BNW: Why are the World Members Happy?...(etc.)

The world members are trained to be content with their environment, or if they aren't, they are supposed to combat it with daily doses of soma. This reliance on the drug is unhealthy and blinds the world members of the current state of affairs, such as their taking away education and individuality, which would create an outrage if instated anywhere that wasn't so brainwashed. The truth doesn't always bring happiness and vice versa: happiness isn't always brought on by the truth. To create a society that is dependent upon soma (which is distributed by the government) and other material items that the government supplies, the world members are more easily influenced, because they are the puppets that depend on the strings (items the government provides) that attach them to the puppetmaster (government). So, here they are--happy, but without a clue, and with the government erasing all senses of liberation--or at least the freedom to make their own choices. The truth, as John finds out, isn't as "pretty" as the citizens have been told to believe. With the ecstacy video that we viewed, many users said that it put them into an automatic state of relaxation and made them happy, dancing with everyone and having a "grand old time". This is much like soma; however, there are much healthier ways to get your troubles off of your mind without totally paralyzing it, like playing a sport, instrument, or going to counseling. :)