| #658 by MadIce - 8/6/2003 2:45:17 AM To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone - to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink - greetings! -- George Orwell / Nineteen Eighty Four (1948) |
I remember when I first read 1984... There was so much hype about the book and usually when I read a book that has been hyped it is usually a disappointment…not the case with the book 1984.
We all live with the belief that we have complete and inalienable rights in this country and other countries that could become a dangerous misconception. A place such as Orwell’s Oceania would not be possible without the rapid development of technology.
While I feel that rapid advance in technology is a great for society I often Question whether or not social values have advanced in stride with the technology, the answer is clearly no. The same technologies that allow for the delicate model of freedom have the same capacity to be abused by the powers to harm or enslave a population if not respected.
Just recently a chip was invented that could be implanted into skin making persons movements traceable, all that is required is the motivation for abuse, and history has shown a great abundance of this trait in mankind.
I used to think 1984 was simply a great work of fiction with little chance of actually becoming a reality, but as years pass I think this novel may turn out to have been a prophetic glimpse into the future of the world, a world that most likely will become a government controlled police state.
