The desire to have fun and enjoy their time amidst the struggle for existence and the need for rescue form the backdrop of William Golding’s celebrated dystopian novel Lord of the Flies.

What transpires on the formerly uninhabited island quickly devolves from a calm sense of peace and order into power struggles, paranoia, savagery, and murder. All amongst boys aged between 10 to 13 years.

The stranded boys become convinced of a mythical beast roaming the island and proceed to slaughter a pig and sever its head as an offering to the supposed monster.

In a delusional and animalistic frenzy, the group mistakes for the beast the only boy who Continue reading →

Steve is a meek and tidy soul with a passion for detail. He is very quiet and has little interest in people. He was drawn at random from the US census population.

Which is more likely – that Steve is a farmer or a librarian?

What’s your answer?

Perhaps a librarian. He resembles the prototypical librarian. Continue reading →

While we are in the midst of a dream, everything seems real. We wander in and out of environments and their concomitant experiences rarely questioning validity.

It isn’t until we wake up and ponder the dream that we consider its strangeness. Sure we may find some connection with our everyday occurrences, but the links are tenuous. Often the laws of physics were completely violated while recalling the dream’s narrative.

Perhaps even more interesting is the speed with which the dream’s content dissipates to the point of total forgetfulness. Continue reading →

I feel miserable.

My life is not turning out the way I want. Sure I have some good friends, but many of my relationships are quite contentious. My boss is awful. I lose my temper easily. And I’ve made some very bad decisions in my life.

Things often fall to pieces, and I’m easily moved to tears. I’m a better person than most of the people I know – and I feel like I deserve much more than this.

Life really sucks.

[Doorbell rings.] Continue reading →

My kitchen counter was covered with hundreds and hundreds of ants – crawling around in seemingly frantic disarray.

Where are they coming from?

Ahh, I found it. An old box of chocolates that had been sitting for months in the corner was the culprit. Upon opening the lid, my assumption was confirmed. I threw away the remains, cleaned up the counter, problem solved.

Until the next morning, when once again, hundreds of ants marched across my countertops. Continue reading →