"Stuff your eyes with wonder, he said, and you'll always have something to look at when it gets dark" (Bradbury 1953).
Exemplifying the importance of curiosity and feeding yourself with knowledge through this excerpt, Ray Bradbury in his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, depicts a dystopian American future that prohibits books and burns any form of intellect. This presents the idea of censorship, which is the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are deemed to be "offensive." Bradbury illustrates an unfortunate society in which censorship prevails and how the government uses its powers in an unrightful way to control the population. A world in which censorship is prevalent is a world that prohibits its citizens from gaining necessary knowledge. While today in America, the First Amendment in the American Constitution protects the freedom of speech, a lot of nations around the world are not presented with this right. Censorship hinders one's freedom of expression and stops the betterment of society through the absence of knowledge.
Progress is founded on other people's ideas, and censorship prevents the spread of literature and numerous materials that help educate people. Without this, people have no individuality and no viewpoints on improving society. It leads to falling into a ditch in which one cannot escape and is forced to abide by seemingly mindless things that the government can spew. People can debate, inquire, and challenge norms with this education, which helps to build our society. When governments or corporations censor knowledge, it incites a loss of ingenuity. It rejects a diverse set of ideas, which may promote self-censorship due to the fear of what their curiosity brings upon them. Leading to a world where fright and power diminish the ability to portray a unique set of ideas. Censorship discourages the authority to question the government and thus leads to a result that parallels stagnant water, and intellect that will continue to get impurities over time. Internationally, many nations face the issue of getting harshly controlled. In such nations, where tyranny seems to be the pillar of their country, censorship is used to power over their citizens and silence movements for democracy or freedom. Such limitations impact the well-being of the country and harm the progress of it.
Censorship is not a simple issue. It is something that can be considered an attack on human dignity. Human dignity is rooted in freedom to think, act, and say whatever one desires. Censorship ruptures the progress of worlds, the harmony of unity, and the thoughts of the individual. Fighting censorship and its many forms help preserve the flame of individuality and knowledge in mankind. A society without censorship is a society in which empathy, understanding, and innovation prevail.