A few days ago, I finished reading the book 1984 by George Orwell. It is defineatley one of my new favourites, I remember reading bit and bobs of it in the past and I regret not apprecaiting it back then. Anyhow, here are some thoughts I had on it.....
Actually, I finished the book on a short day trip to mainland China (Shenzhen). It felt weird reading the book in China, and I had an irrational kind of fear that some one was watching me read the book, and without me knowing, at any second, would pounce on me and drag me away kicking and screaming!! Fortunately no such thing happened, but this thought highlights the spirit of the book quite well.
In what we see as a distopian future, the 'people' in the book see it as heaven. No one can escape the ever watchful gaze of Big Brother. What is worse is that even ones thoughts are not safe. Even worse than this is that truth is no longer truth, or is it?
Everything we know as truth, Big Brother can change, for example if Big Brother says 2+2=5, then it is. People would accept this as the new truth, and all past referances and memories of the equation 2+2=4 would be subsequently rendered redundant, heck! it never even exsisted!..My history teacher once told me, "if you repeat a lie enough, people will start to believe it". (wait a minute...isn't this the theory of Kuhnian paradigm shifts?"
Not only is this a world with no 'facts' but there is also no love. Although if we were living in Big Brother world this is not something we would care or even be aware of anyway!?!
What is one supposed to do when the things he knows are right, are in fact wrong? And it seems as if not matter what he does, what he knows is right will never come to be. The world has turned into one big lie, but is is still a lie is everybody believes in it?
It's scary how close the world has come to 'this place'. In fact places and times such as China during the Cultural Revolution, Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia have come extremely close to this point.
"What is Hell?", I believe that the world described in this book comes pretty close to hell.
Ah! There is so much to say about this book, so many thoughts in my head about it that I cannot even co-herently put them down on paper....
How would I apply it to my life today?
Well, I know, for sure, that there is a truth that does not fade or change no matter what. This is ofcourse Jesus. Jesus, is Big Brother only instead of distorting the truth, Jesus IS the truth. He is the truth ,the way and the life.
And under the ever watchful eye of Him, we need not be afraid of anything. He knows our every thought, however, instead of locking us up, He sets us free. In fact, one of all my time favourtie songs highlights this fact. "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me"
"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest"...(Exodus 33:14) God is always and everywhere, in fact he is everywhere always. The Big Brother you can love.
2 comments:
absolutely agree with you man.
1984, top book.
i read it before and after watching the play....before the play (i guess because i didn't quite understnad what was going on) i didn't understand the book. after it...i guess i just got the hang of it, read it again, loved it.
Top top top top book.
the world definitely needs to give more credit to George Orwell.
the version of the play i watched was by The Actor's Gang from US. loved it loved it loved it and what a pleasure to see it in HK.
the final blast was awesome. terrifying, spooky, very very powerful indeed. DO IT TO JULIA! the rats...all the comrades leaving....Big Brother...
going from the level higher and higher....
I love Big Brother.
replace that with Jesus.
Brilliant.
I haven't finished Animal Farm....but judging from the middle of it, it will never par up to 1984. But who knows? Maybe it will be a hella good read. The portraying was awesome. You read it yet?
Post a Comment