The answer to the mystery of evil

[PseuTonym]

From the novel 1984, by George Orwell:

‘Another example,’ he said. ‘Some years ago you had a very serious delusion indeed. You believed that three men, three onetime Party members named Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford men who were executed for treachery and sabotage after making the fullest possible confession – were not guilty of the crimes they were charged with. You believed that you had seen unmistakable documentary evidence proving that their confessions were false. There was a certain photograph about which you had a hallucination. You believed that you had actually held it in your hands. It was a photograph something like this.’

An oblong slip of newspaper had appeared between O’Brien’s fingers. For perhaps five seconds it was within the angle of Winston’s vision. It was a photograph, and there was no question of its identity. It was the photograph. It was another copy of the photograph of Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford at the party function in New York, which he had chanced upon eleven years ago and promptly destroyed. …] All he wanted was to hold the photograph in his fingers again …]

The joke is that Winston Smith is employed full-time creating false information for the government. However, Winston Smith is shocked, genuinely shocked (unlike Captain Renault in the movie “Casablanca”) to discover that the government has definitely lied about at least one thing that is bigger than the routine matters that Smith handles daily.

Casablanca gambling? I’m shocked!

 

[kingston1]

In that environment one begins to doubt what they see and hear. Was it real or am I really crazy?

It’s been a while since I read 1984, maybe 20 years. I imagine it still holds up.

Do you believe there are things that we don’t acknowledge out of fear?

I do but I am too afraid to share them on this forum. It’s not that we think the thing were scared of speaking is true or not but that by EVEN bringing it up we are trouble makers.

A down to earth example would be a lying cheating boss who fires whistle blowers. No one is going to acknowledge the truth and everyone will walk around in a fog. Imagine a new employee would think he was in the Twilight Zone. I remember watching “the Devil’s Advocate” many years ago and the evolution of Keanu Reeves character was that of naive new comer to grizzled combatant. The most erie part was at the end when the devil went back in time and started the whole story over.

Ever feel like that actually happens? No, me neither (or do I?)…