Dear ask the experts

.



Dear ask the experts,
my life is empty
please advise
yours, lost
Dear lost,
ask the experts are not mind-readers
please send more information
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
when I try to think up reasons to
begin anything new
or for that matter reasons
to continue on with things I am
already doing
I can come up with many
many good strong reasons
(some of which of course contradict one another)
and yet, if I consider them further,
all such reasons fail to convince
please advise
yours, lost
Dear lost,
why do you need reasons to do things,
why not just do things that ‘feel right’
and let the reasons take care of themselves
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
without reasons I feel unable to
make decisions
if I try to trust what I feel
I realize that mainly
I feel apathetic and ambivalent
perhaps this is not ‘normal’
but it is where I stand
and I am searching for the next step
I am open to suggestions
yours, lost
Dear lost,
your desire for ‘suggestions’ is much
like your desire for ‘reasons’
you are searching for a crutch
since you have fallen out of touch
with your true desires
simplify your life, create the space
within which what you already
know you need can
gradually rise to the surface
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
if my life was any more simple
I would be in a coma
I have simplified and found only
emptiness and loneliness
yours, lost
Dear lost,
why didn’t you mention before
that you were lonely
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
must have slipped my mind
yours, lost
Dear lost,
loneliness is much like boredom
the solution is simply to take an interest
in something
find people who you like and
surround yourself with them
intertwine your lives with theirs
write down their birthdays in
your daytimer and make sure to
do something special for them
expect them to return the favor
your community is a mirror
in which you can see yourself
and better understand your own
true desires
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
I am already surrounded by close,
very dear friends
who care for me and bring warmth
and friendship and community
into my life
it doesn’t help
yours, lost
Dear lost,
have you tried drugs
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
the drugs don’t work
yours, lost
Dear lost,
it is rare for us to suggest
such radical measures
but in such extreme cases
we occasionally propose an attempted suicide
here is our reasoning:
an attempted suicide is a cry for help
you are obviously in desperate need for assistance
therefore, perhaps an attempted suicide
might bring you the help you desire
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
I am now a ghost
yours, lost
Dear lost ghost,
please note that we had specified
an ‘attempted’ suicide
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
it seems I overshot the mark
yours, lost ghost
Dear lost ghost,
what is it like in the afterlife
ask the experts are extremely curious
yours, ask the experts
Dear ask the experts,
it is warm here
I feel calm and at peace
all the troubles of a barely lived life
feel like the most distant,
pleasant memories
everything feels at peace
yours, lost ghost
Dear lost ghost,
so in some sense we have
managed to solve your problem
after all…



.