Nikki Kocmut

“We never know what will happen next”
― Mark T. Sullivan, Beneath a Scarlet Sky

“If the world is a giant machine designed by God and destiny is a program written in his language, then we should be able to live a life of fulfillment without understanding any of it. After all, most people enjoy TV without knowing a thing about electromechanics; most people drive their cars without ever understanding how an engine works. Someone else has done all the hard work so that we don’t have to think about it. The machine chugs away, its workings unbeknownst to us. Our destiny reveals itself to us with minimal to no effort. And seemingly chance encounters and insignificant events subtly influence our trajectory.”
― J.M. Lee, Artificial Truth

“When I was younger”
― Lisa Unger, The Kill Clause

“I don’t answer and instead let there be silence. Devoid of emotion, I don’t feel the same urgency that humans do. I find it fascinating how silence, the absence of words, can alter the course of a conversation completely. Silence often extracts truth better than constant jabbering. Humans, however, cannot bear the void of a long pause. It causes them pain. They invented language and writing to express themselves, to understand others, to build civilizations. Humans think language is their most essential tool. Yet how much death and destruction have been brought about by words? Think of all the misfortune that could have been avoided had humans been mute. Language, like fire and water, is difficult to control and can quickly become dangerous. Lies, threats, insults, incoherent noise. If humans seek peace and truth, they must learn how to hold their tongues. Their intelligence is too weak, their emotions too raw, to wield something as volatile as language.”
― J.M. Lee, Artificial Truth