Free Awakening, 2nd edition by Ray N. Kuili Page B

so badly , they would have a hard time answering because in fact they have no clue. And so they live these empty , meaningless lives without even knowing they are empty. They just wonder sometimes why there ’s no happiness and what ’s missing. They don ’t understand that without knowing the why you can ’t be happy. You can be wildly successful, whatever this means, but not happy.
    But clearly this is not the kind of answer these guys are looking for. Still, the quiz is anonymous, so why not say the truth ? Can you folks handle the truth? Anonymity usually stimulates honesty. As well as the most disgusting lies . . . But we ’ll be honest. As , many moons ago , Professor Vicandi liked to put it, “Honesty can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Selective honesty is neither one. It is a very handy tool for gaining people ’s trust. Not more, not less . . .” At that point he would usually cough and return to the subject he was talking about before veering off course . . . All right, it ’s ready and here comes Ed. Right on time. Here you go.
    He handed the paper to Ed and looked around again. Funny, it feels like being back at elementary school. Only everyone here is an A-grader, so everybody is done now with the boring quiz (come on, they were tougher than that in elementary school) and is exchanging glances. Only one student is still working on his answer. What an unusual face. Aristocratic and unpleasant at the same time. He ’s nameless for the moment, since his nameplate is mostly covered by his elbow from this angle. Something that begins with “K.” Okay , now Mr. K is done too. And as he straightens up , he transforms from a k afkian character to ordinary Kevin.
    “And now,” Clark announced , straightening the papers, “get ready for some timeless truths. I ’m only going to read the answers. It will be your job to make conclusions. Question number one, as you all know, is , ‘Why did I get into my current position?’ And our first answer reads as follows: ‘Because I am by far the most qualified candidate .’”
    A chuckle rolled across the room. Clark remained absolutely serious and took the next piece of paper.
    “Because my boss got promoted .”
    He took next sheet. “Because I ’m smart .”
    The room chortled, this time louder. Clark scratched his chin in thought as if considering making a comment, but kept silent.
    The next answer sounded familiar. “Because my manager decided to retire .”
    Papers rustled. “Because this is the highest position I could get so far .”
    Clark studied the room briefly and resumed reading.
    “Because in this position I can be most useful to my company .” Michael thought he saw the unattractive aristocrat smile lightly at this point.
    “Because without me this project would be nothing but a piece of shit.” Clark had to stop and wait for the laughter to quiet.
    “Wasn’t me . . .” Ross was saying, waiving his hand and struggling with laughing spasms . “Wasn ’t me, but I swear I could ’ ve written it ! ”
    Stella gave Robert a brisk questioning look. He shook his head.
    Clark, meanwhile , resumed his reading.
    “ . . . Because my management values me.” Clark nodded in respect.
    “Because somebody has to manage these people. Why not me?”
    “Strictly speaking, ” Clark finally broke his oath of silence, “this is not an answer. This is a question. But never mind.”
    “Because I like this job and I ’m good at i t.”
    “Because when they had to choose among five candidates , they picked me.”
    Clark broke off.
    “Well,” he said after a brief pause. “No surprises here. Now, let ’s hear our question number two. To make it more interesting, let ’s also do this. You ’re not paying any attention yet, but not to worry . . .”
    Having uttered these cryptic words, he scattered the sheets across the table, mixed them quickly and collected them into a pile again.
    “Question number two, as you will recall , is,