Satisfying Myself
From 1984 (George Orwell)
"It need hardly be said that the subtlest practitioners of doublethink are those who invented doublethink and know that it is a vast system of mental cheating. In our society, those who have the best knowledge of what is happening are those who are furthest from seeing the world as it is. In general, the greater the understanding, the greater the delusion: the more intellegent, the less sane."
So this reminded me of the whole belief in the Higher Power thing from program. How you're taught to pretend as though you believe even if you don't, to try it out, to allow your emotions to provide evidence of a spiritual experience and to allow the emotional benefits of this pattern of thought to convert you to a genuine religious belief (even if a vague and undefined one) when your intellect has decided that there is not adequate evidence to support the existance of a personified, loving deity who governs one's life. Is this utilitarian approach to spiritual belief not an example of doublethink? Does not one have to invest emotionally in an idea that one cannot intellectually defend?
And yet the fright, the fear of 1984 is that everyone is strictly controlled and the standard of living deteriorates, even if the citizens cannot allow themselves to think and question even enough to evaluate whether or not this is so. On the other hand, program is safe specifically BECAUSE no one is trying to control you, no one but you yourself cares or benefits from the way you work your program. And while the system with which one evaluates the effect in program within one's life IS admittedly compromised (because you learn to attribute every lucky occurrance to your HP and every unhappy event as a learning experience) I have, at least, not lost touch with where I came from before I came into program, and I know that this is better than that.
And, on the other hand, that's the whole point of coming into program when you're at your "bottom." Clearly your way isn't working, and you need something better. You're ready to trust and to change, where those whose lives are functional are less willing to do so.
So it is doublethink, indeed, but it is justified because it improves my life, improves my mood, as opposed to a mind control that benefits someone ELSE. And, additionally, if at any time I decide that this isn't working for me, I can always stop. I could stop today with no negative social repercussions. The only reason I still work my program is because I still wish to draw benefits from it.
It's not doublethink by brainwashing; it's doublethink by choice.
"It need hardly be said that the subtlest practitioners of doublethink are those who invented doublethink and know that it is a vast system of mental cheating. In our society, those who have the best knowledge of what is happening are those who are furthest from seeing the world as it is. In general, the greater the understanding, the greater the delusion: the more intellegent, the less sane."
So this reminded me of the whole belief in the Higher Power thing from program. How you're taught to pretend as though you believe even if you don't, to try it out, to allow your emotions to provide evidence of a spiritual experience and to allow the emotional benefits of this pattern of thought to convert you to a genuine religious belief (even if a vague and undefined one) when your intellect has decided that there is not adequate evidence to support the existance of a personified, loving deity who governs one's life. Is this utilitarian approach to spiritual belief not an example of doublethink? Does not one have to invest emotionally in an idea that one cannot intellectually defend?
And yet the fright, the fear of 1984 is that everyone is strictly controlled and the standard of living deteriorates, even if the citizens cannot allow themselves to think and question even enough to evaluate whether or not this is so. On the other hand, program is safe specifically BECAUSE no one is trying to control you, no one but you yourself cares or benefits from the way you work your program. And while the system with which one evaluates the effect in program within one's life IS admittedly compromised (because you learn to attribute every lucky occurrance to your HP and every unhappy event as a learning experience) I have, at least, not lost touch with where I came from before I came into program, and I know that this is better than that.
And, on the other hand, that's the whole point of coming into program when you're at your "bottom." Clearly your way isn't working, and you need something better. You're ready to trust and to change, where those whose lives are functional are less willing to do so.
So it is doublethink, indeed, but it is justified because it improves my life, improves my mood, as opposed to a mind control that benefits someone ELSE. And, additionally, if at any time I decide that this isn't working for me, I can always stop. I could stop today with no negative social repercussions. The only reason I still work my program is because I still wish to draw benefits from it.
It's not doublethink by brainwashing; it's doublethink by choice.