Dad sat down with me one night, and told me I should read two books: George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and John Hersey's "Hiroshima." He really didn't tell me why I should read them. He just said I should.
So, I went to the library and checked out a copy of each. I was somewhat relieved to see they were not epic in length (in fact, "Hiroshima" is basically a magazine article in book form). And being a youngster with very little attention span, I chose to read the shortest one first (again, "Hiroshima").
I've thought a lot about why dad decided those books were so important to read for a child who was barely 10. For one thing, they are classics, usually required reading in most schools.
Placed together, though, and they offer quite a contrast. One is the story of how horrible it would be if the world were to end. Another is the story of how horrible the world can become.
Our perception of "the bomb" has evolved over time, in ways that can be fascinating while at the same time troubling. Anxiety over nuclear war seems to have decreased (at least in the United States), while the number of countries on the list of the world's known nuclear powers has grown. How did that happen?
Maybe because we fret over more primitive dangers like airline hijackers with box cutters, explosive underwear, and mail that contains white powder. We call them potential acts of "terrorism." And given what happened one September day earlier this century, they tend to scare us a lot.
"Hiroshima" is the story of choices and human suffering. We only hope our children will never have to experience first-hand what our country endured during World War II. I plan on asking both of my children to read this story so that they understand the ultimate consequences of war.
They will also read "Nineteen Eighty-Four," just like I did. When I first opened its pages, there were still a few years to go before 1984 actually arrived. Reading the story was almost like peering into the future for me.
During our "talk," my father pointed out that Orwell wrote his fictional story in 1948 (it was published in 1949). How could he foresee what the world would be like several decades later? The idea of ultimate government control and 24-hour citizen surveillance seemed absurd.
Well, look around us now. We are under surveillance, but not necessarily because of the government. It is because of each other. And we are the enablers.
While "Hiroshima" might have more of an emotional impact on my children during the time they finally pick it up, they will probably have an easier time relating to the shadowy world of "Nineteen Eighty-Four."
And here's why:
Privacy is dead.
Think of how many cameras you have in the house. You probably own several (the more tech-savvy you are, the more you probably own).
Our computers come equipped with them. Our cell phones have them. You probably own a "camera" itself, plus maybe a movie camera, your car might have a camera to help you back out of the driveway, and you may even have a baby monitor set up for a crib.
There could even be a camera above your house. We know there was one up there at one time - just type your address into the Google Earth application.
Now you have left your house. You go to the gas station to fill up. A surveillance camera catches you at the pump. Surveillance cameras find you shopping at the grocery store, making a deposit at a bank ATM, strolling at the mall, finding a spot in the parking garage, eating at a restaurant, walking into a barbershop - you could be recorded at any time during everyday commerce.
And don't forget, traffic cameras caught you zooming by along a local highway. So did a so-called "red light" camera, a device smart enough to automatically give you a ticket for blowing past the traffic light.
And because your EZ Pass transponder wasn't working right, you got a ticket in the mail for violating the toll. It comes with a picture of your car.
The Death of Privacy.
We can all consider ourselves broadcasters these days. The World Wide Web, social networking, e-mail, text messaging, etc. Quite honestly, it leads to quite a bit of competition for a guy who works behind a camera every day (willingly, as a profession, which is somewhat different than encountering cameras during daily life).
We can also be victimized by a "broadcaster" just about any time, day or night, doing something ordinary but highly embarrassing, especially if it is uploaded and goes "viral."
How will our children deal with a world where privacy doesn't exist? Well, for one thing, if you are young enough, you never knew what it was like to be able to go through an entire day's routine without ever being unknowingly photographed or videotaped. For them, this is the norm.
George Orwell considered this concept part of his nightmarish vision of the future.
We have already accepted it and moved on.
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