Personal Essay On Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

When I was in the eighth grade, my top priority was to become an athlete. All of my idols were either NFL stars or Olympians. So every morning, I started by running for exercise, and eventually I tried out for my school's track team. In try-outs, I finish an abysmal third to last. This experience left me deeply embarrassed; nevertheless, it did not deter me from staying dedicated to my goal. To focus on self-improvement, I doubled down on those early morning runs. However, when it came time for my first race, two weeks later, I was extremely nervous. The morning of the race, I was shaking with fear of failure. On the bus ride over I was silently hoping that the bus would brake-down, or that the school would cancel the competition. As I went

At first, I found the experience draining. Every day, I listened to the latest teacher’s gossip about who had recently gained weight or who had been missing from work. For the majority of the time, I just sat there, doing absolutely nothing. Until one day out of boredom I picked up a copy of the book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which happened to be on the desk near my seat. The book mesmerized me with its description of a dystopian future. I began for the first time to think critically about the world around me and to explore the way that people across the world struggle from injustice. What I first learned in that silent study was that there are more important achievements in life than athletic prowess or even individual success. I discovered that for society to promote self-actualization and independence, there needs to be people who are educated and can think in diverse ways. So I committed myself to studying and learning about the politics and history of the world. Moreover, I traded in new track shoes for literature on history, politics, and philosophy. Upon entering high school, I joined my school’s debate team and interviewed my local Texas State Representative for broadcast. Nobody wants to be hurt, but for me, this experience gave me a chance at rebirth and drove my desire to become an actively