The power of the powerless is the way out of tyranny.
The power of the powerless is the way out of tyranny. According to Iran Gate, life in the land of lies is filled with deceit. How can people tolerate the constant lying, hypocrisy, and injustice? How can people become tools of the system to implement falsehood, hypocrisy, and injustice in society? How can the people of the country become submissive and adhere to the rules of the ruling power?
It is a governance based on ideology that sacrifices the people for the sake of its continued rule. It does not just ask the people to go to war, but involves them in all superficial and trivial matters, so that they eventually become servants of the system. Of course, many people in this process do not realize they are being used, as the tools the system employs seem outdated and superficial, but in practice, they have a strong impact and all of them gradually become part of the legitimacy puzzle of the system.
In his book, Howl refers to the existence of ideology in this post-totalitarian system, stating that ideology becomes a tool for internal communication within the power structure and guarantees the internal coherence of the system. According to him, ideology seizes power and becomes a tool for suppressing and exerting power in the country. As Howl puts it, ideology is actually one of the pillars of strength and stability for the system.
Now, why does Rubina, according to Howl, gradually turn ideology into a tool to manipulate people into participating in appropriate commemorative marches and justifying the shortage of goods and other problems in the country? In this case, everything seems good and tolerable to the general public, with no news of lies, injustice, or corruption, because ideology is supposed to dictate everything and give legitimacy to the system. But what lies beneath the foundation of the system?
The foundation of the system is filled with lies, corruption, rent-seeking, dual lives, and accumulation of wealth. Here, Howl says that this structure will last as long as people are willing to live under the roof of lies, deceiving themselves into thinking that they are living their lives while being under the influence of the post-totalitarian system.
But what a life a deceitful life is! However, as Hawl once said, there comes a day when the facade of the powerful and oppressive system is shattered, and the true nature of its weak and wicked foundation is revealed. It is at that moment when it becomes clear to the general public how low and deceitful this system has been and how much it has destroyed people’s lives.
That is why in such a system, truth and reality are suppressed every day and every moment, so that the main pillar of the system, which is nothing but lies, takes longer to crumble and be destroyed. The book ‘The Power of Your Powerlessness’ was essentially a discussion topic proposed by Hawl to write essays about the subject of power and freedom. The plan was for Polish and Czechoslovak writers to write responses to Hawl’s essay, which would later be published.
These events, which took place in 1978, did not reach a conclusion, and only the writings of Czechoslovak writers found complete organization. A year later, when Hawl was arrested, other writers decided to publish his essays. This book also includes 9 essays by Hawl among the original writings of Czech writers.
In general and in summary, the subject of the book is the unbeatable power of ethics, the communism of Czechoslovakia, and politics and government. However, there is no need to be afraid of any of these topics because the author’s writing style is very simple, straightforward, and without any twists or turns in addressing the intended subjects.
With all these explanations, if you want to know how a country with a post-totalitarian regime looks like and how different it is from where you currently live, read this book.
Persian
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