Inevitably Selfish “To be whole is to be broken. To be connected is to be separated. One must know madness to understand this, and all that dwells deeper inside the mind.” The professor smiled toward his students. Vann winced. To him that smile felt wrong, evil. He raised his hand. “Yes, Vann?” The professor sighed, as if he'd rather not hear Vann’s voice. Vann already had a reputation, after just three classes. Vann’s seat mate, Maggie, elbowed his ribs. “You’ve got him worried.” Vann ignored her. “It sounds to me as if you are proposing a form of selfishness? One that leads the searcher down a path of loneliness.” The professor gritted his teeth, smiling. “First I'll ask you each a question. Tell me, one of you that is not hurt by another? Who is not deep down weighed by past wrongs? Who cannot grasp the future because one from the past holds you captive?” Vann did not answer, could not. “Deep down we cannot deny the truth: