Meaningless Problems

What happens when every married woman on earth wakes up with the desire to divorce her husband? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Where do your desires come from? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

John Wyndham 

Spur of the moment decisions

Marriages

Divorces 

Talking about ...

He’s given his daughter an imaginary friend and she’s become quite attached. Does this make him a bad dad?

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Do you think there’s any harm in kids having an imaginary friend? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Imaginary friends

Kids

Swings

Roun...

Jerry’s new boyfriend appears to be perfect in every way. But he has a dark secret at the bottom of his garden. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Can an argument be logically correct but still ultimately wrong? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Carl Jung 

Cows

Sheds 

Vegani...

This is a story about two people called Brian. One is spiritually enlightened. The other is depressed. But do they have more in common than they realise? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

What are the two different versions of you? And do they ever have differing interpretations of the same event? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

Fiction that ma...

Some theories about the existence of god are silly. This one is literally… silly. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

What other qualities would a maximally great god have? 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 

God

Atheism

Stephen Fry

Christopher Hitchens 

Alan Watts

Fiction that makes you think 

Philosophical fiction 

Speculative fiction 

Jokes

Skin c...

In the near future, it is widely agreed that children would be better off if they never learnt how to speak. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Would you sacrifice your ability to speak if it meant never having another negative or stressful thought? 

Written and performed by Doe Wilmann

Thanks to Katie Empett and Ross Hindle for reading early versions of this episode and providing notes. 

Artwork by Katie Emp...

If life is a game, Harvey Rain is determined to win. But what does winning actually look like? And what does this mean for the other players?

Something to consider when reading/listening:

Is it true that the only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting it?

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum:...

When Poppy announces she wants to kill herself, her playwright husband employs a peculiar coping technique. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

To what extent does negative visualisation make you grateful for what you have? 

Comedy - Philosophy - Stoicism  

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/ 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: F...

Having spent a year writing short stories for a podcast, the writer wonders what was the point. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

What was the point of this short story podcast? 

Comedy - Philosophy - Plumbing 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/ 

You might enjoy this episode if you like:

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagle...

Lost in thought at a funeral, our narrator sets out a compelling case for why we should never ask anyone what they do for a living. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

To what extent does your job define who you are? 

What Do You Do is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/ 

For information about upcoming s...

Businessman Nathan Norrie calls upon a spiritual guide to help improve the atmosphere among his work colleagues. The guide offers three peals of wisdom. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

If a message is true, does it matter if the messenger is dishonest? 

It Might as Well Be is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe...

The prime minister is facing the biggest strike in British history. But the strikers are the last people she’d expect to strike. And their reason for striking is even more surprising. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Can you truly be rich if your life lacks meaning? 

The Meaning of Work is an original short story by Doe Wilmann 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.c...

Tony’s tried everything to make himself more employable, more dateable, more popular. He’s tried life coaches, elocution coaches, therapists, personal trainers but he’s looking in the wrong place. He’s not the problem. I am. I am Tony’s vibe. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

To what extent can a person be aware of their own vibe? 

Comedy - Philosophy - Politics 

If you’d like to read the script of this episod...

Member of Parliament Lawrence Sitwell is frustrated by the failure of his political career. A conversation with an old friend causes him to rethink everything. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

When politicians try to make something better, are they more likely to make it worse? 

Comedy - Philosophy - Politics 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilma...

In Bernard’s local pub, everyone carries their life’s achievements with them in a big black bag. 

Philosophy - Spirituality - Absurdism 

The Weight of Achievement is an original short story by Doe Wilmann

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

If you were never allowed to tell anyone about your successes, which of your current goals would you continue to pursue? 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go...

A writer is slightly concerned about his short story podcast. He shares these concerns with a plumber and is surprised by his response. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

How do you know for certain that you are not a fictional creation dreamt up by somebody else? 

Comedy - Philosophy - Plumbing 

If you’d like to read the script of this episode go to https://www.fairobserver.com/author/doe-wilmann/ 

You might...

The top five short stories from 2023. If you’re new to Meaningless Problems, this might be a good place to start.

These are the stories with the timestamps for each:

1. It Wasn’t Me - 1.30 - Kimi is delighted with Su-Z, a new personal assistant software that can send and respond to emails on her behalf. But her delight is punctured when her boyfriend receives a message from one of her email contacts claiming that he and Kimi h...

A silly story, especially for Christmas. Working the early-turn Christmas Eve shift, Sergeant Rod just wants to finish at five, collect his daughter’s bizarre choice of present and go home. But his boss, the local drug lord and south London’s canine population have other ideas. 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Are you feeling Christmassy? 

Comedy - Family - Christmas 

A Wise Man is an original short story by ...

Thanks to developments in AI and VR, every voter now has the right to meet their political candidates one-on-one. These hyper-realistic chat bots look and sound exactly like their real-life equivalents and they answer questions with 99.9% accuracy. So what happens when the British primer minister’s chat bot starts making some very provocative statements? 

Something to consider when reading/listening: 

Would this type of hyper r...