Fortunately for Havel, Czechoslovakia’s small-minded communist rulers were also small-minded in their lies. But when every aspect of society is built, as in North Korea, on a Big Lie, and then an Even Bigger Lie, it is probably hard to maintain one’s sanity, let alone the ability to live in truth.
朝鲜便是哈维尔的名言的对立面——为了在集权主义中生存，你必须生活在真相中。哈维尔是幸运的，目光短浅的捷克斯洛伐克共产党执政者的谎言也是目光短浅的。但在朝鲜这样的方方面面都建立在大谎言以及随后的更大谎言的社会中，要想保持头脑清醒便已十分困难，更不用说生活在真相中了。