I'm Thinking of Ending Things

by Iain Reid

Are small, critical actions enough? Small gestures make us feel good—about ourselves, about others. Small things connect us. They feel like everything. A lot depends on them.

The more we tell ourselves that we should always be happy, that happiness is an end in itself, the worse it gets.

I think what I want is for someone to know me. Really know me. Know me better than anyone else and maybe even me.

Most people want to get married. Is there anything else that people do in such huge numbers, with such a terrible success rate?

We can’t and don’t know what others are thinking. We can’t and don’t know what motivations people have for doing the things they do. Ever. Not entirely. This was my terrifying, youthful epiphany. We just never really know anyone. I don’t. Neither do you.