Once upon a time, a deck of cards was shuffled. Then, each card was sealed in an envelope.
Not a standard deck of playing cards, though — with queens of spades and jacks of hearts, and so on. More like, eccentric fortune cookies.
"My life sucks," was printed on one of the cards, "but it's not my fault."
"My life sucks, but it is my own fault," said another.
Yet another claimed, "My life is amazing, but I do not deserve it."
And another: "My life is amazing, and I totally deserve it."
And there were also many other cards on the same topic. "My life sucks, but it could have been much worse." "My life is pretty good, but it could have been so much better!"
Many of the messages were similar to one another, but with subtle (yet substantial) differences.
* * *
The envelopes were identical, with "DO NOT OPEN until 10 years after the mailing date" embossed on each. Once they were sealed, the envelopes themselves were also shuffled. Then, each one was placed inside a slightly larger envelope with an address printed on it.
* * *
9 years and 11 months later, each addressee received a follow-up letter:
"The goal is, without opening the embossed envelope, to guess its contents correctly."
* * *
Some of the recipients disregarded the whole thing, and threw out both letters. Some had disobeyed the embossed injunction, opening the inner envelope right away. Yet, others were genuinely intrigued. They had preserved the sealed envelopes through all those years, and were thrilled to receive the second letter.
And so, the guessing game began.
* * *
Some of those who had opened their embossed envelopes prematurely shared the contents inside with friends, family, or even the rest of the world; and thus, some of the cards' messages had been made public. Astute observers soon noted than no two cards were exactly the same.
* * *
When someone opened their envelope and read what was printed on the card, they couldn't help but instinctively compare the card's message with how they actually felt about their own life. Sometimes, it would happen so that the card reflected their real feelings accurately; sometimes it was the exact opposite; sometimes, it was only partly accurate.
And they couldn't help wondering whether there was a reason — a cosmic reason, a mundane reason, or any other kind of reason — why they ended up with that particular card.
* * *
A heated debate ensued, on whether there could possibly exist a meaningful connection between each recipient's card and their actual life's events and circumstances, and how they felt about it. A number of rival theories and "schools of thought" emerged out of these debates.
* * *
Everyone who tried to guess the hidden message on their card poured a good deal of creativity into it, sometimes writing many different versions, each version expressing one of the many different kinds of emotions that people experience when they look back on how their life has unfolded.
And then — something unusual started to happen in the lives of all who chose to participate in this strange pastime... Or — if not in the actual circumstances of their lives, then, at least, in the way they perceived them.
