Orwell Briefly

I don’t know how long the war has been going on. Most of the people around me are not even aware that we are at war. There is still fierce fighting in many other countries, but not here: Our nation has been defeated, and we are ruled by an occupying force. Strangely, the occupying force pretends to be a democratically elected government, and most of the people around me believe that pretense.

Essentially all the radio stations are controlled by the occupation government. They never speak of the fighting in other countries. When they talk of news, it is news of how the economy is improving, how it is better than ever before. And it is news about how “terrorists” are being killed or imprisoned. I think that is lies, but it is hard for me to be certain. And mostly they do not talk of news. Mostly they broadcast entertainment, “human interest stories.” For instance, today they were interviewing a man who has created what may be the biggest ball of string ever. Such a story does not mention fighting or the economy. Their voices are cheerful, friendly, hypnotic, irresistible.

The Resistance does exist. It has a few radio stations, broadcasting from secret locations, on frequencies that change often and that are hard to find. Those stations broadcast what I believe is the truth. Once you see things in a certain way, you can’t unsee them.

But the audio quality of the Resistance stations is poor. And they don’t last very long. Each Resistance station disappears after a while. Other Resistance stations comment on its disappearance. Presumably the disappeared station was located by the occupation government, deemed a “terrorist” organization, and shut down.

Sometimes I tell some of my acquaintances about the Resistance radio stations. Generally these acquaintances reply that the so-called “Resistance” is a cult of crackpots or even terrorists; it is better ignored. Some of them look at me strangely, as though they are considering reporting me as a terrorist.

I live in two worlds simultaneously. I see the world as the Resistance has explained it, but I also must see the world as the people around me see it. That is difficult. I feel as though I am near insanity.

I don’t know if there is any way out of this mess. Sometimes I am tempted to embrace the cheerful, friendly, hypnotic voices. But not really. I know that I cannot do that. What I’ve seen, I cannot unsee.

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2023 Feb 25, version 1.02.

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