A Lack of Consensus on the 'H' Word

'No death, but from great age. No sickness of the body or the mind. No hurt, no harm, but only harmony.’

That was John Constance's mission statement for his ideal world. It is carved onto the base of his statues; inscribed on a plaque in every Home; available, through Acquisition, on countless mugs and T-shirts and in cross-stitch 'Have a Happy Hobby!' kits.

Channel 43 is wont to commence its breakfast programme with various paraphrases to hearten and inspire: "No death, but from great boredom. No visible sickness of the body or mind. No thrills, no fun, but only bloody Harmony." Mugs and T-shirts for these and similar sentiments are not yet widely available.

Welcome to Harmony: a place of one hundred percent protection from almost all of the leading causes of death. Here, you are part of a thriving community, with a stress-free scheduled existence, a TV channel for every taste and the world to – Virtually – explore, from the safe, comforting confinement of your own home.

But freedom has not been sacrificed: merely redefined. And Governance can always be trusted to have the best interests of the Community at heart. In short, Rosa Larrimer is living in a stone-cold, genuine Utopia and she really shouldn’t be feeling so... twitchy.