The Paradox of Being a Good Person - George Orwell's Warning to the World

Summary

This script delves into George Orwell's life and enduring impact, highlighting his warnings about totalitarianism and manipulation of truth. Orwell's experiences in Burma, Spain, and his disdain for intellectual elitism shaped his works, 'Animal Farm' and '1984', which critique political abuses of power and the degradation of objective truth. His legacy continues to resonate, influencing discussions on the freedom and welfare of citizens in the face of political ideologies.

Takeaways

• 📚 George Orwell is renowned for his insights into the power of language and technology, and his warnings about the manipulation of truth and totalitarianism.
• 🎭 Orwell, born Eric Arthur Blair, adopted a pseudonym to protect his family's reputation and his own.
• 🏛 Orwell's upbringing was marked by a mix of impoverishment and snobbery, which he later described as lower-upper-middle-class.
• 🏫 Despite academic success, Orwell found the environment at Wellington and Eton miserable and did not pursue university education.
• 👮 Orwell served as a colonial police officer in Burma, an experience he found miserable and conflicting with his values.
• 📖 Orwell's early literary works drew from his diverse experiences in Burma, France, and London, reflecting his fondness for ordinary people.
• 🔍 His experiences in the Spanish Civil War led to a deep understanding of the distortion of truth in media and the abandonment of objective truth.
• 🐷 'Animal Farm' is an allegorical critique of the Russian Revolution and the rise of totalitarianism, using animals to represent different societal archetypes.
• 📘 '1984' presents a dystopian society under constant surveillance, where language is manipulated to control thought, illustrating the dangers of totalitarianism.
• 🕊 Orwell was a proponent of democratic socialism and criticized both totalitarianism and capitalism for their potential to concentrate power and wealth.
• 🌐 Orwell's work remains influential, with terms like 'Orwellian' describing conditions where truth is distorted for political power, regardless of political ideology.

Q & A

Who was George Orwell, and why is he considered significant?

George Orwell, born as Eric Arthur Blair in 1903, is a widely read and referenced literary figure, known for his insights on language, technology, truth manipulation, and totalitarianism. His works, such as 'Animal Farm' and '1984,' have left a lasting impact on literature and political thought.

Why did George Orwell use a pseudonym instead of his real name?

Orwell used the pseudonym 'George Orwell' to protect his family’s reputation and his own. His real name was Eric Arthur Blair, but he chose the pseudonym to separate his literary career from his personal life.

How did Orwell's early life and upbringing influence his later work?

Orwell’s upbringing in a lower-upper-middle-class family and his diverse experiences in Burma, France, and London shaped his disdain for intellectuals and his fondness for ordinary people. These experiences greatly influenced the themes of social justice and anti-totalitarianism in his later works.

What event catalyzed Orwell’s rise to prominence as an intellectual and writer?

Orwell's experience in the Spanish Civil War in 1936, where he witnessed the manipulation of truth and propaganda, was a significant catalyst for his rise as an intellectual and writer. This experience deeply influenced his views on totalitarianism and the importance of objective truth.

What is the main theme of Orwell’s novella 'Animal Farm'?

'Animal Farm' is a critique of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent rule of Joseph Stalin. It serves as an allegory warning against the fallibilities of revolutionary movements and the potential threats of counterrevolutions.

How does Orwell's '1984' depict a totalitarian government?

'1984' depicts a totalitarian government in Oceania, where citizens are under constant surveillance, and thoughtcrime is punished. The government, led by Big Brother, manipulates language and information to maintain control, exemplifying Orwell’s warnings about the dangers of totalitarianism.

What does the term 'Orwellian' refer to?

The term 'Orwellian' refers to conditions reminiscent of Orwell’s work, particularly the manipulation of language and information by a central power to undermine freedom and truth. It often describes totalitarian practices where reality is distorted for political purposes.

Was Orwell opposed to socialism?

No, Orwell was not opposed to socialism; he was a proponent of democratic socialism. His critique was specifically against totalitarianism, regardless of its political origins, and he believed in a political democracy with a socially run decentralized economy.

What is the significance of Orwell's critique on the manipulation of language?

Orwell believed that the manipulation of language was a key tool used by totalitarian regimes to control thought and suppress dissent. By altering language, governments could limit critical thinking and enforce their ideologies, as depicted in '1984' with concepts like Newspeak.

