Brave New World -- Civilized vs Savage

I loved reading Brave New World, and I thought it brought up an interesting discussion about what society values and what exactly constitutes a "civilized" culture. For example, Lenina considers herself to be civilized, but the things that she finds to be revolting or indecent are things that are generally normal and mostly accepted in our society, like breastfeeding, being a mother, etc. The things that Lenina considers “civilized”, like multiple sexual partners, taking drugs, etc. are not accepted in our society. It’s also interesting how much Lenina judges the “savages”, because in the society of BNW, they have “orgy-porgy” ceremonies that are strikingly similar to the ritual that the people on the reservation were performing -- dancing, beating drums, crying out -- the only difference is that Lenina considers the Indians so shockingly “other” that she cannot make any connection between herself and them. She is unable to feel empathy or to relate to these people because they are so different from the people in her society -- and difference is not tolerated. The only thing that makes the society in BNW “civilized” is their access to technology. Really, it could be argued that the “savages” are more civilized than Lenina and Bernard -- they seem to have leaders and some form of democracy, and in general seem to treat their people better. The visit to the reservation raises the question “what is civilization?” Is it scientific progress, or is it human connection? I tend to believe that it is both. In order for a society to progress, there must be scientific and technological advances. But, there must also be human empathy and understanding. The difference between the Indians and the people of the BNW society is that, with time, they could learn to advance technologically. However, it would be difficult for people like Lenina to unlearn their conditioning and develop empathy. Therefore, I believe that the “savages” are actually more civilized than the “civilized” world.