At times I wonder if those who design systems or procedures design irrational systems just by chance or if they receive some special training to do it. Whatever the case, it seems to me that irrationality and contradictions are rapidly expanding in our world.
For example, this is what happened when I recently discover a local college was offering a class I want to take. So, I enrolled in that college.
After receiving my admissions letter, I went to the web site listed in the letter to enroll in the class I wanted to take. I couldn’t do it because I haven’t completed a certain form.
I called the college and I said I haven’t received the form. They told it was sent to my new email address created by the college. I told them I didn’t have access to the new email address. I called technical support, and they told me the new will be activated only after I completed the registration.
In other words, to complete the registration I need first to complete a form that was sent to an email address I can’t access because I haven’t completed the registration yet.
But that’s not the end of the story. I was also told that to complete the enrollment process and attend the class I selected, I first need to complete an “orientation session.” However, that session will be offered two months after the class I selected.
So, even if by some kind of divine intervention I can access a mysterious form hidden inside an email address I can’t access, and even if I can complete that form, I will still be unable to take my class because the orientation for that class is not offered before, but only after the class.
The irrationality of this system makes me imagine that there should be some kind of secret laboratory where “mad scientists” work all day with the mission of developing new and better irrational system to torture mere mortals. I can almost hear the diabolical laughs of those “scientists” when they celebrate the birth of their monstrous creations.
That’s the only way I can find to explain why and how irrationality is expanding in our world.
Another example: I recently –and unintentionally– overheard a phone conversation between a person and employees of a well-known federal agency. This caller had a question. He was transferred six or seven times until finally he spoke with somebody who told him he should call a different number and give a certain code to obtain an answer.
The man called the new number and gave the code as instructed. To his surprise, he was transferred to same person who just one minute ago gave that information to him. Visibly upset, he asked his question, only to be told that no answer could be given over the phone and that he needed to submit his question in written.
How and for how long can we keep our sanity in a world ruled by craziness?