What lesson did Orwell hope readers would take from '1984'?

Orwell hoped that readers would recognize the dangers of totalitarianism and the importance of protecting objective truth. The moral of '1984' is encapsulated in the warning, 'Don’t let it happen. It depends on you,' urging vigilance against oppressive regimes.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Life and Influence of George Orwell

This paragraph introduces George Orwell as a prominent literary figure whose work is widely read and referenced across various ideologies and political worldviews. Born Eric Arthur Blair in 1903 in British India, Orwell's experiences growing up in a lower-upper-middle-class family and his time as a colonial police officer in Burma significantly shaped his views on language, technology, and the manipulation of truth. His early life and career laid the groundwork for his eventual rise as a prominent intellectual and literary figure, with a focus on the importance of ordinary people and life.

05:05

📖 Orwell's Literary Journey and Political Insights

Orwell's journey as a writer began with his experiences in Burma and Paris, leading to the publication of several books that highlighted his disdain for intellectuals while ironically becoming one. His time in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, where he fought against fascism, was a turning point that revealed the manipulation of truth in media and the degradation of objective truth by subjective ideologies. This observation led him to believe in the potential rise of totalitarianism, a theme that would become central to his later works.

10:08

🐖 Allegorical Critique in 'Animal Farm'

The paragraph discusses Orwell's use of literature as a warning against totalitarianism, exemplified by his allegorical novella 'Animal Farm.' The story, featuring anthropomorphized animals, serves as a critique of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Joseph Stalin. It illustrates the dangers of revolutionary movements and the susceptibility to counterrevolutions, with the pigs eventually mirroring the oppressive humans they initially overthrew, highlighting the timeless truths about social and political power dynamics.

15:11

🕊️ Orwell's Vision of Totalitarianism in '1984'

This paragraph delves into Orwell's dystopian novel '1984,' which portrays a society under constant surveillance and control by a totalitarian government known as the Party. The protagonist, Winston Smith, experiences the oppressive regime firsthand, including the manipulation of language through 'newspeak' and the concept of 'doublethink.' The novel's chilling conclusion, where Winston ultimately submits to the Party, serves as a stark warning of the potential hopelessness of a future dominated by totalitarianism.

📘 Orwell's Legacy and the Concept of 'Orwellian'

The final paragraph reflects on Orwell's lasting impact on literature and society, with his work '1984' becoming a cultural touchstone for dystopian themes. The term 'Orwellian' has entered the lexicon to describe conditions where truth is distorted for political power. Orwell's political stance, a critic of totalitarianism and proponent of democratic socialism, is clarified, distinguishing his views from those who misappropriate his work to support capitalism. The paragraph concludes with a philosophical reflection on the nature of truth and the importance of collective decency as a counter to totalitarianism.

Keywords

💡George Orwell

George Orwell, born Eric Arthur Blair, was a renowned British author known for his profound social and political commentary. His works, including '1984' and 'Animal Farm', are central to the script's theme of the dangers of totalitarianism and manipulation of truth. Orwell's insights into language and power are repeatedly referenced to illustrate the potential for societal manipulation and control.

💡Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is a political system where the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life. The script discusses Orwell's warnings about the threat of totalitarianism, highlighting its potential to arise from the abandonment of objective truth and the manipulation of language and information.

💡Language Manipulation

Language manipulation refers to the deliberate alteration or distortion of language to influence thought and behavior. The script emphasizes Orwell's belief in the power of language to shape reality and his warnings about its misuse in totalitarian regimes, as exemplified in the concept of 'newspeak' from '1984'.

💡Truth

Truth, in the context of the script, is portrayed as a fundamental aspect under threat in societies moving towards totalitarianism. Orwell's experiences in Spain during the Civil War led him to recognize the deliberate misrepresentation of events in media, which he saw as a precursor to the erosion of objective truth.

💡Animal Farm

'Animal Farm' is an allegorical novel by Orwell that critiques the Russian Revolution and the rise of Joseph Stalin. The script uses this work to illustrate the potential for revolutions to devolve into the very oppressive systems they sought to overthrow, underscoring the cyclical nature of power corruption.

