Nationalism is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality.

A nationalist is one who thinks solely, or mainly, in terms of competitive prestige. His thoughts always turn on victories, defeats, triumphs, and humiliations.

Having picked his side, he persuades himself that it is the strongest, and is able to stick to his belief even when the facts are overwhelmingly against him. Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.

It's so frustrating to see how true much of this essay is. Unfortunately anyone reading this in 2026 doesn't have to take Orwell's suppositions for granted, and can indeed see a direct line from his words to what's happening all around us, especially in the U.S. The amount of known deceptions coming from the mouths of those on the right are both despicable and baffling, since anyone in touch with reality can see how absurd many of the claims and stances are. Yet reasoning with them does absolutely nothing, and it's in fact impossible at times to tell whether the falsities being perpetuated are due to knowingly lying or to being willfully brainwashed.

I have read a few novellas and am really enjoying the dopamine hit I get from finishing a book in one reading session. Yesterday, I read The Pale Dreamer and it was fun and perfect for my entrance into the series. I typically read books that are 500+ pages so it's also just a nice break in general. That got me wondering about novellas in general. Does anyone have any favorites they can recommend, particularly of the fantasy/scifi genre? I like light romance but I'm not a big romance reader where its the main focus.