Reed: Why can’t we recycle people?

Me: Because they are very complicated.

Reed is quiet.

Me: Do you know what ‘complicated’ means?

Reed: No, what’s ‘complicated?’

Me: Something that’s hard to understand (or explain) because there are so many parts to it.

People are made of bones, organs, blood, fingers and lots and lots of other parts. *I count each item on my fingers.* Now, each part is simple enough but when we mix them together, it gets complicated. *I interlace my fingers.*

When you try to take them apart, they don’t want to. It’s like pouring milk into water and then trying to get just the milk out.

I take a breath and mentally prepare myself to address the difficulties related to straining, scooping or whatever other method Reed may propose to separate milk from water. Instead…

Reed: People are just molecules.

Guilty. I may have over-explained what things are just made of. And, yes. I got to the quark but fortunately Reed stopped listening at the molecular level.

Me: That is true. But molecules are also complicated. Besides, what’s the molecule for fun, for family, for happy?

Reed (Undeterred): Molecules are just atoms.

Correction: Reed stopped at the atomic level.

Me (Recognizing my poor tactical position): Hmmm… Maybe we can recycle all the parts. But when we put all the parts back together everyone will turn out the same. I’ll be the same as you and you’ll be the same as Seve (classmate) as the bus driver (passing nearby) as everyone else.

Reed: And I don’t want to be the same as everyone else.

Me: Don’t worry, you’re not.