Fear and what it does to us...
I noticed I hadn't done an entry in a while...
I've been doing some catch-up time with my reading list, which is fairly long from months of accumulation and continued neglect, but I've finally managed to get back into reading, which used to be my favourite hobby before school and college gave me too much homework to deal with it all efficiently. Fortunately, there is to be no more school or college for me (phew!) and these holidays are going by rather quickly, simply reading, photoshopping and generally lounging about. :)
Anyways, getting to the point...
I've been reading George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the whole subject of human consciousness has been revived in my mind again. I've always found it to be interesting how people can achieve such heights of awareness, yet at the same time, others have not managed to awaken those particular mental powers within themselves. For those who haven't read the book - it's based on the way communism turned out in this world of ours - all the admirable ideals were lost in the wash of dictatorship and general hideousness.
Although in the book, the state of the world is much more exaggerated to fit the more black and white aspects of the government ruling, it is actually not so unbelievable as it may seem. To a person living in a country that gives the right of freedom to talk, walk, do what you will as long as it's within the limits of reason, it's funny to think that there could be situations where people lose that freedom so totally until your own mind starts shrivelling up its natural well of thoughts and runs on a mechanical feed given by whatever authority is in control. Fear is a huge thing that can be turned into a power in such circumstances, and it has probably got to be one of the greatest instincts that any living being has. Fear can cripple every bit of good that ever was; it can degenerate the mind; it can mislead the ignorant. Fear, in all probability, is what's causing the threads of havoc weaving around our societies today.
Take for instance, the whole thing with terrorism; so much fear was produced in lieu of what happened in America and Britain. Of course, I don't blame people for being upset, angry, afraid, but to let those emotions overpower any sense of logic or common sense is unhelpful. Fear is, admittedly, a large part of living and will probably never be banished, but that is why it is crucial for people to harness that oh-so-wonderful power called consciousness, and use it to overcome the - dare I call it stupidity? - that transforms them into squealing guinea pigs.
Something that never fails to amaze me, is the power of the human mind. There is nothing quite like it - look what has been done by the skilled use of acumen - they may not necessarily be good things, but it goes to show that the strength is there nonetheless. All that stuff with Hitler and similar dictators makes me ask, 'how the hell did they get away with that stuff in the first place?'. Or how did Ghandi and Nelson Mandela succeed in carrying out their missions? It certainly goes to show that it wasn't just one single person who kickstarted the horrors or wonders that history knows today; it's all about collective thinking. We should be careful though; we want to be able to think with real freedom, and not follow in blind faith.
*sigh*
I could just go on forever, because this subject will lead me onto something else, which will lead me onto something else and something else...
Now, for a bit of silliness to disperse the heavier tones of this incredibly profound bit of thought and spread the universal message of love in the shape of two brooding enemies:
Aw... I do love Vasey and Gisbourne. :-)
I've been doing some catch-up time with my reading list, which is fairly long from months of accumulation and continued neglect, but I've finally managed to get back into reading, which used to be my favourite hobby before school and college gave me too much homework to deal with it all efficiently. Fortunately, there is to be no more school or college for me (phew!) and these holidays are going by rather quickly, simply reading, photoshopping and generally lounging about. :)
Anyways, getting to the point...
I've been reading George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the whole subject of human consciousness has been revived in my mind again. I've always found it to be interesting how people can achieve such heights of awareness, yet at the same time, others have not managed to awaken those particular mental powers within themselves. For those who haven't read the book - it's based on the way communism turned out in this world of ours - all the admirable ideals were lost in the wash of dictatorship and general hideousness.
Although in the book, the state of the world is much more exaggerated to fit the more black and white aspects of the government ruling, it is actually not so unbelievable as it may seem. To a person living in a country that gives the right of freedom to talk, walk, do what you will as long as it's within the limits of reason, it's funny to think that there could be situations where people lose that freedom so totally until your own mind starts shrivelling up its natural well of thoughts and runs on a mechanical feed given by whatever authority is in control. Fear is a huge thing that can be turned into a power in such circumstances, and it has probably got to be one of the greatest instincts that any living being has. Fear can cripple every bit of good that ever was; it can degenerate the mind; it can mislead the ignorant. Fear, in all probability, is what's causing the threads of havoc weaving around our societies today.
Take for instance, the whole thing with terrorism; so much fear was produced in lieu of what happened in America and Britain. Of course, I don't blame people for being upset, angry, afraid, but to let those emotions overpower any sense of logic or common sense is unhelpful. Fear is, admittedly, a large part of living and will probably never be banished, but that is why it is crucial for people to harness that oh-so-wonderful power called consciousness, and use it to overcome the - dare I call it stupidity? - that transforms them into squealing guinea pigs.
Something that never fails to amaze me, is the power of the human mind. There is nothing quite like it - look what has been done by the skilled use of acumen - they may not necessarily be good things, but it goes to show that the strength is there nonetheless. All that stuff with Hitler and similar dictators makes me ask, 'how the hell did they get away with that stuff in the first place?'. Or how did Ghandi and Nelson Mandela succeed in carrying out their missions? It certainly goes to show that it wasn't just one single person who kickstarted the horrors or wonders that history knows today; it's all about collective thinking. We should be careful though; we want to be able to think with real freedom, and not follow in blind faith.
*sigh*
I could just go on forever, because this subject will lead me onto something else, which will lead me onto something else and something else...
Now, for a bit of silliness to disperse the heavier tones of this incredibly profound bit of thought and spread the universal message of love in the shape of two brooding enemies:
Aw... I do love Vasey and Gisbourne. :-)