1 a.m.

At that time yesterday I was taking the subway back to my home. The only people on the subway were me and a man sitting across from me. I pulled out a pack of gum and began reading the ingredients.

"I wouldn't read those if I were you," he said.

He was right; having a basic knowledge of chemistry can be a curse. At that point we struck up a conversation. It meandered here and there for the rest of the subway ride. We talked about the shit they're putting in our food, about factory farming, about Africa, about tsunamis and meat packers, about the government, a light sprinking of politics to end an odd evening. Then we each went on our way. I wish more people in this city did that. I can count on one finger the number of conversations I've had with total strangers. I think he was the fourth in seven years. (This figure does not include people who talk to you but you try to ignore even tohugh you can't.)

Consider: "when people say "everyone wants the best, we just differ in how we want to get there," that is a lie. We actually differ in our definitions of the good. Do we all want an equitble society? What if it's impossible? And if we achieve it, to what end did we do it? In my definition of the good, we stop there. Someone else's definiton includes the harvest of souls to appease The Creator."