Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1)

by Neal Shusterman

“Do you remember the pain when we beat you down?” Volta asked one afternoon, at the end of memory training. “How could I ever forget?” “There are three reasons for it,” Volta told him. “The first is to connect you with our ancestors, reliving the pain, and the fear of pain, because that’s what led to civilization and humanity’s advancement beyond its own mortality. The second is a rite of passage—something sorely missing in our passive world. But the third reason may be the most important: Being made to suffer pain frees us to feel the joy of being human.” To Rowan it sounded like more empty platitudes—but Volta wasn’t like Goddard that way. He didn’t usually speak in lofty, meaningless ideas. “I felt plenty of joy in my life without having to be beaten to a pulp,” Rowan told him. Volta nodded. “You felt some—but just a shadow of what it can be. Without the threat of suffering, we can’t experience true joy. The best we get is pleasantness.” Rowan had no response to that, because it struck him as true. He had led a pleasant life. His biggest complaint was being marginalized. But didn’t everyone feel marginalized? They lived in a world where nothing anyone did really mattered. Survival was guaranteed. Income was guaranteed. Food was plentiful, and comfort was a given. The Thunderhead saw to everyone’s needs. When you need nothing, what else can life be but pleasant? “You’ll get it eventually,” Scythe Volta told him. “Now that your pain nanites are dialed to zero, it’s inevit...