Losing the battle

It has happened. Already.

The caustic has become run of the mill. Normal. Acceptable.

I had a hunch this would happen.


Paris.

Beirut.

And a hundred places I don't even know about.

The numbers too dense to bother noticing.

Because I no longer care.

I have become immune to the brutal deaths.



Sacrifice is not always a good thing.

A man sacrifices himself to kill others.

I sacrifice my grief and despair for a clammy mind.

I sacrifice love for indifference.


Brussels.

31 dead. At least.

I barely flinch.

Be careful now.

This means they are winning.

The Kettle

Once upon a time a rich man looking for the meaning of life decided that several experts in different professions should set up an experiment in order to observe a man for a period of time through a one way mirror. He thought this would help him find the answer.

During this period, the man, who had agreed to be observed, filled the kettle and switched it on.

"What is happening now?" said the rich man.

"He is meeting the physical needs of his body through replenishment," said the biologist.

"He is reasserting old habits so that he feels more at home," said the psychologist.

"The electricity is causing energy to be transferred to the water molecules, which means they are gaining kinetic energy and heat energy," said the physicist.

"The man is escaping the problems of his mind by ignoring the silence and distracting himself," said the philosopher.

Confused by the abundance of answers, the rich man went into the room and asked the man being observed, "What is happening now?"

"I'm making a cup of tea," said the man. "Would you like one?"

3ww The Old Man Sleeps

They were going to sedate the pathetic old man, and they had the cheek to think themselves righteous in their cowardice.