Read some books

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, gave a forewarning on what would inevitably occur under a government with absolute control over citizens. Perhaps the most destructive of all is not the physical torture for confessions, but the ongoing alteration of past events, the purposeful ambiguity of presented truths. How crazy it is to imagine, that a person's trace could be thoroughly erased away as if never existed; that two plus two can be five or six whenever The Party decides to be? Yet the book vividly portrays a totalitarian world, so vivid it feels the world can be real -- if the world directs it so. The greatness of such writing is not on its literary prose, but on the criticisms it set towards such world. Present politicians are being restlessly reminded that a 1984-world is a hell, and any government that exercises rewriting history is branded "Orwellian", and being frowned upon. This book, and its inherent messages, had acted as a counteracting force whenever the world is drifting towards being totalitarian.

Brave New World

Brave New World is a half-done masterpiece. Published in 1932, the story and underlying ideas are seminal at the time, yet never executed on full force. It describes a world that men are full of amusement but none of ambition. There is no meaningful progress for the mankind, only sensational movies, casual sex, and relaxation drug-use. When technology is so advanced that a human birth can be as precise as building a car, all labors are done solely to maximize productivity for the society. In this light, the concept of family (parents, children, etc) is eradicated, scientific research is no longer important, and creative work is prohibited. The greatness of this story, is that it eerily resembles the present world we live in. Published decades before social media exists, it foretells the powerful trend that put billions man-hours into unproductive use. The free time on civilized daily lives, are spent on status update, video streaming, and interactive gaming. Everyone is so free, that nobody is free anymore. Unfortunately, this book is unable to give enough warnings when the society had drifted towards a world full of entertainment. Perhaps the progress had been too subtle; it proceeded without much bloodshed and violence, yet is creeping into every urban dwellers' lives.