What Is Real?

I have a frined who believes in torture.

No, that's not true.

I say, our government tortures people.

He says, maybe they're only asking them really hard.

I say, no, they torture people.

He says, but they don't say they're torturing people, so how can they be torturing people?

I say, does it matter what they say? Look at what they do.

He says, well, if it's torture, maybe it's tor-ture, that is "tor" is German for "gate" and "ture" is an anagram for "true", so that what they are really doing is opening a "true gate", in other words providing them with spiritual enlightenment.

The train of this conversation having derailed and crashed, I an only reel about and grope to see if thee is any reality left standing.