I'm
sure most of us were required to read George Orwell's novel 1984 in
high school. I can't remember if the book was required reading for us
or I just read it to do a book report on. Either way a lot of time
has passed. Being such a revered book I decided to read it again. It
was good, and Orwell certainly makes you think. Contrary to some of
the current political rhetoric I don't believe we are living in that
world.
Certainly
there is a extraordinary amount of surveillance in public today. I
find it hard to believe that anyone would allot the necessary
resources to watch all of that surveillance. And we still have
privacy in our own homes. There are no omnipresent telescreens behind
closed doors. Besides Nineteen Eighty-Four was about more than the
physical observation of the citizens. It was about control. Actually
controlling the thoughts of people so that you would not even have a
negative thought about the party. Thankfully we are not there.
I
don't t think we are heading toward a dytopian future either. We may
have made some poor choices in regards to freedom in the last few
years. All is not lost though. If we move into the future without
letting fear rule the day I believe the arc of our society will bend
toward freedom. To me the key is always questioning what we allow in
the name of safety.
