How do the Elders, Jonas, and The Giver view life?

The Elders view life as a thing to be regulated and controlled. They prefer their community to be sanitized of basic primal and complex emotion. Jonas discovers there is more to life than walking around with a silly smile on one's face. He realizes his primal longings and emotions are important to human nature and identity. The Giver too has misgivings about his role in perpetuating the Elder's agenda. He lost his own daughter. He thinks life in the community needs to change.