bhaskar saikia

“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
— George Orwell, 1984

Few lines in literature are as haunting as this one. Orwell didn’t just write a story about the future — he wrote a mirror for every age where truth begins to tremble.

In his world, contradiction becomes doctrine. War keeps the people united, fear keeps them obedient, and ignorance keeps them content. The result is a society where silence passes for harmony, obedience for freedom, and blindness for strength.

But the most frightening part is how easily this illusion seeps into our own world. When peace means the absence of dissent, when freedom is exchanged for comfort, and when ignorance feels easier than awareness — we are already living pieces of Orwell’s prophecy.

The line reminds us that truth isn’t always stolen with violence; sometimes, it’s quietly rewritten. Words are twisted, meanings blurred, and soon we no longer fight over what is true — only over what is acceptable.

Perhaps the greatest rebellion, then, is not shouting louder — but thinking clearly. To see contradiction and name it. To remember that real peace needs courage, that freedom asks for responsibility, and that strength is born not from ignorance, but from understanding.

NB: If you want to understand the brilliance of Orwell, start with Animal Farm before reading 1984.