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How to Defeat Big Brother George Orwell's "1984" is the story of a "future" society where individualism has been eliminated, where propaganda is used to control the masses, and where perpetual war is being waged to maintain the peace. It's a world where false is true and wrong is right, where history is constantly being rewritten - and where Big Brother watches your every move. But even in the middle of this totalitarian "utopia", there is one man - Winston Smith - who dares to question authority, and who seeks to make a life for himself. The parallels between our modern world and that of George Orwell's 1984 are uncanny. The Ministry of Truth, the Thought Police, the political manipulation of language to distort reality, the hidden censorship of political correctness - and the fatuous "war on terror", all echo George Orwell's 1984. So much so, that reading the news headlines often makes 1984 seem disturbingly prophetic. 1984 is ultimately a depressing story. Winston Smith, the hapless hero, believes he is thwarting Big Brother - particularly when he meets the character O'Brien, whom he believes to be a member of the underground resistance lead by Emanuel Goldstein. But in the end, Winston is simply a pawn in a vast conspiracy. A conspiracy which cheats him of his love, Julia, and ultimately of his own sanity - when he is incarcerated in the Ministry of Love, and finally subject to the horrors of Room 101. 1984 is a chilling read for sure (there is one part of the book where I simply have to put it down because of the horrifying power of the words), and implies that the omnipotent state will ultimately win. However, even as Winston Smith lives out his days in diminished manhood, he clings on to one idea - that if there is any hope at all, it lies with the proles. Now, the "proles" were the ordinary people - the masses, the great unwashed. These people were cannon fodder, and largely ignored by the powers that be. Smith's hope was that one day the proles would "wake up" - and in so doing, would - by force of numbers - sweep away the vast illusion and apparatus of totalitarian state power. Orwell lived before the internet was even conceived. In "1984" the TV screen is a medium of one way communication - from Big Brother to all the subjects of IngSoc. And it would be interesting to know what Orwell would have made of the emerging world culture that is the internet. Make no bones about it, the internet is a revolutionary tool. It is a first in the history of mankind. Never before has there been a medium of communication which links the whole world - and where ordinary individuals can both read and say whatever they like. In 1984, the ordinary people were completely subjugated because of the state's control over information. The control was so total, that even history was constantly updated in order to square with the current "party line". In contrast, the internet bypasses the state information apparatus. On the 'net, one has access to nonofficial news sources and opinions. It is literally impossible to censor the bulk of what goes on online. The internet also provides a communication medium for other freedom-promoting technologies - like sound and image files. Previously, news images were the sole domain of the professional media. Not any more. Now, anyone, anywhere, can upload a photo, a sound bite or a video, and make it available to the whole world in minutes. In this way, the modern aspiring "total" state has serious competition - because it cannot fully control the flow of information - as was the case in Orwell's 1984. The internet is also changing the nature of relationships. Pre-internet, people identified with the traditional groupings of family, society and nation. But these historic bonds are being loosened, as people forge new alliances and relationships via the internet. Relationships based on commonality of interests, values and beliefs. As ordinary people (the proles), have increased access to uncensored information, and find themselves making connections with people from all over the globe - it becomes more and more difficult for any state to micromanage the lives of its citizens. The state has lost control of the information so vital to maintaining control over people. It may not be far off, before the "proles" wake up - and insist that the Emperor has no clothes. In 1984, the road ended depressingly in Room 101. But in the real world - the world as it is - you have the opportunity to take a different road. Sure, Big Brother's tentacles are everywhere. But he is not as omniscient as he would like you to believe. There are many ways to thwart Big Brother and his constant machinations to enslave you. But the first requirement is that you "wake up". Yes, you need to wake up from your state-induced, state-educated torpor and realise what is going on. You need to become aware of how much freedom has been lost in the last 5, 10 and even 100 years. And more importantly, you need to do something about it. I'm not talking about voting or protesting or writing letters to the editor. I'm not talking about joining an organisation, or donating to a cause. Save your energy and your money for something far more important - learning how to escape Big Brother as an ultra-personal, life-changing strategy. Yes, it can be done. There are many ways you can minimise the influence and impact of the pernicious state on your life. You just need to know where to look and how to get started. For me, the starting point was back in 1996 - when I read a startling book called simply "PT". That enigmatic title stood for "Perpetual Traveller" - and outlined a way of living that provided a realistic and legal way to escape the worst elements of Big Brother's control - including taxation. I paid US$100 for that book, by the legendary WG Hill, which was quite a sum 10 years ago (at the USD/NZD exchange rate at the time). What's more, I was broke when I ordered it and could hardly justify the expense. I can recall when it arrived in the mail (from Scope Publishing in the UK). It was in large hard cover format, red with gold lettering - and heavy. But within those pages I found a new lease of life. It was as if a light had been turned on in my head, as I was exposed to a completely new way of thinking. I felt I'd been admitted into an exciting secret society - a place where forbidden knowledge is revealed and exciting lifepossibilities abound. It's no exaggeration to say that the $100 I spent back then has earned me more than 5,000 times that much - in the sense that the ideas, inspiration and strategies allowed me to set a completely new course for my life. Since then I've shared many of those ideas with thousands of people on the internet, and constantly get emails from thankful readers as to how such information has had a positive effect on their own lives. However, such information sharing is never as powerful as getting it from the horse's mouth - direct. But there's only one problem, it's virtually impossible to get one of those hardcopy editions of PT anymore. And even if you do (perhaps on eBay?), many of the strategies suggested may not be suitable for our increasingly totalitarian post-9/11 world. Fortunately, there is a new 3 volume set of books which takes up the "PT" mantle, and reinvigorates the PT philosophy and strategy for the post-9/11 world. If you're the sort of person who is longing for positive change, who strongly desires to climb out from under the dead weight of the state's ever-increasing control, and who wants to learn how to live as free as possible, within the law - then you need to get your hands on this new publication. It has the potential to do for you, what PT did for me back in 1996. Within its pages you will find the keys to a new world, a new way of thinking, and a new way of acting. This large format set of three hardbound black books (nearly 800 pages) is called appropriately "Bye Bye Big Brother" - and the title clearly speaks for itself. Within its pages you will find the ways and means to do exactly that, wave "bye bye". It's not cheap, but it's worth its weight in gold. If you'd like more details, or want to know how to get your hands on it, then click HERE. Your life may never be the same again! Yours in freedom David MacGregor . | ||||
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