The New Idol

"A state is called the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly lieth it also; and this lie creepeth from its mouth:

"I, the state, am the people"."

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Friederich NIetzsche

George Orwell's "1984" is one of the most valuable books of XXth century inside the Distopic and Science Fiction genres. This book gives us, as we saw in class, a real warning for us to be prepared and cautious of the policies that our governments could be doing to suppress our freedom and individuality.

While reading Friederich Nietzsche's most famous book "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" I encountered with one of his most famous quotes: "God is Dead". As mentioned in other entries, this phrase means that the Human being must destroy his inner conceptions and prejudices, to step away from conventional morals and ethics imposed by authorities and thus, be completely free by being beyond what we know as "Good and Evil".

In one chapter, Zarathustra, the ancient prophet that Nietzsche selected as main character for his book because of his personal story and evolution, stated to his disciples that there was a New Idol, an eternal and cold monster who was constructed, created based on pure lies: The State. The shepherd that want to control and domain its sheeps by declaring: "I am the people". The State acts like a new God who must be killed as any other one who wants to impose its vision among human beings.

While reading "Thus Spoke..." I found a certain connection between Winston's process of self-discovery and what it can be read in Nietzsche's work, since Winston started to begin its journey by doubting and strongly criticizing the government, his job and his life in an existential way. Maybe this can be connected to what Nietzsche/Zarathustra wanted to say by the process of being "Der Übermsnch" or "The Superman", the one that can't be dominated anymore and starts to think by himself.

 

However, there is one difference that separates Winston's process with the Superman one: His idealism. Nietzsche/Zarathustra isolated himself from the rest of the world and invoked two of his main characteristics which made him superior: his Pride and his Cleverness (represented with two animals: Eagle and Serpent). He didn't fight something that he knew he couldn't win nor fought directly against the imposed system. On the other hand, Winston joined "The Brotherhood", following his most idealist intentions and dreams, being capable of doing acts such as sabotage, espionage or even kills someone if necessary. Where Winston failed was to trust in people almost blindly.

To conclude, I strongly believe that nowadays the State is one big monster that can consume our bodies and souls. Although, this entity could not be the only Idol that people could worship... Personally I think that George Orwell and many others have become what they wanted to avoid: people who impose certain ways to behave and react against oppression, and those are the New Idols that lots of people, seduced by their "hunger for rebellion" venerate.

For you to think, what would you do in a moment of crisis, where tyranny is controlling everything that surrounds you? Would you rebel against the dominant power? If so, how?

References:

• Caspar, Friederich D. Wanderer above the Sea of fog. 1818. Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
• Nietzsche, Friederich. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Madrid : Iberica Grafic, S.A., 1993.
• Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-four. London : Penguin Books, 1954.