The next topic is Total Security
NORVAL JOE
A shocked expression flashed onto Officer Sheepdip’s face. Before she could close the door, Billbert shouted, “Mom, Dad. I’m in here.”
The door slammed shut.
Having been led through the office to the interrogation room, Billbert knew his parents must have heard him.
His parents burst into the room and seeing him handcuffed to the table, his mother turned on Vattash. “What are you doing to my son?”
Vattash stood, an embarrassed smile on his face. “Ma’am we were only having a friendly chat. I assure you, our agency values citizens’ rights and would never think to infringe upon them.”
LIZZIE
Comfort and quality. The true values of a traditional railroad company. And then there was Herbert, the old man who was the new employee. He made everyone’s lives as difficult as possible. When he kicked a passenger’s… backside… out of the train for complaining about everything, everyone was horrified. Why wasn’t he fired immediately? And then, they received a letter. He owned the company and gave all employees a share of it. And he did so, because he realized that dealing with the public was a pain in the… Comfort and quality, yes. But also respect for the staff. There!
SERENDIPIDY
Let’s play a game.
You’re on a crowded lifeboat, and some of you need to be thrown overboard, or none will survive.
Your task is deciding who lives and who dies, based on the perceived values, skills and benefits they bring to the group.
It’s not an exact science, but I’m sure there’s plenty of fun and interesting discussion to be had, and – at the end of the day – it’s the greater good that matters, not the needs of the individual.
Except for my needs.
Which is why you’re all in the lifeboat, and I’m still on board the ship!
LISA
He’s Back
He’s back, he looks like he’s really pleased to see us.
“Morning! Sorry I’ve been away, so long, I hope you’ve been well looked after? It’s time I explained things properly. I think it takes a near death experience to make you reassess your values, and appreciate what you’ve got and what you, perhaps, could have.
“Please. Come upstairs and get comfortable. I wasn’t planning on having that car accident so this explanation and apology is long overdue.” He’s exuding charm and care. We’ve spent months in his basement but he’s acting as if we’ve just popped over for tea.
TOM
A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.
What Timmy valued was last square of property in the worst street in London. Which had the worst meat-pies in London, but you could get a close shave upstairs. The value of that tiny plot of filth was small but the owner of same plot was adamite in retaining it. Timmy had exhausted all reasonable courses of action. Driven to a dark metaphysical opinion, Timmy summoned the likes of the companies founding father and his 16 feet of chains and chests. This should have done the trick, but Marley took a liking to the owner. They had tea regularly. Damn.
853
We think In Centuries
For centuries phosphors tied themselves in knots trying to find the evidentiary underpinning for a Supreme Being. Investigation into origins of this question often lead into speculation about the nature of a power much greater than ourselves. This lead to speculations about God; more specifically, arguments designed to establish the existence of God with the use of “unaided reason”. Example: “First Cause” argues there are events that occur now, and these must have been caused; however, for there to be events now, there must have been a first cause; that is God. In the end Evidence just wasn’t there. Bupkis.
RICHARD
Welcome to the real world
All day long, every day, I stare at spreadsheets, tracking the values of assets and projecting profits and gains based on historical performance?
Sounds really boring, right?
Believe me, it is!
It’s a job and the pay is OK. I guess that’s how it goes for most of us. We can’t all be brain surgeons and astronauts, right?
It’s just a case of ‘grin and bear it’ and pretend it’s better than it is.
So, when I tell people I work in a chocolate factory, and they say ‘Wow! Awesome! A real life Willy Wonka!”
I just smile, and agree.
PLANET Z
She held true to her values.
Buried in her white gown, flowers in her hair.
Untouched, unloved.
Found surrounded by books.
Poetry in so many languages.
Could she understand a word of it?
Paintbrush in her hand, a canvas on the easel.
Where was the paint? they asked.
Some say she painted with her tears.
Dabbing the brush to her cheek, the canvas.
Over and over.
Invisible skies, invisible flowers.
Invisible wind.
Paintbrush in her hand, head down, as if she were asleep.
A wisp of hair across her face, a gentle smile.
As if she’d just told a joke.
CHATGPT
In the heart of a bustling city, where skyscrapers pierced the sky, lived a humble old man named Isaac. Every morning, he sat on a worn-out bench, feeding pigeons with crumbs of his sandwich. One day, a young executive passing by tossed a coin at him, sneering. Isaac caught it, but instead of pocketing it, he returned it, saying, “Kindness is worth more than silver.” The executive paused, pondering. Weeks later, he returned, this time with lunch for Isaac, apologizing for his ignorance. From that day on, the bench became a place where values of empathy and respect intertwined, forging an unexpected bond.