DR. JOHN REPLIES...............

Dear Bobby,

Thank you so much for giving up your time to share with me some of your thoughts on the McCandless Syndrome. These have caused me to reflect a little more on this disturbing aspect of The Human Condition, a term which you first introduced me to a few months back.

Most of us it seems are blessed with the gift of hindsight, but it's only the very few who possess the gift of foresight. Top class bridge players, like chess grandmasters, have that ability to predict ( with alarming accuracy ) the outcomes and conclusions of their actions. For mere mortals, such as myself, it is always the case of " let's do this and wait and see what happens ".

As for the analogy of sending a fool of a child to go out and play in the traffic...........yes, it is all too plain and obvious that a serious incident will occur. Yet strangely, it might well be the child that comes back unscathed........with drivers becoming the victims instead, as they instinctively swerve to avoid him, only to end up piling into one another with tragic consequences. Such is the fickle hand of fate.

In bridge however, fools always get their comeuppance, getting severely punished for their reckless behaviour. But when it comes to other walks of life, they can often come up smelling of roses. This ability to live a " charmed life " never happens at the bridge tables.....let alone in the wilds of Alaska, if one chooses to aimlessly wander off without food or maps.

Yours forever fascinated by The Human Condition, Dr. John