1. While any subject can be interesting to any bozo at any given time, history indicates that there are a limited number of topics that are always immediately and profoundly engaging to everyone, all the time.

2. These issues are what is referenced by the term “the human condition.”

3. They are: death, love, and the idea that I am alive and did not ask to be.

4. Death meaning, I am going to die and I don’t know when or how to behave in the face of that.

5. Love meaning, for instance, I am lonely and drawn to other humans, and yet I am human and drawn to inflicting pain.

6. I am alive and did not ask to be meaning I don’t know if you are, too, or if I made you up.

7. So my question is, what is all this other crap that people are writing?

8. In other words, how far from these issues can I take a story and still have a story that anyone will care about?

I defer to your expertise.