Mr. Franz, I Think Careers

At That Stage Of My Youth, Death Remained As Abstract A Concept As Non-euclidean Geometry Or Marriage. I Didn't Yet Appreciate Its Terrible Finality Or The Havoc It Could Wreak On Those Who'd Entrusted The Deceased With Their Hearts.

I Was Dimly Aware That I Might Be Getting In Over My Head. But That Only Added To The Scheme’s Appeal. That It Wouldn’t Be Easy Was The Whole Point.

It Is Easy, When You Are Young, To Believe That What You Desire Is No Less Than What You Deserve, To Assume That If You Want Something Badly Enough, It Is Your God-given Right To Have It.

Although The Far Territory Of The Extreme Can Exert An Intoxicating Pull On Susceptible Individuals Of All Bents, Extremism Seems To Be Especially Prevalent Among Those Inclined By Temperament Or Upbringing Toward Religious Pursuits. Faith Is The Very Antithesis Of Reason, Injudiciousness A Crucial Component Of Spiritual Devotion. And When Religious Fanaticism Supplants Ratiocination, All Bets Are Suddenly Off.

When Alex Left For Alaska," Franz Remembers, "i Prayed. I Asked God To Keep His Finger On The Shoulder Of That One; I Told Him That Boy Was Special. But He Let Alex Die. So On December 26, When I Learned What Happened, I Renounced The Lord. I Withdrew My Church Membership And Became An Atheist. I Decided I Couldn't Believe In A God Who Would Let Something That Terrible Happen To A Boy Like Alex.