Tuesday, October 29, 2013


Challenges from The Condo #5

Chapter 1: The Party

 

The Condo: or...Life, a Sequel by Dalma Takács is available from

Amazon.com. (Pap. $17.99; E.book / Kindle ed. $9.99)

 

The hero, Jasper Wergild and his wife Marguerite are hosting a party of old and new friends.  Join the conversation as different topics change the mood from bland to turbulent.

??????????

The guests are shocked witnesses when Pete suffers a PTSD attack and tackles his brother Joe,  punching him and forcing him to the ground.

 

??????????

 

The sophisticated company is now forced to face the basic question: what is the purpose of evil in human life?(On the next day Jasper goes on a trip to buy his dream condo in Florida, and will find some answers he had not expected. Watch next week's blog.)  

 

 

“I don’t see why we need evil in the first place,” Marguerite said. “We are supposed to be rational creatures, so why are we bent on destroying each other, ourselves, and our environment? If God is a rational creator, it makes no sense.”

“Maybe God, when he created the world, used evil as we use salt and pepper to flavor a soup.” Nancy mused. “A pinch will make a satisfying meal, but a fistful of the stuff will turn our taste buds into torture instruments.”

“An ingenious thought, but it still does not answer my question, why do people insist on destroying the soup?” Marguerite said.

 

 

Monday, October 21, 2013

Challenges from The Condo #4


Challenges from The Condo #4

Chapter 1: The Party

The Condo: or...Life, a Sequel by Dalma Takács is available from

Amazon.com. (Pap. $17.99; E.book / Kindle ed. $9.99)

 

The hero, Jasper Wergild and his wife Marguerite are hosting a party of old and new friends.  Join the conversation as different topics change the mood from bland to turbulent.

??????????

The guests are shocked witnesses when Pete suffers a PTSD attack and tackles his brother Joe,  punching him and forcing him to the ground.

 

??????????

 

After Joe and Pete left, it was hard to pretend it was a party any more. But people did not want to leave. Each person felt compelled to stay and prove something.

“You were saying we are not natural killers? You could have fooled me,” Jim challenged Nancy.

“We are not,” she shot back. “You saw how he was. He worked like a robot. That poor sucker has been trained to kill. And who trained him? The army. And who trained the army? The leaders of our country, that’s who. I tell you, we’d all get along fine without the politicians.”

“Yes, but who trains the politicians?” Jasper said.

“We do,” Jim said. “We train them every November. Let’s face it. Human beings are all flawed.”

“For once I agree with you,” Bob Smith said. “We are all in need of salvation before we can be welcomed in heaven.”

Jim turned to Sr. Estrella. “Sister, you’ve just come from the experts in Rome. What’s the view of the Vatican? What’s wrong with human beings?”

Sr. Estrella was perfectly poised in her faith. “What’s wrong? Nothing that a few hundred years in purgatory can’t fix. Of course, some of us will need more work than others.”

“I bet.” Jim said. “How long would you say our president will need to make him fit for heaven?”

“How long in our years, or in God’s years?” Sr. Estrella asked.

“I didn’t know there was a difference. This puts a whole new light on the Bible versus evolution controversy.” Jasper remarked.

Jim refused to be sidetracked. He found Sr. Estrella to be a competent sparring partner. “But what exactly is supposed to happen in purgatory?”. . . .

. . . . “What I would like to know is how the concept of purgatory would change the individual. Some of my sins make me what I am. If God takes away my sins, will he make me into a uniformly flawless creature, a member of the heavenly choir, singing his praises? In other words, to get into heaven, would I have to give up my individuality?”

Sr. Estrella listened carefully, and then stayed quiet for a while. “Let me ask you this. Is there only one way to be good?”

“Of course not, but I still can’t help feeling that life in heaven would be rather bland for most of us. Take me, for instance. I get things done by losing my temper. When I am working on an important project, I slam doors and yell at people who hinder me. The conflict makes victory sweet for me. If I had to give up anger and fighting, I would no longer be the same person. I don’t think I would be very happy in your heaven. I don’t think I would sign up for purgatory either.”