💡1984

'1984' is a dystopian novel that presents a society under constant surveillance and control by a totalitarian regime led by 'Big Brother'. The script discusses the novel's portrayal of thought control, the manipulation of reality, and the dangers of unchecked state power.

💡Big Brother

In Orwell's '1984', 'Big Brother' symbolizes the omnipresent and controlling leader of the totalitarian state of Oceania. The script refers to 'Big Brother' as a metaphor for the invasive surveillance and authority that characterize oppressive governments.

💡Newspeak

Newspeak is the fictional language in '1984' designed by the Party to limit freedom of thought and simplify expression. The script explains how newspeak is used to control the populace by reducing the complexity of language, thereby limiting the ability for critical thought and dissent.

💡Thoughtcrime

Thoughtcrime, as depicted in '1984', is the act of holding thoughts contrary to the Party's ideology. The script uses the concept to illustrate the extreme measures a totalitarian regime might take to control the innermost thoughts of its citizens.

💡Doublethink

Doublethink is the cognitive process of accepting two contradictory beliefs as correct, as seen in '1984'. The script explains how doublethink is a tool of manipulation used by the Party to maintain control over the populace, even in the face of evident contradictions.

💡Democratic Socialism

Democratic socialism is a political ideology that advocates for democratic control of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. The script clarifies that Orwell was a critic of totalitarianism, not socialism, and that he supported democratic socialism as a means to prevent the concentration of power and wealth.

Highlights

George Orwell is recognized for his insights on language, technology, and warnings about truth manipulation and totalitarianism.

Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair in 1903 in Bengal, India, and later adopted the pseudonym George Orwell.

Orwell's upbringing was marked by a mix of impoverishment and snobbery, which influenced his later work.

Despite his brilliance, Orwell found the academic environment at Eton miserable and did not attend university.

Orwell served as a colonial police officer in Burma, an experience that conflicted with his values.

Orwell's early works, including 'Burmese Days', were influenced by his diverse experiences.

Orwell developed a fondness for ordinary people and a disdain for intellectuals, ironically becoming a prominent intellectual himself.

Orwell's experiences in the Spanish Civil War catalyzed his rise as a prominent intellectual and literary figure.

Orwell was wounded in the Spanish Civil War and observed the manipulation of war coverage, impacting his views on truth.

Orwell believed that literature could warn against the rise of totalitarianism and threats to freedom and truth.

Animal Farm, Orwell's allegorical novella, critiques the Russian Revolution and the rise of Joseph Stalin.

1984, Orwell's dystopian novel, depicts a society under constant surveillance and controlled by a totalitarian government.

Orwell's work has become increasingly popular and culturally relevant, with terms like 'Orwellian' emerging from his writing.

Orwell was a critic of totalitarianism, not socialism, and advocated for democratic socialism.

Orwell's insights into human psychology in politics and the control of language remain relevant to societies today.

The potential for tyranny is always present, and Orwell's work serves as a warning against complacency.

Orwell's work encourages the realization of collective decency and the importance of vigilance against totalitarianism.

Transcripts

George Orwell is perhaps one of the most widely  read and referenced literary figures of all  

time—certainly of the twentieth century. Cited and  mentioned by nearly every contemporary ideology  

and political worldview, his voice echoes down the  halls of history. His insights about the power of  

language and technology as well as his warnings  about the manipulation of truth and the threat of  

totalitarianism, being relevant to rooms on both  sides of the hall—left and right—transcend the  

walls of any one moment, movement, or ideology. Orwell was born in 1903 in Bengal India, which,  

at the time, was part of the British  Empire. He was born with the name Eric  

Arthur Blair and would only become George  Orwell many years later when using the name  

as pseudonym to protect his family and their  reputation—as well as his own. As a child,  

Orwell’s socioeconomic conditions were unusual.  His mother, being the daughter of a wealthy man,  

had the attitude and tastes of someone well-off.  But, by the time Orwell was born, his family had  

little money, and his father was working as a  civil servant. Orwell would later refer to his  

upbringing as lower-upper-middle-class, a sort  amalgamation of impoverishment and snobbery. 

