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this. George Orwell's 1984 is a horror story of an Aquarian Age run rampant. Lest we think that the ideals of love and brotherhood as expounded by the more fanatical adherents of the sign are the answer, enforced by a totalitarian state, read and re-read this little book which was once considered science fiction and now looks horribly like prophecy.
And what about the individual Aquarian? Well, typically, he encompasses these two extremes - genuine love and concern for the welfare of the group, and personal intellectual bigotry. His ideals and his true sense of democracy are immediately noticeable. Even the non-political Aquarian who lives an ordinary life and doesn't concern himself with movements, will often be found defending the underdog in his business. His ideals often make Aquarius stand out by a head above the crowd. He thinks about other people, about their needs and potential. Or maybe we should say he truly thinks - a rare commodity in an age of slogans and opinions.
On the other hand, he doesn't much like individuals. Aquarius is the fellow who loves humanity and doesn't like people. He can be brusque, cool, unfeeling, insensitive, rigid, dogmatic, and downright stupid when it comes to the subtleties of human relationships. He can stand by principles when principles are the least relevant thing in the situation. His fairness can be blindly infuriating when what is most needed is a little bias. In those typical situations where you're hurt by someone else's offhand remark, and turn to your Aquarian for sympathy, and get a pronouncement fit for a trial where point by point the reasonableness of the remark is discussed, it's a wonder there aren't more Aquarians murdered every day.
Aquarius is often embarrassed by emotion, and finds it distasteful both in himself and in others. I've known quite a few Aquarian women who consider it shameful to cry; this sign is proud and self-controlled, and displays of emotion are seen as a weakness. Those tears that according to romantic novels melt the hearts of the hardest men don't work terribly well on Aquarians. After you've sniffed delicately into your lace handkerchief and looked up at him with moist dewy eyes, you may find either that he's quietly left the room during your fit, or that he's got his newspaper out and is reading about the political situation in Uganda. Or he may sit quietly and watch you, and then, when you're certain he's about to tell you he really loves you after all, or that he understands, or that he's sorry he hurt you, he opens his mouth and says, 'Good! Now that you've finished, we can discuss this reasonably. I do so hate it when you get irrational like that.' And when you're about to throw the teapot at him in a screaming rage because he hasn't understood at all, he'll look at you coolly and say, 'Now, don't throw another scene, it's really selfish, you know. Can't we talk about something else? People are suffering and dying all over the world. Did you know that the Tanzanian troops waited three days outside Kampala so that the inhabitants could escape? I think that's really a humanitarian thing to do.' Having made you feel utterly and abjectly guilty for having been so emotional in the first place, he can indulge in a little smug self-satisfaction, because he succeeded in keeping his mind on the Really Important Things.
Obviously, not all Aquarians are this unfeeling. Aquarian women in particular have an immense capacity for devotion and loyalty. But here too it's so bound up with their ideas and their ethics that they often don't adjust very well to the changes and nuances of relationships. And most important, with all this obsession about the rights of others and what they ought to do and be, they forget about themselves - to such an extent that they mince their own emotions to pieces through simple lack of expression.
Here's a little scenario to illustrate the point. We might call this the Noble Soul syndrome.
AQUARIAN TO FRIEND: I'm fine, thanks. A little tired, that's
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