Read: 1984

I cannot remember when I first heard about 1984. It must be about the same time I first heard about George Orwell. For a long time, the book had been on my to-read list but I never got around to reading it. There’s always a new release that I’d read instead. So some time ago I thought that I should at least try to alternate my reading between new and old releases, hence 1984.

At the very least, 1984 gives us the term Big Brother. The government rules on fear and propaganda, in this case complete control of information, using a perpetual war as a tool. Whether there is actually a war going on, and against whom, does not matter except that the government says so. Every aspect of our lives is controlled by the government, even our thoughts. No one can be trusted. Parents cannot even trust their children.

It is, in a fashion, a really scary novel. At every word I cannot help wondering whether Big Brother already exists, now, in real life. I also wonder if governments and politicians around the world, whatever the label they wear, actually learn from Orwell as much as Machiavelli.