Aldous Huxley

When I ask anyone if they have read Aldous Huxley, they usually mention Brave New World, Brave New World Revisited or The Doors Of Perception. Until recently, those were the only books of his that I had read. I read them again and was reminded of the old saying, "When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear." At my public library, there were ninety-seven titles in their catalogue for Aldous Huxley. This collection was incomplete, because they lacked three volumes of his Complete Essays. I spoke to the librarians and they eventually made the others available. They also improved the abysmal lighting at my request. I thus declare my undying love for all librarians, past, present and future.

I read every one of them and my undiminished enthusiasm annoyed all the people around me. The hook for me was his intellect. His knowledge was vast. Aldous could write on any conceivable topic. Three of his books of essays are equivalent to an equal number of years at university. His topics include music, art, science, politics, religion and history. He also wrote poetry, plays, short stories and excellent novels. His hallmarks are an unparalleled command of the English language and the quality of his questions. Because of the depth of his intellect, his privileged upbringing and illustrious family connections, Aldous saw many of the interwoven threads that run through reality. As a result, he predicted the future with great accuracy. Another way of saying that would be to say, he knew certain old agendas that were in play and spoke more freely about them than his peers.

His writings from the 1920's are still pertinent today. He was deeply concerned (as a scientist) about the state of the planet, a hundred years ago. He wrote a book about eyesight, based on research that had been suppressed by the medical community. Aldous was nearly blind when he discovered this information and after trying it, he was able to double the strength of his vision. That book is, The Art Of Seeing.

Attitude is important and Huxley humbly says, "My ignorance is encyclopaedic." He wrote about metaphysics and religion. One of those books was made into a fine film by Ken Russel, The Devils Of Loudon. It is a detailed research paper about a true happening in France. It shows the psychology behind what appears to be religion, as distinct from the real thing. I warrant that Umberto Ecco would appreciate that book.

If you enjoy travelling, you may like to read the comments of an intellectual about your favourite places in the world. I read his book about Guatemala, a place I had explored many years prior. With the help of Aldous’ book, I walked the same roads again, but this time equipped with his intellect. I learned about the history and the art of the region. I learned many more things that I was unaware of during my travels.

Aldous reveals the methods by which we are being controlled and manipulated by corporate powers. When he moved to California from England, he was asked by Walt Disney to write a screenplay for a production of, Alice In Wonderland. Aldous submitted his manuscript and it was promptly rejected. Disney’s comment was, "I had to look up every second word in the dictionary." Exactly, Walt, that’s the point!

The main thing I learned from Huxley was the importance of using language correctly. English is a very expressive language. We must take the trouble to learn more than five hundred words and to use them correctly. Most people do not make the effort to learn their own native language. This explains much of the misery in the world. When he knew he was going to die, Aldous took a dose of LSD. His wife and a few close friends gathered at the bedside and he described the experience.

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