Fate, Wondrous Beyond Words

The sun rose in the east, and rosy clouds filled the sky.

In Egret City, fine weather like this could be seen for more than half the year. The people who lived here had long since grown used to it.

Commuters hurried along, some riding electric scooters, others jogging to the bus stop before squeezing themselves into packed buses like the filling in a sandwich cookie.

Few ever slowed down enough to appreciate the beautiful sunrise.

Even tourists who had come specifically for the scenery mostly hurried from place to place, busy taking photos and posting them to their social feeds, blogs, and forums.

Technology advanced ever faster, and the pace of life sped up along with it.

People often sighed that everyone had more money now, yet they were less happy than people had been before.

What they failed to realize was that this was simply because they refused to be content.

More convenient transportation, easier shopping, more readily available news...

Everything had become easier to obtain.

Yet people were no longer content with any of it.

They wanted handsome, wealthy, easygoing husbands, beautiful, virtuous wives, bigger and better homes, more comfortable and luxurious cars, the best hospitals for childbirth, and the best, safest baby formula for their children...

Ever-growing desires drove people relentlessly onward.

Happiness, meanwhile, became harder and harder to find.

After more than a year of torment from illness, the old man from the luxury cruise ship seemed to have grasped the true meaning of life. Everything he had once pursued now seemed like so much passing smoke.

"Father, I'll go get you some breakfast."

His son, who had already washed up, spoke to the old man lying in bed. After the cruise ship docked the previous night, the two of them had done just as