Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Pair o' dox

Sisters Doxa and Endoxa were conjoined twins, ideals of common sense incarnate. They debated whose opinions were the better basis for decision making. Doxa conjectured that, knowing herself to be of sound mind and superior intelligence, her opinions were the correct ones in all matters. She should be sole final arbiter of all matters. Endoxa, having no actual opinions of her own, wanted to conduct interviews, collect data via polls and focus groups, crunch the numbers, then put the most popular responses to referendum. Through her research, the best answer would naturally rise to the top.

One day, Doxa watched as her sister struggled to come up with the proper process for her "opinions." When Endoxa declared that she needed to form a focus group to create the process, Doxa foresaw the looming death spiral along her sister's chosen path. "Why can't she just do it my way?" she huffed. Enraged, she hurled Endoxa into the ocean. Doxa, not as brilliant as she had supposed, was pulled in after her sister, and the pair created a whirlpool from which no common sense could escape.

The effects of this tragedy can still be seen, in people who think it's okay to text message while driving, who need to be told coffee is hot, and who need a little label to tell them not to use the top step of a ladder.

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