| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from 1984 by George Orwell: to the process itself. That was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to
induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of
the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word
'doublethink' involved the use of doublethink.
The instructress had called them to attention again. 'And now let's see
which of us can touch our toes!' she said enthusiastically. 'Right over
from the hips, please, comrades. ONE-two! ONE-two!...'
Winston loathed this exercise, which sent shooting pains all the way from
his heels to his buttocks and often ended by bringing on another coughing
fit. The half-pleasant quality went out of his meditations. The past, he
reflected, had not merely been altered, it had been actually destroyed. For
1984 |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: wander as a fool, but shouldest follow me. Have respect then
unto thy father. Dost thou not know how lovely a thing it is to
obey one's father, and please him in all ways? Contrariwise, how
deadly and cursed a thing it is to provoke a father and despise
his commands? As many as have done so, have come to a miserable
end. But be not thou, my son, one of their number. Rather do
that which is well pleasing to thy sire, and so mayest thou
obtain all happiness and inherit my blessing and my kingdom!"
The high-minded and noble youth listened to his father's windy
discourse and foolish opposition, and recognized therein the
devices of the crooked serpent, and how standing at his right
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Twelve Stories and a Dream by H. G. Wells: as it seemed but the smell of rum and mackintosh. Gummy! After a bit,
I found myself going up a steepish sort of slope. I had another
squint to see if anything was visible of the canoes and boats,
and then kept on. I stopped with my head a foot from the surface,
and tried to see where I was going, but, of course, nothing was
to be seen but the reflection of the bottom. Then out I dashed like
knocking my head through a mirror. Directly I got my eyes out of
the water, I saw I'd come up a kind of beach near the forest. I had a
look round, but the natives and the brig were both hidden by a big,
hummucky heap of twisted lava, the born fool in me suggested a run
for the woods. I didn't take the helmet off, but eased open one of
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