"…." Hamid could think of nothing to say.

"What happens if we ask your question. Who benefits from orgasm? Well, of course, the one who comes. But maybe it’s just a trick, bait, to get us to continue the experiment, eh?"

"So why bother?"

"Precisely. Why bother? What reasons can you give me?"

"It’s fun."

"Fun? Auschwitz? Nanking? Fun?"

"We care, as you say, and we’re learning how to care, and what terrible things happen if we don’t care."

"Ah. Adolescent masters of our fate, and all that?"

"The Polish Olympic Parachute Jumping team came to A&M once. The Aggies and the Poles got to arguing about who could fold parachutes best. They decided the only way to find out was to do some jumps. A plane took an Aggie and a Pole way up. The Pole jumped first and he pulled his ripcord, and his parachute opened nicely. Then the Aggie jumped, and he pulled the ripcord and nothing happened, so he pulled the back-up ripcord and nothing happened. and He went zipping past the Pole, who took one look at him, tore off his harness, and shouted, ‘Oh, so you want to race!’"

"…."

"Do you care?"

"Does it matter if I do or if I don’t?"

"You’re saying, does it matter if you’re Eichmann or Gandhi."

"No, that’s not what I’m saying."

"But you asked if it matters whether you care or not."

"Yes. I did not say or imply that I would become Eichmann or Gandhi if I didn’t care or if I cared. You made that little leap."

"Do you care that you’re giving me a headache?"