‘Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past’.

You might have encountered this reflection in the past. It’s from the novel 1984, which has been adapted into film. I’ve reviewed the 1983 version on this site. The movie was notable as the swan song of the late actor, Richard Burton (pictured below with Elizabeth Taylor). I’ve never attempted to read Orwell. His prose is dense and full of description. Not my cup of tea. I’m not going to give a shopping list of the plot as I had already exhausted this in my 2014 review.

I saw this quote in Blake Crouch’s Recursion. The latter is about time travel. The line is circular. The past and the future. The present and the past. A play on time. The quote suggests that our hours are precious. Your past matters to your future. Your present and past are linked. ‘Make the most of now’.

The vicious cycle

Time, whether yesterday, today, or tomorrow, is vicious. We cannot stop the ticking clock. Neither can we resurrect bygone days. We cannot manipulate time, but only learn from our mistakes and grow. Be productive now or die trying. Accept and execute your responsibilities. Be kind to your elders, family, and friends. Stay healthy and thank me later. Read books. Travel the world. Plant trees. Build relationships. Avoid being bitter and obstinate. Fight for your principles. Pursue your dreams. Let nothing stop you.

We should be masters of all three timeframes. We cannot change the past, but we can make peace with it. We should give the present our all, as equals. Do not dread the future, but face it with a smile.

This is similar to the Deathly Hollows in Harry Potter. By bragging about the Elder Wand, the brother met his Maker. Ditto the middle child. Only Harry’s progenitor survived. Smart and quiet did the trick.

Transitory

Acceptance is paramount. We can’t be the fastest, brainiest, coolest, most gifted, or the cutest. We can’t live for 200 years, by the seashore or in our own manor. Can’t be the happiest souls on earth. We can’t win at everything. History is littered with skeletons of unrealised potential. In spite of this, we can change our perception. Make our liabilities into strengths. Maximise our abilities to help compensate for our shortcomings.

Orwell released his book in 1948. Animal Farm is his other great work. 1984 is not War and Peace. It clocks in at 348 pages. Some say his last spouse inspired the character Juliet. Before this, he focused on nonfiction.Orwell was in middle life when he offered his two greatest hits. In the land of the living, his days were eventful. Much like Ernest Hemingway, he had stints in various locales. He was a soldier in Spain as well as an in demand journalist.

‘Last seen’

Let us apply modern technology with analog. Before, I used WhatsApp to connect with my mates. These days, I utilise Viber. Both platforms have a ‘Last Seen’ feature. This shows the ultimate time that your contact was active on the app. George Orwell was last seen in 1950. That’s a very long time ago. Both of my parents weren’t even born then. That’s over three quarters of a century. Man hadn’t landed on the moon. Countries like South Sudan, Eritrea, and East Timor weren’t even present yet.

His neologisms are still in use nowadays. He is widely regarded as an elite British writer. Most of what the author wrote was prophetic. There is no East Asia. However, his vivid prose is a match for today’s milieu.

Blimey

I’ve consumed other great English authors. Off the top of my head: William Golding and The Lord of the Flies. Alex Garland, The Beach. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter. J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings. William Shakespeare. Bruce Chatwin. Others like Nick Hornby, Christy Lefteri, and Adrian McKinty are not as commanding but still delightful.

Funny how a book from the forties and WW2 remains relevant almost eighty years later. This is literature: it stands the test of time. Appreciated by all walks of life. Not that they are created equal. Some are more accessible. Others are an acquired taste. Not everyone will enjoy whiskey and rum. The same goes with these books. I’ve tried reading Camus, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. Every book will render a different experience. Choose wisely.