Postmodern Guide to Morals in 10 Stories: The Good Side of Evil. The Bad Side of Good.

By Andre Torales

What is moral to you?
What is right and what is wrong for you?
Does morality set you free or imprison you?

The author brings together Nietzsche, Chuck Palaniuk, Fernando Pessoa, and Online Chats as inspiration to discuss morals.

Reflect on these issues through 10 short stories, but which are intended to elicit long reflections.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andre Torales
• Release date: Feb 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386187349

Book preview

Welcome.

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I appreciate your concern for this reading.

Obviously, you must have realized that this is not, formally, a Morality course.

Even works with this claim - the Bible, Quran, Fight Club, etc. - have more extensive content.

I suggest reading as follows: read a short story a day and let each story make you reflect throughout the day.

Otherwise, if you want to do a binge reading, feel free too. No one’s watching. :)

Finally, I don’t hope you enjoy this reading. I expect you to react on this.

Credits to the icons used in the Cover:

Angel Icon: Icon made by Freepik in people from www.flaticon.com

Trident Icon: Icon made by Roundicons in halloween from www.flaticon.com

Photography: Andre Torales (Margins of Guaíba River - Belém Novo Neighborhood, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)

Index

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1. The handicapped

2. The widow

3. The protected

4. The submissive

5. The carrier

6. The storm

7. The terminal

8. The impatient

9. The nostalgic

10. The chosen one

1. The handicapped

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They called him John Stump. He was selling the image of Fernando Pessoa, but believed in Rocky Balboa.

In his workplace, he sported a sign with the words of a poem by Pessoa:

"I am nothing.

I’m never going to be anything.

I can’t want to be anything.

Aside from that, I have in me all the dreams of the world."

His workplace was the busiest Avenue of the city. More precisely, the curb this Avenue.

John Stump was a beggar: he would ask money for pedestrians and drivers.

And he did pretty well. This success happened for a number of reasons.

First, for your condition to have his legs severed from the knee down, leaving out the thighs, representing the physical limitation.

Second, because that stretch of poem people cared who was representing a psychological limitation.

Third, because that last phrase, having dreams in the world, would deconstruct those limitations referred to above. In this way, making more free everyone who passed by him, just like zombies in a path, on autopilot, from home to work and vice-versa.

—-

It’s a blessing in disguise for good.- Said John to a young woman who knelt at your side, to the curb, to learn more of your life.

I’m going to tell you my story. It was a beautiful day, I was walking down the street, drugged, without viewpoint, all I thought about was next dose, when a man in a suit, helmet, on a motorcycle, attacked me. Result: I became disabled. At that time, I could walk, literally, to the way you wanted, but couldn’t see the beauty in any journey that did. And only after this awful thing that I could change my perspective on life: today I behold each day with beauty, isn’t it? You know Lady, with this life lesson, I learned that the change has to come from within, and not from outside.

The woman, named by John as Lady Theodora, was newly widowed. Maybe that’s why faced that coincidental encounter as a Divine Providence. That message definitely had comforted her heart that so much suffered lately: in tears, opened her wallet and deposited a generous amount on that kneaded shoe box.

—-

In the early evening, after a profitable day in summer, between the morning sun and rain in the afternoon, John ended his workday. And started moving, with difficulty, to the Subway. There, he went to the bathroom to change and dismantle your poor costume. Yes, he had his legs. He has even done some yoga moves to stretch them after a day of simulation. So he changed clothes, wearing his shoes and walked quietly to the Subway that would lead up to your home.

Arriving home, the first thing John Stump did was giving part of the proceeds of the day for your partner where, together, they take care of his two little girls, 3 and 5 years old, each with their respective ex-wife. These women, today, are now in prison due to drug trafficking. To them, they also make small things like money transfers, harbor a fugitive or even deliver drugs. The girls just send them a Whatsapp message straight from the prison and they do it. In the end, it was the perfect alibi: their delicacy as a couple and your beautiful girls were above any suspicion.

Doing the accounts of the day with your partner and preparing to buy a new apartment, John reflected on his success: the beggar, for many, is a hotspot of atonement. One doesn’t usually say hello to the doorman, swears to his employee and jump the queue in the buffet line, but a donation to the homeless guy you redeem all negative conduct. More than that, some people even do selfies with the homeless guy and write big texts on Facebook. And so, he gets a lot of Likes in his Social Network and praise from their ‘equal‘. Then the person has the sleep of the righteous. Until the next morning, when one will pass rushing through the doorman without even say hello again.

They are such hypocrites sons of bitches - complains the partner. They say one thing and do another. This society sucks, really.

—-

The next day, in another rainy afternoon, John had already hit its financial goals of the day sooner than he thought. At this time, he started to feel leg pain and found it prudent to go back home early. The pain was great and his legs were getting swollen, almost revealing that daily hoax underneath that baggy pants and worn.

When he was collecting the money earned that day, he found between bills and coins, a small cell phone: those simple, but indestructible Nokia phones. He had already won even jewelry, then a cell phone wasn’t totally weird.

However, as soon as he had closed the bag, that phone started ringing.

He gave a look on the phone: unknown number.

So, he decided to answer the phone, maybe the person had left by mistake or wanted to hear any word of thanks to feel good.

None of the alternatives. John just froze.

"I know who you are, you son of a bitch.