In “The Adonis and Alphabet,” Aldous Huxley eloquently dissects the human condition and confronts us with existential questions. Let us explore some of the notable passages from the book that encapsulate its essence:
- “Amidst the chaos of existence, humanity yearns for meaning and purpose. We are driven by an insatiable desire to decipher the enigma of our own existence.”
- “Through the eyes of the protagonist, we witness the struggle between conformity and individuality, as he grapples with societal expectations and the longing for personal freedom.”
- “The author’s vivid imagery paints a haunting picture of the human psyche, with its labyrinthine depths and hidden desires.”
- “In the quest for self-discovery, the protagonist embarks on an odyssey of introspection, peeling back the layers of his own identity to unearth the truths that lie dormant within.”
- “Huxley’s prose is a symphony of words, evoking a myriad of emotions that resonate with the reader’s soul. His keen observations of human nature lay bare the complexities of our existence.” — From English Literature Foundation review
Some quotes from the book. The first third of it is an essay with the same title as the book Adonis and Alphabet which was rather difficult reading for me. The rest of the book was an essay with the title of Ozymandias which was an easier read and I was able to understand more of what he wrote. Both of the essays were better than his later nonfiction where he tries to incorporate his philosophy into a novel.
This headlong decline in knowledge has not been accompanied by any increase in understanding; for it goes without saying that high school courses in life adjustment do not teach understanding. They teach only conformity to current conventions of personal and collective behaviour. There is no substitute for correct knowledge, and in the process of acquiring correct knowledge there is no substitute for concentration and prolonged practice. Except for the unusually gifted, learning, by whatever method, must always be hard work. Unfortunately there are many professional educationists who seem to think that children should never be required to work hard. Wherever educational methods are based on this assumption, children will not in fact acquire much knowledge; and if the methods are followed for a generation or two, the society which tolerates them will find itself in full decline.
Unrealistic imperialism, on the other hand, cannot commit suicide without inflicting misery and death upon innumerable victims.
But the history of espionage demonstrates very clearly that many compulsive esotericists are not content to belong to only one Secret Society. To intensify their strange fun, they surreptitiously work for the enemy as well as their own gang, and end, in a delirium of duplicity, by double crossing everyone. The born secret agent, the man who positively enjoys spying, can never, because he is a neurotic, be relied upon. It may well be that a nation’s actual security is in inverse ratio to the size of its Security Forces. The greater the number of its secret agents and hush-hush men, the more chances there are of betrayal.
Went to Sierra Vista by way of AZ92 yesterday morning and stopped at the Country House Restaurant for breakfast. Proceeded from there to Safeway were I picked up a few groceries for this next week. That had me at Best Buy about 30 minutes before they opened and I was in a crowd of four when they opened the doors. The Greek Squad guy confirmed what I had a suspicion of; they would not do a Starlink Mini install on my RV. However, he did give me the name of a place, The Specialist, that do mostly auto audio and security installs.
When I stopped there the tech said he had not installed a Starlink Mini but had installed a lot of the Starlink Standard models and other satellite internet dishes. So I went to RV City and got an appointment for them to remove the TV antenna. Once that is done I’ll get the Mini mounted on Desperado’s roof.
Probably order the Mini in a week or two so when I receive it I can learn how to use it before it goes up on the roof. From what I understand it is plug an play and there needs to be nothing done with the dish devise but will not know that until I get it.