Orthodoxy?

“How could you have a slogan like ‘freedom is slavery’ when the concept of freedom has been abolished? The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking, not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.” George Orwell

Orthodoxy is unconsciousness. Without a doubt, this is a very powerful phrase who’s implications may not all be understood at first sight. I probably haven’t understood it completely either, but I cannot hold back the urge that I have to comment on such a remark. Understanding that the simple fact of having a set of your own ideas, or being capable of formulating your own criteria on any particular topic is not only liberating, but it also needs to be encouraged in human nature.

Let’s take a step back and understand what the word “orthodoxy” means. Basically, something orthodox is something that is commonly approved by all. It’s a set of beliefs or philosophies that are accepted amongst a particular society. Now, within the context that George Orwell gives in 1984, I can say that what’s going on is that once the new universal language is introduced into society and most of the words are either eliminated or reduced, there will no longer be conceivable to formulate ideas at all. This is product of not having the vocabulary necessary to even form an idea at all. There are no words to be used or thought of, that can express that idea or feeling that you have, and if this is expanded over a period of time and socially controlled as it is in context of 1984, people will obviously forget how to think altogether.

Obviously this small summary goes beyond my point, but it definitely helps me grasp what I want to expose here today. Shouldn’t we all question our own surroundings? In the case that we don’t do so, wouldn’t that make us orthodox to the ideas and rules that other people make for you? I find it fascinating to think that I have the liberty to speak my mind anywhere I am. Just the act of creating a thought and sharing it is within itself a great act that we can all do. But, what happens when we let other people do the thinking for us? There is also a much more frightening question that follows: what happens when those that make up those ideas for you don’t want you to question the ideas that they made up?

It’s very easy to be sucked into a system where you don’t question what goes on around you. Complex patterns are created in society on daily matters that make people not what to question them at all. The most obvious of them all is religion. People never have the freedom to speak their own mind in a religious context simply because if that idea that you have goes against the general belief, it is not only discarded as a whole, but you are also considered a bad believer for doing so. Those people that have authority within a particular faith do not want you to speculate on that which makes the religion true. You are not at will to ask yourself if there is really a supreme being because you will immediately be labeled as a blasphemer. This looks very similar to what Mr. Orwell has to say about orthodoxy…

Religion is just the beginning of the list of course. Politics and economy are also a very similar areas, most of which are already controlled by those who have supreme power over what is going on in the world we live in today. They don’t want you to question anything because without interference, dishonest politicians will be able to do whatever they find fit and convenient to do for themselves and those that they serve. Those who believe that the world is governed by those people we call presidents, governors, congressmen and mayors are clearly blindfolding themselves to the truth behind the big red curtain. All these people serve a higher command that is what keeps them in power and functioning well. The people that move the economy are those who move politics in the world, not the politicians. So once again we fall at the same point: you aren’t really encouraged to question anything around you because this would just be problematic in a certain sense.

We could continue further and further on other examples where this takes place, but I believe that the point has been made. We must never lose the urge to question everything. We must always want to achieve fulfillment in acquiring the best information possible to be able to make up your own mind and not take someone’s opinion as your own just because it was already there. Not only should we want to question our surroundings, but we must. If we fail to do so, we will fall into what George Orwell calls “unconsciousness”, where we follow the pack without a second doubt, where we are simple minded people that can no longer think for themselves.

Let there always be a question mark at the end of our sentences. Amen.