Episode 2; Extraneous Roots...

...New buildings were popping up everywhere, like daisy's on a grave. Parts of the world were dying, dying of a self inflicted malady called population decline. Back in the twenty-first century a procedure was developed called abortion; it allowed people to control how many children they "produced" by killing off the unwanted ones. This appealed to the West, because of their lazy consumer lifestyles. It appealed to China because of its mass producing-busy one. And it appealed to the rest of the world because people could bear as many sons as they wanted, without any daughters.
...Because of all this, the world is now in the twenty -third century, 70% male and most Europeans are a dying race. (Europeans had not replaced the old generation with a new generation, so the economy was cut in half. No workers and no tax payers) And since most of the world had been so intent on producing strong sons, they forgot that even strong sons need wives for a society to thrive. As a result finding a wife was extremely difficult, especially since the girls that were left often had no "need" for men in their life; so most people did not marry, although they would "date" when they could.
...Also more and more men were becoming effeminate in a world where women were so scarce. Real men barely existed. Frank was a girlie guy, growing up he had always preferred the "chick flicks" over stories of heroism; and he would rather play "pin the crown on the princess" holographic board game than violent 3D video game simulations. In some this preference saved him from the opposite extreme; becoming a deluded macho, Machiavellian like, salivating over wars and rumors of wars.
...And if Frank was an average citizen, then what must the un-average have been? I won't even try to describe them; just remember that "un-average" can mean several things. It can mean un-conformed to the dictates of society, which in some cases can be good. (think here of homeschoolers and Christians) Lets be on the lookout for the un-averagers, we might have more in common with them than we think.
...Frank had come to a climax in his life, which branch of Blogeology would he major in? We could call it the climax of his life, for it is very likely he won't have another; unless that invisible Hand mercifully brings him a decision of another kind.
...For the first time in Franks life he was exhausted, and it was because he spent long hours searching for the answer to his dilemma. His parents refused to help him, smiling and saying "Only he knows, we had to go through it when we were his age too-it will soon be over".
...The extraneous roots of the problem were thus. There are several ways, answers which could be right, and each seems to fit. But only one will be the solution which shapes Franks life and his purpose. Of course, Frank didn't know that. He thought that all roots were simply roots, all jobs were simply jobs; and the decision affected nothing but his health in later life. "Do I want to be more or less involved, which will make me happier?" Clearly the "Releasing Blogs Agency" would be the easiest job. And it was the one which most people took.
... Then Frank met Art, an avid TSBD who loved his job. "There is just so much in there, Frank" he said. Art was enthusiastic, he actually liked his job! Frank felt strangely drawn to Art, who was quite unlike him in character. Art had even had a wife; though he had also had the misfortune to lose her to- but we won't go into that, Frank wasn't exactly sure how. Divorce rates are so high that its a miracle if a marriage takes place at all, now people are filing for divorce before buying the rings. The World record for the "longest marriage" of 2201 was ten days!(women were just too picky, after all there are so many men to choose from!) Frank knew Art had been married before 2201, and that his marriage had lasted longer that ten days; but since Art never talked about it, he never asked questions.
...Still, Art seemed a nice guy who enjoyed his job. And Frank liked him. So perhaps under the influence of peer pressure, or perhaps due to a crazy turn of mind, Frank chose the Top Secret Blogeology Division. And life went back to normal at least for now. Had he chosen the "root" or was he following an extraneous one down to its inconclusive end?