DEAR SOPHIA,

GEORGE ORWELL PREDICTED THAT BY 1984 THE GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER INDIVIDUALS. I LIVED THROUGH 1984 AND WE CELEBRATED THAT IT DID NOT HAPPEN. WE WERE DELUDING OURSELVES. IN FACT, THE SEEDS WERE SOWN AND NOW IN 2024 THE GOVERNMENT DOES HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL AND OBSERVES EVERYTHING. I WAS BORN JUST AFTER THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS IN 1962. DURING THE COLD WAR, WE THOUGHT WE WERE THE GOOD GUYS AND WE KEPT ON SENDING THE MESSAGE ACROSS THE IRON CURTAIN BY RADIO WAVES AND BY ANY OTHER METHOD OF WHAT THE WEST WAS LIKE AND TELLING THE PEOPLE OF THE EAST THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT WAS LYING TO THEM. NATURALLY, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE EAST – THE COMMUNISTS – DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO BLOCK THE MESSAGING FROM THE WEST. THEY FAILED. BUT NOW IN 2024, IT HAS COME FULL CIRCLE. OUR GOVERNMENT NOW HAS THE POWER AND IS EXERCISING IT TO PREVENT US FROM HEARING ANY OTHER OPINION OTHER THAN WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTS US TO HEAR AND CALLING ALL OTHER OPINIONS, “MISINFORMATION” OR PROPAGANDA. THIS IS NOT THE IDEAL OF A FREE SOCIETY, THE OTHER OPINIONS MAY BE MISINFORMATION OR PROPAGANDA BUT OUR GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BLOCK IT. IT RAISES THE QUESTION: WHY IS MY GOVERNMENT PREVENTING ITS CITIZENS FROM COMING TO ITS OWN DECISIONS USING ALL INFORMATION FROM ALL SOURCES. THE ANSWER IS: THE GOVERNMENT IS AFRAID OF THE DECISION WE MIGHT MAKE. THE CONCLUSION IS: WE ARE NOW LIVING IN GEORGE ORWELL’S 1984.

IF YOU MAINTAIN YOUR ABILITY TO THINK CRITICALLY, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO RESIST ALL GOVERNMENT MANIPULATION. THE POLICY OF THIS GOVERNMENT FOR THE LAST 100 YEARS CAN BE SUMMARIZED BEST BY THE GREEK HISTORIAN, POLYBIUS WHO SAID, “THAT FROM 200 B.C. ROME SOUGHT UNIVERSAL OBEDIENCE TO HER WISHES AND SKILLFULLY MASKED OFFENSIVE DESIGNS AS DEFENSIVE WARS.” IF YOU JUST CHANGED THE DATE TO START AT 1920 AND CHANGE THE WORD ROME TO USA, THIS STATEMENT IS AS TRUE TODAY AS IT WAS IN 200 B.C.

NO MORE HISTORY OR PHILOSOPHY LESSONS FOR NOW BUT IF YOU GET A CHANCE YOU SHOULD READ, “1984.”

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LOVE,

DAD