A mysterious ailment, a convenient place to hide, and most of all, it’s all invented.

Who’s up, who’s down? The drama of our lives is narrated by our perception of where we stand. Most of our energy, money and time goes into grooming ourselves into the status role where we believe we belong.

The successful grand opening is rare. But we keep trying. We make it dumber, louder, more predictable, sacrificing nuance in exchange for a chance at mass...