Hello!
For those of you who are Jewish, you probably know (hopefully know!) That today is T'sha B'av, a rare sad day in the Jewsih calendar where every Jew is to fast from the night before to the following night. My tummy aches a little and I feel light-headed unsurprisingly. I took advantage of this mourn day to write an essay on Orwell's '1984' (always a fan of distopian fiction...). Anyway, the essay title is: 'In what ways does the state control the individual and what effects do they have on them?" (courtesy of my lovely English teacher). I thought inside the box at first: propaganda, Big Brother, the Thought Police and everything that covers 'thoughtcrime'... However it got me thinking; Orwell is being pretty accurate to some extent. Big Brother is evidently a symbol of God, and plenty of people today believe that if they believe in God, He will watch over them and be protected. To what extent is religion corrupting people? It's obviously a delicate subject, especially coming from a person who is undergoing a strong apathetic phase.
Well.
Then there's the fact that it's imposed on chinldren so that they grow up to be members of the Thought Police. I guess you could say that some children have religion imposed on THEM. But then again, Judaism WANTS you to ask questions. And then, what is it with people who suddenly decide to convert to Judaism? They go against the realms of their mini social circles and suddenly become Rabbis, or active members of the Jewish community or whatever. WHAT is going on through their heads? I just don't get it!
Keep reading, guys! (Please read me!!)
Naomi