“There’s not a single person alive who enjoys the notion that they’re dim-witted or obtuse. Many will feign ignorance to cover foolish mishaps. Others will contort reality into a façade, masquerading as intelligent when they’re anything but. The real analysis of one’s intellect can often yield answers, if one dares to look behind the veil. But in most circumstances, a person tends to find identifiable meaning in the question.”
“So, riddle me this, Mr. Black.”
“When it’s raining, the cat is in the room or in the basement.”
“When the cat is in the room, the mouse is in the burrow and the cheese is in the fridge.”
“If the cheese is on the table and the cat is in the basement, then the mouse is in the room.”
“Now, it’s raining, and the cheese is on the table.”
“Where are the cat and the mouse?”
“An intelligent man would attempt to solve the riddle. He would break down each statement in search of an understanding. Where is the cat, where is the mouse and under what conditions and can each exist in?”
“But that isn’t you, Mr. Black.”
“No, you would assume the position of the predator. You would identify with the feline and presume that I, your prey, would be the mouse. You wouldn’t look at the riddle and try to determine the answer but look at it from the perspective of where you think you’d be. You’d find what’s identifiable as opposed to what’s logical. What position better suits Simon Black?”
“However, the task is the task, is it not?”
“The cat can be in two places; : either in the room or in the basement. But the cat can’t be in the room because the cheese is not in the fridge — it’s on the table. But you’re the cat, aren’t you?”
“And the cat would be where the mouse is.”
“Failing that, he’d be where the cheese is.”
“Neither are the answer to the riddle, Mr. Black.”
“The cat is in the basement.”
“Furthermore, we know that the cheese is on the table and the cat is in the basement. This means that the mouse is in the room.”
“Neither are a conclusion you’d reach because your intelligence is not real; it’s a façade to prop up your desire to be the best. It’s to strike fear into the heart of your opponents who deem themselves lesser than.”
“You’re not intelligent, Mr. Black and you’re most certainly not the cat or the predator. You’re self-absorbed and pathetic. Your intelligence is a fraudulent attempt at reaching above your station.”
“Let this be another teachable moment…”
“The cat will be in the basement and the mouse will be in the room. The cheese will be in the fridge, and you’ll be rubbing your chin and tapping your head trying to discern which is which from the perspective of the almighty Blackhart.”
“Meanwhile, I’ll be in the position of asking the question; the same position I’m always in.”
“Riddle me that.”