After his family returned from India to  England, where they were originally from,  

with the help of some family connections, Orwell  was sent to an English preparatory school. Here,  

both his unusual temperament and his brilliance  became apparent, receiving both ridicule from  

other students as well as scholarships to  England’s leading schools, Wellington and Eton. At  

an early age, however, Orwell found the academic  environment miserable. And so, he would never go  

on to university. Instead, in 1922, he entered the  British Imperial service and worked as a colonial  

police officer. He was posted in Burma, a province  of British India at the time. He also found this  

experience miserable and conflicting with his  values. Five years later, he would resign. 

Over the subsequent few years, Orwell would work  several low-paying service jobs throughout Paris  

and London, including a part-time assistant job  in a second-hand bookshop. Around this time,  

he would also begin writing and publishing  books of his own, including Burmese Days,  

A Clergyman’s Daughter, and Keep the Aspidistra  Flying. Surely influenced by his unique upbringing  

and his diverse experiences across Burma, France,  and London, Orwell would develop a fondness  

for what he referred to as ordinary people and  ordinary life—individuals who worked normal jobs,  

were not obsessed with material goods, had minimal  education, and didn’t strive for nor achieve  

any sort of prominence, power, or so-called  greatness. In contrast, he developed a disdain  

for intellectuals. Ironically, of course, Orwell  would soon become one—perhaps one of the most  

prominent intellectuals of the twentieth century. Orwell’s rise to prominence as an intellectual and  

literary figure can be largely attributed to the  catalyzing experiences he had after traveling to  

Spain in 1936. Initially, he went to Spain as a  journalist to report on the Spanish Civil War,  

but he soon enlisted as a volunteer in the  Republican militia to fight against the  

fascist opposition. “If you had asked me why I  had joined the militia I should have answered:  

'To fight against Fascism,' and if you had  asked me what I was fighting for, I should have  

answered: 'Common decency,” Orwell later wrote. During his time in the war, Orwell was shot  

in the throat and nearly killed by a sniper.  Perhaps even more affecting for him, however,  

was what he witnessed in the coverage and  portrayal of the war. Years later, he wrote: 

Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever  correctly reported in a newspaper, but in Spain,  

for the first time, I saw newspaper reports  which did not bear any relation to the facts,  

not even the relationship which is implied  in an ordinary lie. I saw great battles  

reported where there had been no fighting,  and complete silence where hundreds of men  

had been killed. I saw troops who had fought  bravely denounced as cowards and traitors,  

and others who had never seen a shot fired  hailed as the heroes of imaginary victories,  

and I saw newspapers in London retailing these  lies and eager intellectuals building emotional  

superstructures over events that had never  happened. I saw, in fact, history being written  

not in terms of what happened but of what ought to  have happened according to various ‘party lines’.

Orwell’s observations revealed to him a  degradation of the value placed on objective  

truth. Objective truth was being replaced more  and more by the faith in subjective truths of  

ideologies and political parties. “I am willing  to believe that history is for the most part  

inaccurate and biased, but what is peculiar to  our own age is the abandonment of the idea that  

history could be truthfully written,” Orwell  wrote. The consequences of this, for Orwell,  

risked leadings to totalitarianism, a form of  government in which individuals lack freedom,  

and, instead, are subordinate to and controlled by  the central authority of the state. When there is  

no belief in objective truth, truth solely exists  in the human mind, becoming easily malleable and  

manipulatable. For Orwell, this threat looms  regardless of any specific ideological and  

political leaning—be it left or right. “It  is just [the] common basis of agreement [of  

truth] with its implication that human  beings are all one species of animal,  

that totalitarianism destroys,” he wrote. During the early- and mid-twentieth century, these  

consequences were unfolding, and totalitarianism  was spreading—in Germany, Italy, Spain, the Soviet  

Union, as well as, in Orwell’s mind, England and  beyond. In response to this, Orwell believed that  

literature could be used to help warn against this  development; it could be used to shed light on  

the circumstances of the world and help people  fend against the increasing threat to freedom,  

truth, and wellbeing. “What I have most wanted  to do throughout the past ten years is to make  

political writing into an art. My starting  point is always a feeling of partisanship,  

a sense of injustice. When I sit down to write  a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to  

produce a work of art’. I write it because there  is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to  

which I want to draw attention, and my initial  concern is to get a hearing,” Orwell wrote. 

