Celebrate Quote by Aldous Huxley
“[...] Technology has tended to devaluate the traditional vision-inducing materials. The illumination of a city, for example, was once a rare event, reserved for victories and national holidays, for the canonization of saints and the crowning of kings. Now it occurs nightly and celebrates the virtues of gin, cigarettes and toothpaste.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Perennial Philosophy, 1945 (or similar)
The passage laments how modern technology has turned once sacred, rare illuminations into commonplace celebrations of trivial consumer goods.
In simple terms: Technology cheapens once sacred spectacles.
Value meaningful symbols over consumer hype.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- urban planning
- advertising
- public festivals
- media studies
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does technology change cultural meaning?
- What can we reclaim as sacred?
It may overgeneralize historical lighting practices.