George Orwell's Nineteen
Eighty-Four is possibly my
favorite piece of dystopian literature. Sure, the regime lacks the
seemingly well-placed love and cleverness of the one in Aldous
Huxley's Brave New World,
but I think that's why I enjoy Oceania's governmental system. These
people aren't in it to create a better world or help the people who
need it; they're in it for the power, plain and simple.
But, I've always
enjoyed reading about villains who are power-hungry and evil simply
for the sake of being evil.
I also really
liked reading the philosophical debate at the end of this book. I've
always kind of enjoyed philosophy, so this kind of battle of wits
excites me.
Here is my favorite
quote from this book: “ 'We control matter because we control the
mind. Reality is inside the skull' ” (274).
In a way, O'Brien,
the speaker here, is wrong; however, in a way he's right. Someone
once asked me how many realities there are. I immediately just wanted
to say “one,” but once I thought about it I realized the answer
is sort of “infinitely many.” (Actually, they're not infinite,
but the number is so high they may as well be infinite.)
It's not quite as fancy as a "multiple earths" theory.
Now, stay with me
here as I describe my wonky theory. There is one reality in which all
things actually happen as they are. This reality is called “Truth.”
All of our perceptions and personal takes on “Truth” are the
other numerous realities. (I call them “the Infinities.”) Here's
an example:
I'm sitting in the
dining hall at a table by myself. At the table next to me is a group
of three people chatting. Now, in the prime, true reality (“Truth”),
they're making fun of my haircut; however, I think (from what little
I eavesdrop) that they're talking about basketball. My perception is
one of the “Infinities.” While my thoughts aren't true to what
actually happens, they're true to me, and therefore realistic. So, in
consequence, there are infinitely many realities based upon our daily
perceptions.
Get it?
"Welcome to Coblentz Dining Hall: where the recipes don't make sense and your perception of reality doesn't matter."
So, with so many
realities, is it even possible to have an utopia? Sure, one may exist
in “Truth,” but what if everyone perceives it differently? It may
be perfect, but it won't be utopian to some people because it won't
line up with their expectations and perceptions of perfection. If
they don't want to go along with it, how can the society be
perfect/better? How, then, can it be utopian?
(Multiple earths picture taken from 123rf.com. Image of Coblentz taken from youvisit.com.)
This post resonates with what I said in class on Monday about "perception being reality." I think that you make a great point and explain it well. I also think that if more people were aware of this "phenomenon" or admitted to it that we all just might get along better in this crazy world that we live in! I also agree with your point about a utopia never actually existing because of the "infinities." Even if we all, and by we all I mean a small few because I think utopia could only ever exist on a small scale, had the same perspective of what utopia looks like we still would likely have different perspectives about how to get there and whether or not we are there once the process has started.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sam. I do not think that a true utopian place will ever exist. As I have said, people's beliefs and wants change. What they might imagine as utopian one day could be different in two weeks. I also think that a place where everyone can live in contentment together can never exist because everyone is unique. There will always be that one person.
ReplyDeleteI really like your theory of multiple realities. It is so true that the way we see the world dictates what we believe to be true and false. It's like the old saying has it: there are three sides to a story- yours, mine and what really happened.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me that I need to be more mindful of what is really going on around me versus the way that I think things are happening. Because of my pessimistic outlook on life, I find myself thinking that people see me in a much more negative light than they probably do.
I think you're referring to gossip ;)
ReplyDeleteFollowing the train of your logic, I could even extrapolate to say that we don't have any real sense, then, of reality. Only what we perceive of things around us, and how we feel other people perceive us. As a result, then, O'Brien is right. Reality (or truth) is what the party drives into their skulls.