Which Path?

The clock ticked loudly and time passed quickly as I thought of a response to my class’s reading of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Asked to answer the question: What are you going to do next? I went to work, referring to the two texts and my own notes taking during class discussions.
Ishmael. Brave New World. Does the world belong to man or does man belong to the world? I thought after having read both these books that seemed so antagonistically paired. Which is the right path? Saving the world through reversing the story of Genesis or encouraging further advancements towards a society of conditioned peace? Ishmael’s idea of what’s destroying our earth is actually what brought about that world of peoples who feel minimal amounts of pain, isn’t it? Being utterly confused, I scratched my head.
Feeling as though something was meant to be done, as though some action should take place, I looked back through my notes, hoping to find some sense of clarity that would help direct me towards this ‘right path’. But, hadn’t Ishmael said that there was no one right way to live? Doesn’t that apply to having only one right path? There, at the top of the page was the heading: Should something be done? Underneath, jotted was the gathered thoughts of my fellow classmates after just reading Ishmael. Some said that there was no point in taking action, it’s too late and humankind is doomed. Others believed that by taking small steps and spreading this gorilla’s ideas, the lives of all people will eventually change in a way that they can live harmoniously with the earth. Referring to the book itself, I read “‘What you do is to teach a hundred what I’ve taught you, and inspire each of them to teach a hundred. That’s how it’s always done.’ ‘Yes, but . . . is it enough?’”(Quinn, 248) If I were to inspire others by sharing and spreading Ishmael’s ideas, that would be the definite question to ask: Is it enough? Will it be too late to save this world polluted by civilization?
At the thought of civilization, I flipped through my notebook and found the title: What is the danger of civilization? What does it mean to be civilize5d? Listed were what some thought to be the characteristics of the civilized: social stability, social hierarchy, conditioning, pleasure principle, sterile, orderly, new, focus on improvement, progress, efficiency, products of the system. Products of the system–people decanted in bottles, predetermined by a factory to be of high class or low class, of good health or ill health. Do I want to work towards a society where people know nothing of a mother, a father, or a family? These people in Brave New World are being brain-washed by these repetitions in hypnopaedia they listen to during sleep! Someone already decides what a person’s attitude will be like–conditioning and molding them into beings that know nothing other than what someone else thinks they should know. If this is what civilization is, why would anyone want to advance toward it?
It was then decided–working towards Ishmael’s goals would be my path. Not necessarily the ‘right path,’ but my path. The question now was how? How do I make humankind spit out the fruit of the forbidden tree, have Cain stop killing Abel, and actually reverse Genesis? One thing is for sure–I’m going to need help. Gather a group of followers, create a club, give out fliers, and eventually make everyone at least aware of what is going on. I turned around and tapped my friend on the shoulder.
“Hey, Ann!”
“What do you want, Max?”
“What do you think of an Ishmael awareness club? Want to save the world?”
“Just hope it’s not already too late.”
Works Cited: Quinn, Daniel. Iahmael. New York: Bantam trade paperback edition, June 1995/1992.