Book 238 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title: If You Mind the Small Rules, You Can Break the Big Ones!

Book – 1984 by George Orwell

Book Description:

Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party that seeks power for its own sake and persecutes those who dare to commit thoughtcrimes. But as he starts to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the fact that Big Brother is always watching...

A startling and haunting novel, 1984 creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions—a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

Reflection:

Okay George Orwell…well done, sir! Well done indeed!

I think all of us have heard the words “Big Brother is watching” our whole lives in reference to 1984. I kind of, sort of understood what it symbolized in the idea of the government keeping an eye on you to control your life and actions. That is what I figured this book was really all about, and it was, but also simultaneously so much more at the same time. This book was a battle for your mind, your reality, the individual vs. the collective, the power of an idea, and so much more. The words “Double Think” and “Thought Police” will forever be burned into my mind until the day I die.

All I could think about the whole time I was taking this journey was how close 1984 resembled to what was shared in the real-life account of the haunting The Gulag Archipelago which described life in the Russian forced labor camps called the Gulag. The reflection I wrote for that one was about the indescribable power that an idea can bring to drive us to action, even if on its face is something we would NEVER consider in normal life. For example, at one point in 1984, O’Brien asks the main character Winston Smith if he would be able to do some horrific things to test his loyalty in order to join the brotherhood in an effort to undermine the party and bring down Big Brother. During his rapid-fire questioning of some ridiculous scenarios, O’Brien asks him if Winston would even be willing to throw acid in a child’s face if it was deemed necessary? Winston quickly responds, “Yes!” Like, what the…and this was the “good guy” fighting for the “good side” in the story!

Ideas might be the most powerful weapon that humanity has ever created and brought into this world!

The idea that I can’t get out of my own mind after finishing 1984 was from a quote of Winston’s love interest, Julia. She said “If you mind the small rules, you can break the big ones”! This line hit me like a ton of bricks. I was out on a run, listening to the book on audio without access to quickly take a note. To ensure I didn’t forget this idea, I turned off the book, and repeated that line over and over in my head until I got back home and could write it down. I couldn’t let this one slip through the cracks.

I sometimes feel like a hypocrite. I write every day about the idea of values, purpose, and meaningful work and meaningful relationships. I spend the beginning of my day living my values with my daughter, and the end of the day with her again. We have a blast together and produce some of the most meaningful work I’ve ever produced in my life. However, in between the 2 I spend my whole day in an environment that is the exact opposite of the one that I hope to create someday. I play the part of the good corporate citizen. I work hard, smile, follow the rules, and do my best to fit into the culture because it pays the bills for my life.

I would give anything to have that not be the case. Someday it won’t be, but it is what it is at this point.

Here’s why I’m okay with it because while I’m minding all the small rules of corporate world…I’m breaking the biggest one of all and no one has any idea. The big secret of the corporate world is that you have to check your individual values, mission, and purpose at the door if you want to be successful. If the business says that we are on the mission to empower companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way…than you are on that mission as well. If they say our chosen values on this mission are Trust, Innovation, Customer Success, and Equality…than these are your values as well. You better learn to embrace them or you will be quickly found out and kicked out of the club, meaning no job. You are paid to where someone else’s mission and values suit 24/7 whether you are in or out of the office, no matter what anyone says about “work/life” balance.

What ends up happening is you become this person that they want you to be, you assume their values, their mission, and live your life accordingly. That is great for building a cohesive culture and driving bottom line profits (which is the real goal). Then one day, it all ends. The company gets acquired, you get fired, or the business fails, etc. You lose your mission and values overnight and you are left scrambling to find a new culture quickly to regain your identity. The cycle repeats itself over and over until your career comes to an end.

The problem is that you never learn who you are in this process. While you are busy living someone else’s mission and values, you lose out on you and what you really care about.

That is why I’m proud of what I’m doing, even if my current reality is hypocritical as of today. I’m following all the little rules, but no one really knows that I’m breaking the biggest one of all which is owning my own values, purpose, and mission in life.

Question: What is the big rule you want to break in life toward your purpose?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? - An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - 1984 by George Orwell