I, The Absolute

In his book “Brave New World”, Aldous Huxley writes about futuristic society where the “state” takes control of procreation and how through genetic conditioning, the state controls human behavior and maintains order in the society.

In this society, state procreates through artificial incubation. Human beings have sex only for pleasure. State decides that there will be categories of people from alpha to omega. An Alpha is a thinker. His job is to think. To enable him focus only on thinking, he is conditioned through set rules (physical and mental). He comes to a stage where he abhors physical work and loves thinking. An Omega is a physical worker. He is again conditioned. He hates any mental activity; loves physical work. What is good about this process is that an alpha is happy that he is an alpha, not anybody else. A beta is happy that he is not an alpha or an omega. An omega is happy that he is an omega and that he is spared of doing meaningless mental activity.

Despite my low-income background, I have never once wished that it would have been good had I been born in a richer family. Despite the fame and money that I could earn, I will never trade myself for a Sachin’s or a Sharukh’s life in return. I am sure many people would like to be born as themselves if there is a chance to be born again. Despite odds that ordinary women face (not all of them), many women will prefer to be born as women again. We know that there is no organised / sophisticated conditioning (like how it happens in brave new world) happening with us. Two reasons perhaps explain why people prefer to be themselves: Self-love and social reasons.

It is good to introspect and know which type we are. How much of physical activity do I like? How much of mental activity do I like? What level of mental activity? Am I a knowledge type or an imagination type? There is nothing good or bad about being an alpha as there is nothing wrong or right about being a beta or an omega. You are a particular type. Period.

Post Scriptum:

However, I also understand that there are many people who have suffered misery and who are still suffering. They would prefer to be born as someone else rich, beautiful, educated, intelligent, etc. Are there solutions in the world to help them? Conditioning is definitely not one. Can management education give us some clues?