The Party is
not concerned with perpetuating its blood but with perpetuating itself. Who
wields power is not important, provided that the hierarchical structure
remains always the same.
All the beliefs, habits, tastes, emotions, mental attitudes that
characterize our time are really designed to sustain the mystique of the
Party and prevent the true nature of present-day society from being
perceived. Physical rebellion, or any preliminary move towards rebellion,
is at present not possible. From the proletarians nothing is to be feared.
Left to themselves, they will continue from generation to generation and
from century to century, working, breeding, and dying, not only without any
impulse to rebel, but without the power of grasping that the world could be
other than it is. They could only become dangerous if the advance of
industrial technique made it necessary to educate them more highly; but,
since military and commercial rivalry are no longer important, the level of
popular education is actually declining. What opinions the masses hold, or
do not hold, is looked on as a matter of indifference. They can be granted
intellectual liberty because they have no intellect. In a Party member, on
the other hand, not even the smallest deviation of opinion on the most
unimportant subject can be tolerated.
A Party member lives from birth to death under the eye of the Thought
Police. Even when he is alone he can never be sure that he is alone.
Wherever he may be, asleep o