Though Orwell had already written and published  several relatively successful books by around the  

year of 1939, his real rise to global, mainstream  prominence came after the publication of his  

novella Animal Farm in 1945. And it was here  that Orwell’s mission to spread important ideas  

and warnings about the threats of the time and  future times began to successfully ensue at scale. 

In Animal Farm, there is no real main  character. Rather, the protagonist of  

the book is a population of anthropomorphized  animals living on a farm, known as Manor Farm.  

Each species of animal represents a different  archetype or group of humans in society. 

One day on the farm, a pig named Old Major  expresses to the other animals that they are  

being exploited by the humans who own the farm,  and, if they work together, the animals can and  

ought to overtake the humans and create a better  future for themselves. A revolution happens, the  

animals take over, and a new philosophy known as  animalism is established. Two pigs named Snowball  

and Napoleon take lead over the new conditions of  the farm, which soon becomes just Napoleon after  

he has Snowball chased off. Though things appear  to go well initially, hell soon breaks loose,  

and the pigs who lead the farm begin to lead with  malice, selfishness, manipulation, and violence,  

ultimately becoming the equivalent of the  humans that the animals had revolted against.  

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man,  and from man to pig, and from pig to man again;  

but already it was impossible to say which  was which,” reads the final line of the book. 

Broadly, Animal Farm is a thinly veiled  critique of the Russian Revolution and  

the subsequent rule of Joseph Stalin over the  Soviet Union. It showcases and warns against  

the fallibilities and susceptibilities of  revolutionary movements and the potential  

threats of counterrevolutions. What arguably makes  this novella so unique and important, however,  

is its ability to cut through the surface of any  single social or political target and, instead,  

reveal timeless truths about social, political,  and psychological phenomena, and to do so with  

animals. In the form of a fable, like that of  Aesop or Disney, Orwell brings the complexities of  

social and political movements into an accessible,  easily understandable allegorical format that can  

appeal to mass audiences across time and space.  And that’s exactly what Animal Farm did and does,  

selling five hundred thousand copies within  the first year of publication and then  

going on to sell millions and millions more. The same year Animal Farm was released, Orwell  

lost his wife while she was undergoing a routine  surgery. Only a year or two later, he began to  

fall ill himself with tuberculosis. He would,  however, muster everything he had left and work  

on one last book. After collapsing multiple times  while writing, his science-, speculative-, and  

dystopian-fiction novel 1984 was released in 1949. In brief, 1984 focuses on a character named  

Winston Smith who lives in what was  once London but is now a province of  

the superstate of Oceania. Oceania is run by  a totalitarian government known as the Party,  

which follows the doctrines of English Socialism,  or INGSOC, and is led by a dictator figure known  

as Big Brother. In Oceania, citizens are under  constant surveillance and are ruthlessly punished  

for even so much as thinking thoughts that counter  the Party’s ideological doctrines. Devices known  

as telescreens are put in everyone’s homes where  they both consume broadcasted content and are  

constantly observed by the Party. What are known  as the thought police are also always looming,  

ready to arrest anyone who commits what are  known as thoughtcrime–or simply thinking the  

wrong things about the Party. Moreover, the Party  is constantly producing propaganda in the form of  

manipulated information, data, statistics, and  language. Language is simplified and reduced  

in Oceania through what is known as newspeak,  where words are eliminated from the vernacular  

in order to prevent the likelihood of nuanced  critical thinking. Words are also often used in  

a contradictory manner in order undermine the true  nature of the things they describe. For example,  

labor camps are referred to as joy camps. Torture  takes place in the ministry of love. The military  

is referred to as the ministry of peace. The  department responsible for falsifying data  

and facts is known as the ministry of truth.  And the slogans of Oceania are, “War is Peace;  

Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength.” All of  this causes citizens to engage in what is known as  

double think, a sort of cognitive dissonance in  which they both have their own perceptions and  

understanding of what is true and yet they accept  what they are being told by the Party as true,  

despite any contradictions. At the beginning  of the novel, Winston writes in his diary “DOWN  

WITH BIG BROTHER.” By the end of the novel,  the narrator concludes, referring to Winston,  

“Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides  of his nose. But it was all right, everything was  

all right, the struggle was finished. He had won  the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” 

