Actual Conversation, Part II

Roommate: So what do you think is the one thing that can't be taken away from you?

Me: Um. I don't know. I guess our ability to go on breathing even when we want nothing more than to just die.

Roommate: That's gloomy. What's something happy that can't be taken away?

Me: I don't know. That's all I got. I don't really believe in any kind of truth when it comes to emotional, philosophical things. I mostly just know that there have been times in my life when my body has literally betrayed me by not allowing me to die when my emotional pain has been so great that it has become physical pain.

Roommate: Yeah, that doesn't work for me. You're wrong. Besides, people can kill themselves or be murdered. So it can be taken away. So you're wrong.

Me: I'm okay with being wrong. I'm actually wrong a lot more than I'm right. But my point is, we have a seemingly inherent need to stay alive. We don't tell ourselves to breath - it just happens. In order to kill ourselves or be murdered some outside action must take place - we can't simply wish it so. We can't will ourselves to stop breathing; we have to actually take serious action to make it happen.

Roommate: Yeah, that still doesn't work for me. I think it's the fact that we have our intentions that no one can take away from us. Only we can control whether or not we have good or bad intentions.

Me: That is true. No one else can control our intentions.

Roommate: So see? I was right and you were wrong.

Me: Yep. You go girl. Get on down wid yo bad self. Can I finish watching my show now please?

Roommate: Sure. I just needed to figure out what my next lucky cigarette stands for. It used to be love. Now I'm going with good intentions.

Me: Wow. Good on ya.

Seriously. Here I thought we were having some serious discussion about her homework or whatever when we were only trying to figure out what wish she was going to place upon her next "lucky" cigarette. Sometimes I don't understand people at all.