Desense

The people in Lem’s The Futurological Congress are incredibly desensitized. Although Tichy says that the Costa Rica Hilton is one of the finest hotels to stay at, it seems very chaotic. Assuming that what Tichy says is true, we can judge that the society at large would be much worse than what is going on at this hotel. In fact, the sign that says “BOMB-FREE” actually serves to unnerve me, rather than qualm my fears that this hotel would have a bomb. There are people dying left and right, and yet Tichy does not seem phased by the deaths at all. This society has become so apathetic and accepting of any behavior that it has grown to be some kind of anarchy. I believe that the rampant drug use present in this future is to heighten the senses for a desensitized culture.

This book reminds me of The Matrix series (I'm guessing The Matrix series was based off of this book). Although the important questions of The Futurological Congress are less outright, The Matrix seems to voice them pretty well. Laurence Fishburne's character, Morpheus, posed an interesting question: "You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." Just like Neo, Tichy chose to stop taking the drugs and unveil himself to the horrors of this new society.