Welcome to My Blog: Behind the Title

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.” One of the most brilliant minds ever to share his thoughts, George Orwell, wrote that. It’s a thought that greatly resonates with me. I have had many secrets, hiding them from myself. It’s not presumptuous to say it was something of a habit to me, a process memorized and instilled in my psyche since birth. Not the act of lying necessarily. But the ability to tune out every ounce of information that threatens your Utopia, or rather, Oceania? Yes. Later, I’ve learned this is more to do with a little two-word definition of cognitive dissonance, which when faced with new evidence, a person feels mental discomfort over conflicting beliefs, ideas or values. You could say that discomfort is something I have felt many, many times over. Throughout this blog, I would like to explore that with those of you who are willing participants in reading my own thoughts.

                
So, why the title? The great novel, 1984, is an one-of-a-kind favorite of mine. I know I’m not alone in this. The very fact I was lucky enough to read this classic is a long story in and of itself. Reading and learning have been passions of mine, especially in recent years. I was introduced to George Orwell via a friend and ever since I have remained in love with this book. It may seem like a stretch when I say this, but many of the key components in George Orwell’s beloved novel are things, I feel, I can personally relate to on a deep level.

                  
Oceania may not have been the name chosen for my home, the “Party” wasn’t the title of the group I was part of for over twenty years, and the “Thought Police” who persecuted individualism and independent thinking didn’t appear as they would have in the plot of 1984. Still, much of what Orwell depicts of doublethink, thoughtcrime and Newspeak were in many ways true for me. Being on the outside of that is something that still baffles me on some days. I would love to share why that is...

Photo courtesy: Google/DeviantArt, redamerican1945; Video: Breakdown of George Orwell's 1984 by Course Hero


Comments

  1. Indie Cooper-GuzmanMarch 2, 2019 at 10:15 PM

    Hi Lydia. I find cognitive dissonance to be very interesting.Your post was nicely written and I look forward to learning more about you through your blogs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lydia Joy LaundervilleMarch 2, 2019 at 10:22 PM

      Thank you so much! So glad to hear you're interested and I look forward to sharing more. Welcome!

      Delete

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