I consider myself a mature individual, especially when it comes to managing emotions. Yet, I was taken aback by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. This dystopian masterpiece delves into the consequences of totalitarianism, surveillance, and state control over personal lives.
“Big Brother is Watching You.”
— George Orwell, 1984
Although it’s been six years since I read the book, the emotions I felt remain vivid. Initially, I couldn’t pinpoint my reaction. By mid-book, I realized the deep anger it evoked. The oppressive, dystopian society in the novel made me question: How could humanity let this happen? How could freedom be extinguished so ruthlessly?
Back then, I reassured myself that such a society would never come to pass. After all, how could a world like that exist? But today, I no longer hold that comfort. I’ve matured, learned more, and watched the world evolve, especially in terms of technology. The rise of the digital age, which I’ve closely observed as an IT student, has paved the way for mass surveillance. Advances in AI further amplify the potential for state control and manipulation, creating a frightening reality. Governments worldwide have already curtailed fundamental human rights, from the Cambridge Analytica scandal to the Pegasus spyware and China’s Social Credit System. These events unfold in real-time, and they aren’t confined to any one political system; we see this happening across the globe.
This raises a chilling question: Could the year 2084 resemble the world of 1984 more than a utopian dream?
In hindsight, I see the flaw in my previous reasoning. I comforted myself by assuming that things would always remain as they were. The totalitarian state of 1984 seemed too alien, too distant to ever become real. But if I had seen the world from the perspective of someone in the past century, I would’ve thought the same about my own time. The present is vastly different from the past, and it shows how easily the future can become something unimaginable today. Thus, it’s not impossible that we could end up in a dystopian society.
“The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness, and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”
— George Orwell, 1984
The struggle for freedom is ongoing. There will always be those seeking control and those striving for liberty. Orwell’s words ring true today: happiness, for many, is synonymous with convenience. And it’s technology—once a tool for comfort—that increasingly invades our privacy. The more convenient life becomes, the more the state can control and manipulate us, often so subtly that we don’t even notice.
We only realize the value of freedom when it’s gone. By then, it might be too late. History shows how societies often need revolutions to reclaim liberty, but must we repeat those mistakes? Can we learn from the past? Could we avoid walking down the same destructive path?
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