Utopia?

I am in the middle of George Orwell's 1984 and am finding it difficult to read. It's a brilliantly written book full of thought-provoking narratives presented by the indignant and non-faltering voice of Orwell's commentary, but it's utterly depressing. Sometimes I feel like the world of Orwell's 1984 isn't too far from our own, and I wonder if our technological advances will eventually make us turn against ourselves. I don't mean this in a sort of science-fiction-horror film way, but in a manner that seems so natural and inevitable that we hardly even notice that something is amiss. It's already hard to imagine life without the internet, and what's to say that this won't go further.

A more disturbing aspect of 1984 is Orwell's explanation of how our world depends on a social hierarchy. The lower classes need to stay poor and solution-less in order for the middle and upper classes to maintain their edge. In this sense, it's necessary to deny them education, opportunities, privileges, and anything else that could elevate their status. I was aware of this, but nevertheless, I feel guilty about coming from the middle class and not doing anything to try to change this idea. Then again, what can one person do against the entire system? Romantic images of "My name is Neo" from The Matrix or Tom Hanks running across the United States in Forrest Gump come to mind. Ha.

Even if it's not possible, I think I'll always want to 'save the world.'