Ecstasy and Soma

The problem is that the mind is such a powerful and complex mystery that it seems unlikely that any society or drug could completely control every mind. The problem is that the drug soma is only creating fake happiness instead people having complete happiness. The problem with having truth and happiness combined together is that they can’t always co-exist all the time. Truth can lead to pain and unhappiness but it can make the happiness all the more important.

People like Bernard and Helmholtz probably feel a part of that truth and so they can’t fit in with the happy society. Ecstasy is similar to soma in that it is a hallucinogen. Soma and ecstasy also both raise heart rate and, while soma won’t kill a person in the short-term, they both have long-term effects. Ecstasy can make a person feel temporarily happy but increase depression and anxiety afterwards. Soma doesn’t seem to have that effect. Both create a false happiness that isn’t based on anything.