I think reading 1984 by George Orwell should be a life requirement for adults. Especially in this day and age. It’s not just a story — it’s a lens. Since I finished it, everything just looks a little different. You start to see things for what they really are, and sometimes in a petrifying way.
The other day we went to see a movie called The Long Walk. There was a moment that literally made me gasp: a father was executed because he showed his son a banned book. Does that sound familiar? It felt like watching 1984 bleed into real life. It was so clear, so chilling, and yet so normal on screen. Why are we even being shown these things? Why does it feel like we’re slowly being trained to accept a world where this is possible?
Another example — Snapchat. People think it’s harmless fun, but I can’t stop seeing it differently now. Our kids are sitting there all day taking selfies back and forth for a “streak.” A sound goes off and they respond immediately. Ding, snap, send. It’s training. It’s conditioning. It’s control disguised as a game. And it makes me want to shout: Question everything.
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10 Takeaways from 1984
1. Surveillance breeds control. Constant monitoring isn’t just about safety — it’s about power.
2. Language shapes thought. Newspeak shows how limiting words can limit freedom of mind.
3. History can be rewritten. Control the past, and you control the present.
4. Truth becomes relative. “Doublethink” teaches people to believe two opposing ideas at once.
5. Fear is a tool. People will surrender freedom for safety when fear is constant.
6. Privacy is rebellion. Even small acts of privacy become dangerous under total control.
7. Propaganda replaces reality. If a lie is repeated enough, it becomes accepted truth.
8. Love and loyalty threaten power. The Party destroys bonds between people so only the State remains.
9. Normalization of control is gradual. People don’t notice freedoms disappearing until it’s too late.
10. Questioning is survival. The only true act of freedom is to keep thinking critically.
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My Reflection
Reading 1984 cracked something open in me. It’s like the book removed a filter I didn’t know I had. I see now how easily we’re conditioned — by apps, by media, by “the elusive they” — to trade our attention, our privacy, and even our thoughts for convenience or belonging.
It’s not just about governments or big conspiracies. It’s about our daily habits. It’s about what we normalize. It’s about noticing when something “harmless” is actually training us to respond like Pavlov’s dogs.
I’m not here to give you a polished thesis. I’m just a person who read a book and walked out of a movie feeling like my stomach dropped. But I think we all need to read 1984. Not to agree with me. Not to get scared. But to wake up a little. To start questioning everything.
Because once you start questioning, you start seeing. And once you start seeing, you start reclaiming your freedom — even in small ways.
Question everything, even yourself.
Love ya, Stay Sweet