happiness and healing, or is there something sinister at work here?” (p. 90)
Antidepressants are a class of drugs used to treat various mood disorders including major depression. These medications help stabilize a person 's brain chemicals to improve mood.https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antidepressants.html Generally, you must take antidepressants for several weeks in order to enjoy any positive benefits. After taking these drugs for a prolonged period of time, you may choose to discontinue treatment for some reason. Keep in mind, that you should never stop taking your antidepressants without consulting with your doctor. Here 's what you need to know.
As with many drugs and medications, there is always a potential present for abuse or tolerance as well. Individuals taking these medications may feel side effects that are both physiological and mental in nature. Patients who have not taken their prescribed medication of have grown a tolerance may also show an increased risk for suicide, which is already a high risk for individuals suffering from
Those are just small examples of things that can make someone happy. I think the pursuit of happiness is something way deeper than that, and that is what I came to realize over the course of this year. To me, happiness doesn’t come from the amount of money you have or how successful you are, but rather it comes from the relationships you build here on Earth. The American Literature we explored throughout the school year, make that clear to me.
Charles Barber’s article, “The Medicated Americans: Antidepressants Prescriptions on the Rise,” focuses on the views of “depression” and “Depression” that are caused by antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil, and Norpramin. Barber talks about how people do not understand the differences of depression which causes misdiagnoses and misunderstanding of the two. One meaning of “Depression” is how it is used to do describe a serious medical condition and the other meaning a broad terming meaning feeling down, bummed out, or anything along those lines. A study conducted by the New England Research Institution showed that 43 percent of people who have been prescribed antidepressants did not have any diagnosis of depression or any mental health conditions.
Arguably, the happier an individual is, the better the quality of their life, and the better off they are. But despite this, there are people who will even argue that lower levels of happiness are the best because you maintain the ability to progress in life and your motivation is still present. Although many people will only see two sides to this argument, there is a totally different view that provides the optimal quality of life and the most beneficial outcome in the big picture; and that is moderate happiness. Cliff Oxford’s essay “High Performance Happy” evaluates the effect that an individual’s happiness has on their beneficiality to society and how you should always strive to be the happiest you can be. Oxford’s main point is that
Soma’s power and effects are all that is needed for happiness; however, the truth
Body becomes heavy as the pill slithers down the throat, but as time passes it does nothing to ease the sadness the mind carries. This is known as “depression”; a mental disorder known to have many commit suicide. One way depression is being treated is in the prescription of antidepressants. The question of various researchers lately is whether the pills prescribed to treat depression actually have a solid effect on the psyche of the disorder itself. There are various types of pills used for depression, one primarily used is Zoloft.