Today is another day when fall is in the air. The cooler temperatures and a nice breeze make life enjoyable. A heavy cloud cover shields from the sun. Problems seem solvable when the heat abates.

We seek simple explanations to life’s complex problems. Conspiracy theories comfort our fevered brow. We humans have brains that are wired to coalesce past events into future concerns. Our brains look for patterns. It is automatic. It even happens while we sleep. When someone offers a solution to a difficulty, we accept it, especially if it aligns with what we are thinking. We love conspiracy theories. One of the reasons we love conspiracy theories is that real conspiracies do happen. As we log a real conspiracy in our memory files, we compare it to the most recent theory. We accept conspiracy theories with little to no evidence when they mesh with what we have heard others say.

‘Oswald did not shoot President Kennedy alone,’ Chet said. ‘When I saw Jack Ruby come out of nowhere and gun Oswald down, I knew there was a conspiracy,’ Chet continued. ‘Nellie Connnaly said during the assassination,’ My God, they are going to kill us all! ‘Vice President Johnson ducked before the shooting started,’ Chet said. ‘Guns were fired from the Grassy Knoll,’ Chet continued.

‘Aliens crashed at Roswell, New Mexico,’ Billy B said. ‘The military said the spaceship was a weather balloon,’ Billy B continued. ‘Rancher Mac Brazel, Intelligence officer Major Jesse Marcel, and nurse Naomi Maria Selff saw alien bodies or autopsies,’ Billy B noted.

The days are getting shorter. Often, it is hard to make ends meet. Perhaps it is the fruit pickers and field workers causing the lack of money. Could it be that the homeless are dragging down our economy? Should we rewrite history and remove African American people’s significant accomplishments? Why is life so hard? Someone must be the cause.

We watch the news and suffer depression. Could it be that what we were told yesterday is not true today? Is truth not contained in one man?