So there I was... the guys finally convinced me to join them at the Coliseum... to watch the gladiators... I knew I was a wimp... no blood and gore stuff for philip... I just couldn't handle it.. I was sure I'd pass out and be totally embarassed... but I couldn't deal with the pressure from all my friends to go with them... "you'll love it, philip... just like we do..."

so like I said... there I was.... at the Coliseum... I'd just play it cool... kinda pretend I was watching... it even worked for a while... just spent my time looking around at the crowd... cheered when they cheered.. made eye contact with my friends... smiled a lot...until that one incredible roar... everyone started screaming and pointing their thumbs downwards... I snuck a look... peaked and saw the sword come down... I was hooked.. totally fascinated... by the time the day came to an end... I was one of the guys....

sad thing is... something like this was written about a couple thousand years ago... it actually happened... and it's still happening...all the time... happens again and again... every day... year after year... over and over again... drugs... alcohol... pornography... religion... politics... sports... whatever grabs you... that thing consumes us... and the more we consume it... the more it consumes us...

and the good news is... there is absolutely no way we can stop... yes... I said that is good news... I'll try to explain that a little bit... next time...