Like Animal Farm, 1984 would obtain immediate  success, which Orwell was able to witness in  

his lifetime before dying of tuberculosis the  next year in 1950. Ultimately, it is unclear  

how cynical Orwell truly was, but the cynical  endings to his two masterworks are, arguably, not  

a declaration of total hopelessness but a warning  for the potential hopelessness that the future  

could exhibit—the future we are living in now. Since Orwell’s passing, his work has only  

continued to become increasingly popular  and culturally relevant. 1984 is likely  

one of the most widely read books, certainly  of the dystopian, speculative genre, finding  

itself still, seventy-five years later, a part of  many if not most high school English literature  

classes as well as college courses. Orwell has  become one of the few writers in history to  

have a term created out of his work: Orwellian. Most broadly, Orwellian refers to any conditions  

reminiscent of Orwell’s work, in which the welfare  and freedom of citizens are undermined, or at the  

risk of being undermined, typically by a central  political power and ideology. But, arguably,  

Orwellian is not purely defined by totalitarian  conditions but by the means in which totalitarian  

conditions are caried out. Specifically,  it refers to the intentional distortion and  

manipulation of language and information for  the purposes of serving some ulterior power  

for power’s sake. Like Orwell’s work itself,  this term is often misunderstood, mispresented,  

or altered in service to whatever cause the user  favors—often causes and ideologies that Orwell  

himself would likely have disagreed with. The  term Orwellian can apparently be Orwellian itself. 

What is clear and important to note, however,  is that although the Party of Oceania in 1984  

originated from socialism, Orwell was not a critic  of socialism. He was a critic of totalitarianism,  

regardless of its origins or political leaning. He  was, in fact, a proponent of democratic socialism,  

a political democracy with a socially  run decentralized economy. “Every line of  

serious work that I have written since 1936  has been written, directly or indirectly,  

against totalitarianism and for democratic  socialism, as I understand it,” Orwell wrote.  

Furthermore, he was anti-capitalist and believed  capitalism incentivizes conditions of suffering  

and leads to small concentrations of power and  wealth. This certainly makes those who reference  

Orwell in favor of capitalism and against  socialism especially and ironically Orwellian. 

Ultimately, regardless of whether you  agree with Orwell or like his writing,  

there is no denying his influence; and there is  no denying the value and relevance of exploring  

the topics and ideas that he did. His insights  into how human psychology plays out in the  

arena of politics and how the use and control of  language influences and controls the thoughts and  

opinions of a population is likely a timeless and  immensely relevant insight to all societies past,  

present, and future. His unique ability to  use language to convey this insight and warn  

against the power and influence of language is  something only a brilliant writer could even  

try to do. And his ability to bring incredible  complex and typically dry concepts down into the  

realm of mass appeal and interest perhaps has  helped ensure the developments of aspects of  

the world remain on a track that leads to, at  the very least, a less dystopian destination. 

In truth, we are always susceptible  to our own malice and ignorance when  

we aren’t paying attention—individually and  collectively. Tyranny is not a part of history;  

it is a part of humanity. Humanity is always  on the brink of slipping into it, of chasing  

the rabbit of hope into dystopian wonderlands.  Orwell realized this—that tyranny was always  

possible and can occur even in a society in which  the intentions are noble or in a society in which  

the conditions appear prosperous and democratic. Perhaps our only hope, somewhat countering  

Orwell’s view, is realizing that, in fact, there  is no ultimate objective truth—at least that we  

have access to—and that subjective truth is  likely all there is and all there will ever  

be for us. We must accept this as a consequence  of our condition of ignorance and limitation,  

our fragmented perceptions and dissenting values.  But perhaps when we take this realization to the  

extreme, we realize that all individuals, all  groups, all organizations, and all nations are  

fallible and wrong. There is no one idea or truth  to follow or believe in. Perhaps in doing this,  

we burn up all the fuel of totalitarianism,  and, at the bottom of the tank, we find the  

collective realization of simple decency—the kind  in which Orwell advocated for, the kind in which  

we arrive at mutually beneficial intersubjective  truths based on humility and compassion toward  

the differences and mailabilities of humanity  across space and time, rather than an ultimate  

rightness and finality right now. Of course,  this is far, far easier said than done. But,  

in the words of Orwell, when referring to the  conditions of 1984, “The moral to be drawn from  

this dangerous nightmare situation is a simple  one: ‘Don’t let it happen. It depends on you.’”