BETWEEN the aims of the post-totalitarian system and the
aims of life there is a yawning abyss: while life, in its essence, moves toward
plurality, diversity, independent self-constitution, and self organization, in
short, toward the fulfillment of its own freedom, the post-totalitarian system
demands conformity, uniformity, and discipline. While life ever strives to create
new and improbable structures, the post-totalitarian system contrives to force
life into its most probable states. The aims of the system reveal its most
essential characteristic to be introversion, a movement toward being ever more
completely and unreservedly itself, which means that the radius of its
influence is continually widening as well. This system serves people only to
the extent necessary to ensure that people will serve it. Anything beyond this,
that is to say, anything which leads people to overstep their predetermined
roles is regarded by the system as an attack upon itself. And in this respect
it is correct: every instance of such transgression is a genuine denial of the
system. It can be said, therefore, that the inner aim of the post-totalitarian
system is not mere preservation of power in the hands of a ruling clique, as
appears to be the case at first sight. Rather, the social phenomenon of
self-preservation is subordinated to something higher, to a kind of blind
automatism which drives the system. No matter what position individuals hold in
the hierarchy of power, they are not considered by the system to be worth
anything in themselves, but only as things intended to fuel and serve this
automatism. For this reason, an individual's desire for power is admissible
only in so far as its direction coincides with the direction of the automatism
of the system.
Ideology, in creating a bridge of excuses between the system
and the individual, spans the abyss between the aims of the system and the aims
of life. It pretends that the requirements of the system derive from the
requirements of life. It is a world of appearances trying to pass for reality.
The post-totalitarian system touches people at every step,
but it does so with its ideological gloves on. This is why life in the system
is so thoroughly permeated with hypocrisy and lies: government by bureaucracy
is called popular government; the working class is enslaved in the name of the
working class; the complete degradation of the individual is presented as his
ultimate liberation; depriving people of information is called making it
available; the use of power to manipulate is called the public control of
power, and the arbitrary abuse of power is called observing the legal code; the
repression of culture is called its development; the expansion of imperial
influence is presented as support for the oppressed; the lack of free
expression becomes the highest form of freedom; farcical elections become the
highest form of democracy; banning independent thought becomes the most
scientific of world views; military occupation becomes fraternal assistance.
Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It
falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies
statistics. It pretends not to possess an omnipotent and unprincipled police
apparatus. It pretends to respect human rights. It pretends to persecute no
one. It pretends to fear nothing. It pretends to pretend nothing.
Individuals need not believe all these mystifications, but
they must behave as though they did, or they must at least tolerate them in
silence, or get along well with those who work with them. For this reason,
however, they must live within a lie. They need not accept the lie. It is
enough for them to have accepted their life with it and in it. For by this very
fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are
the system.
Havel, Vaclav: The Power of the Powerless, ch.4. In “Living in
Truth”.( London, Boston: faber and faber, 1986.) whole document could be downloaded from the link:
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