Hello, my fellow curious traveler on the galactic journey we call life:

Is it just me, or do you have a luminous aura about you? I’m sure you’ve been told that many times. But upon a closer look, it’s an inner light I see that’s being blocked by — and I know this sounds crazy — some kind of spectral presence. Is that too forward to say?

Oh, good. You’re still here. Sometimes people hear “spectral presence” and flip out. Very suppressive people. If you don’t mind, can I ask you a few questions? Okay, here it goes: Do you often find yourself nervous about the future? Do you ever think of the past and feel an indescribable sadness? Do you ever think, “If people only knew the real me”? Do you ever feel as if you’re being weighed down by a mysterious presence, perhaps — and I know how this sounds — by the ghosts of a vanished alien civilization near Alpha Centauri? If so, maybe we at the Jacobin Institute can help.