Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is considered one of the best dystopian novels of the 20th century and its brimming with all the cynicism, bite, and social malaise that the genre entails. While it’s not cited for its cheery disposition it does contain some ennobling and timeless ideas that will anchor you in place and offer a pause for reflection.
My favourite quote comes near the end of the novel, courtesy of Granger, a character we meet in the final pages, but wish we had longer to get to know.
“I hate a Roman named Status Quo. Stuff your eyes with wonder. Live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal.”
– Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
The quote brings to mind a jarring quote from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet:
The lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral
Returning to Bradbury’s quote, status Quo is a Latin phrase that can be translated to ‘the way things are/the current state of affairs’. Granger is imploring us to turn our backs on the current state of affairs and embrace instead original vistas and compelling opportunities. While engaging with culture through the medium of travel is a key component of this quote you do not need to endlessly seek out changing horizons to tap into a life brimming with wonder.
Wonder comes in myriad forms. I’m biased toward seeking out enriching experiences and insights in the realms of literature, film, music, poetry, and the natural sciences. Exploring social current events through the medium of documentaries and non fiction are wonderful ways of engaging with the world.
By encouraging us to seek out experiences that can’t be ‘paid for in factories’ Granger, channelling Bradbury’s own perspective, implicates capitalism and blind consumerism in the cultural and psychological malaise that keeps us bound to the Status Quo. Much ado has been made about how the trappings of life within the productivity driven, growth oriented 21st century economic moment serve to estrange us from our stores of creativity, compassion, and reverence for the natural world.
I think the most challenging element of this quote is in its description of security as a fallacy, a polite lie. I think most of us run around in circles trying to cultivate a little piece of comfort, security, and certitude. We prescribe five year plans as an antidote to the unpredictable course of our lives. We try and hedge ourselves against the unknown, forgetting that it is where we came from, where we will go, and ultimately what nourishes us through our journey of life.