??????????

 

What do you think? What is wrong with human beings? What solution does religion offer?  What is your solution? 

 

Monday, October 14, 2013

Challenges from the condo #3


Challenges from The Condo #3

Chapter 1: The Party

The Condo: or...Life, a Sequel by Dalma Takács is available from

Amazon.com. (Pap. $17.99; E.book / Kindle ed. $9.99)

 

The hero, Jasper Wergild and his wife Marguerite are hosting a party of old and new friends.  Join the conversation as different topics change the mood from bland to turbulent.

Nancy greets Joe's brother Pete, who is home with PTSD after fighting in the war in Iran (the story is a view of the future).

 

????????????

 

“I haven’t seen you since we graduated. What have you been up to?”

“I joined the army.”

“You poor thing. Was that your last choice?”

“No, actually it was my first choice. I wanted to do something for my country. I joined the National Guard. I was expecting to spend a few years delivering food and bottled water to US flood victims, but as it turned out, I was deployed to Iran.”

“You thought our leaders had learned something after we finally abandoned Iraq. How long did you spend in Iran?”

“Two years.”

“So, instead of battling the effects of global warming, you were sent to fight Abdul’s kinfolk.”

“You’re wrong. We did not go to fight. We went to help, and we did. We helped to build schools—”

Nancy smiled. “After our bombs had destroyed them.”

“We brought in equipment and built bridges and roads—”

“Which we had first blown up,” Nancy chimed in.

Pete’s voice rose. “We restocked their hospitals.”

“—and their morgues.” Nancy added sweetly.

His voice rose from a polite mumble to desperate wrath. People around them began to listen. “We do not murder people. The insurgents murder people. They also murder us. Don’t you watch the news?”

Joe walked up to his brother. “Pete, it’s time for us to go.” He added in a furious whisper, “Get a hold of yourself. You’re losing it.”

“I don’t want to go. I want to explain. People just don’t understand. This is a war. It’s kill or be killed. There’s no room for love, even for love of your family. You just have to make yourself numb to everyone around you and do what you’ve been trained to do.”

Jim joined the group. “Which is to kill. Same as the insurgents. The urge to destroy is part of human nature.”

“No it isn’t,” Nancy said. “You and I and Pete are not natural killers, are we, Pete?”

The anger suddenly drained out of Pete. He was like a man defeated. He looked totally blank and indifferent to the guests around him, as if he had nothing in common with people who lived by feelings and natural attachments. Joe grabbed him by the arm to lead him away. The sudden jolt roused Pete to defend himself as he had been taught in boot camp—by punching his brother in the stomach, pinning his arms behind his back, and making him lie face down on the floor.

???????

 

What do you think? Is Nancy right that human beings are not natural killers?  Are wars necessary? 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Challenges from The Condo #2


 
Challenges from The Condo #2

Chapter 1: The Party

The Condo: or...Life, a Sequel by Dalma Takács is available from

Amazon.com. (Pap. $17.99; E.book / Kindle ed. $9.99)

 

The hero, Jasper Wergild, and his wife Marguerite are hosting a party of old and new friends.  Join the conversation as different topics change the mood from bland to turbulent.

“I have a feeling that ordinary people would get along just fine if the politicians would leave them alone,” Nancy said.

 

????????????

 

What do you think?

Do you agree? How much does the average person care about the world beyond his or her house and family? What would make most people angry enough to take action?
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 Challenges from The Condo
Chapter 1: The Party

The Condo: or...Life, a Sequel by Dalma Takács is available from

Amazon.com. (Pap. $17.99; E.book / Kindle ed. $9.99)

 

The hero, Jasper Wergild and his wife Marguerite are hosting a party of old and new friends.  Join the conversation as different topics change the mood from bland to turbulent.

 

??????????

 

“I have a feeling that ordinary people would get along just fine if the politicians would leave them alone,” Nancy said.