Scene: The Absurdist and Penguin enter the hyper-woke café
Absurdist: sipping his kombucha with a perfectly neutral expression “You know, the future of the planet really depends on us defining the boundaries of our micro-aggressions. We’ve failed as a society if we don’t redefine the definition of definition itself.”
Woke Hipster 1: nodding sagely “Totally, man. The way we define things, like, that’s all subjective. You can’t define definition anymore. You just have to let it be. Like, everything is fluid, right?”
Absurdist: leaning in “Exactly. So, in the context of ‘defining,’ what’s the space between the boundaries of boundaries? Should we name it? Or should we leave it unnamed so it can exist freely without the constraints of naming?”
Woke Hipster 2: pensive “Right, right. Boundaries are a social construct... but are constructs themselves constructs, or are they constructs of constructs? Or—”
Penguin: snickering uncontrollably, wings flapping ‘I’ve got to write this down.’ snorts with laughter, feathers quivering
Woke Hipster 1: bewildered “What... what’s so funny?”
Penguin: laughing harder, almost choking on its own amusement, clutching its stomach ‘This is... this is gold.’ wheezing
Absurdist: stoically “Ah, yes, a bit of a paradox, isn’t it? You see, if we construct the concept of boundary in an effort to avoid boundaries, we are in fact boundarying the very thing we wish to avoid... but only if we can name it. But not naming it—” pauses dramatically “—doesn’t make it not a boundary. It’s still a boundary.”
Penguin: struggling to contain itself, feathers flapping wildly ‘You’re all in so deep, I’m going to need a map to follow this.’ laughs louder, rolling on its back
Woke Hipster 2: seriously considering the penguin’s words “Wait, are we... the walls? Are we the ones who build the boundaries, but like... unconsciously?”
Woke Hipster 1: eyes wide “Mind blown. This is—this is deep. I think we need to get a TED talk on this, man.”
Penguin: laughing even harder, rocking back and forth ‘A TED talk on this?! It’s like you’re building a house out of invisible bricks.’
Absurdist: dryly “I think the penguin’s just pointing out that you’re all on the edge of an abyss... and you’re afraid to leap. Because, you know, leaping would require boundaries to define the fall. And that would ruin your non-boundary narrative.”
Penguin: laughs until it can barely breathe, feathers shaking ‘Intentional chaos! That’s your answer! Brilliant!’ laughs some more, tears forming in its eyes
Woke Hipster 2: gently strokes chin, contemplating “Yeah... like, so... chaos... but with intentionality?”
Penguin: shaking its head, laughing too hard to form words, wings flapping helplessly ‘Intentional chaos? You really don’t see it, do you?’
Woke Hipster 1: deep breath “I think... I think I need to redefine what a paradox is...”
Penguin: suddenly bursts into hysterical laughter again, tumbling on the ground, barely able to keep itself upright ‘You redefine everything except your own reality!’
