Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell should be required reading. I was reminded of this while reading, “Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom,” by Thomas Ricks.
In Animal Farm, the animals revolt against and overthrow Mr. Jones and his farm hands. They were led by a pig named Napoleon.
The sheep blindly follow chanting, “Four legs good, two legs bad.”
It does not take long for the pigs take more and more authority onto themselves. Napoleon is guarded by nine ferocious dogs loyal only to him.
Soon, public debate is abolished, history is re-written, and opponents are vilified and destroyed.
The pigs begin to walk on their hind legs. Soon, the sheep are chanting, ”Four legs good, two legs better.”
The book ends with the pigs and the humans inside the house drinking and playing cards. The other farm animals are outside, gazing in through the window. “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” *
Destroy your opponents as enemies of the people, lie so much and in so many ways no one believes in the truth any longer, and so twist and rewrite history that no one really knows what happened. Orwell observed, “Totalitarianism demands, in fact, the continuous alteration of the past, and in the long run probably demands a disbelief in the very existence of objective truth.” Adding more insight in another article, he wrote of totalitarianism, “It sets up unquestionable dogmas, and it alters them from day to day.” These themes are throughout the writings of Orwell. His greatest work remains the fable of Animal Farm and the dystopian future portrayed in 1984.
These days, I keep asking myself, “Did I fall asleep and wake up on Animal Farm?” I remember a time when we believed in truth, character, honor, and integrity. We were not perfect at applying these virtues, but at least we believed them. Today, it seems we no longer even believe in them. I do not know if we thought we could temporarily pause these virtues while we drink the intoxicating elixir of power, or if we believe the ends justifies the means, or if we really are morally, spiritually, and intellectually bankrupt.
For now, with tears and a broken heart, I hear the words of the prophet,
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:12, NKJV)
(*See Thomas E. Ricks, “Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom. Penguin Press, 2017, pages 176-179)
Debbie and I serve as the FMI Global Associate Director for MENACA and Europe. We focus on cultivating disciples, leaders, and church planting movements.
