Choice- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Life is full of choices.  We can choose how to behave or what to do in our life.  We have no set path before us; we can do what we want to do.  Now imagine that your whole life is predestined for you.  You could not choose what you want to do or who you want to be.  Everyone would force you to do certain things, whether you liked it or not.  This is how Ender feels in the book Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card.

Reading this book made me think about how terrible it must be to have everything in your life planned out for you, with no choice.  The freedom of choice is a good thing.  Without it, life is dull and glum, like Ender’s was.  He always knew he was being watched and guided, and would be forced in the direction he was “supposed” to go.  As a result, Ender was seldom content with his life because he could not choose where to go next.  Furthermore, nobody cared about his feelings or what he thought of his life.

I cannot fathom a life like his as my own.  Before reading this book, I thought a life without choice would be great; you would not have to make hard decisions, you could just coast by easily.  Now I understand that if you cannot choose what to do with your life, you will most likely be unhappy for the entirety of it.  I realized that choice is a luxury we often take for granted.  We should be thankful that we have the freedom of choice in this life, so we do not dwell in malcontent.  So, reading about Ender’s life taught me that choice is a great thing, and without it happiness does not come easily.

Overall, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card was an excellent, thought-provoking book, and I recommend it to everyone.

-Nathan Johnson