I partook of some heavy traffic today, through LA. In self defense, I let my mind wander. Here's an excerpt from the transcript.

"Three plus three is Seven."
"Well, no. I think you'll find that it adds up to six."
"No, it's Seven. My parents say it's Seven, and so do many respected members of the community."
"Fair enough, but those people can be wrong, like anyone else. Here: I'll show you. I've got some pocket change. We can count together."
"That won't prove anything. We're talking about adding, not counting. Anyway, I *know* three plus three is Seven, so I don't have to count."
"No, I don't think you do *know* that. I think you just *feel strongly* about it, which is different. Three plus three is six. That's a verifiable fact."
"I'm not concerned with facts. I'm interested in Truth."
"But following the facts is how we approach the truth."
"Look, if three plus three is six, then what happens when we die?"
"Huh? I'm guessing--and mind you, I don't actually know, since I'm not dead--that we're just, y'know, dead."
"But that's horrible! How can you want children to believe that?"
"Because it seems to be true, as far as we know?"
"Well, I don't want to live in a world like that."
"So, you'll just believe whatever you want?"
"No, it's not like that. Look: You don't know what happens after we die. Right?"
"Well, there's a predictable cycle of decomposition, but--"
"You don't know what happens to our consciousness when we die."
"Okay, sure. I don't know."
"Then three plus three *must* equal Seven."
"Okay, that's a legit argument fallacy. It's called argument from ignorance. Just because you don't know one thing, that doesn't mean you know something else. It just doesn't work like that."
"Oh, aren't you superior? You just know everything, don't you?"
"Not really. But I do know that three plus three is six. Anyone in the world can do counting, and prove it."
"Counting doesn't prove anything: We've been over this. Your counting is biased. It's skewed."
"Skewed by what?"
"By the number Thirteen."
"Sorry?"
"The number Thirteen wants you to think that three plus three isn't Seven. It wants to lead you from knowledge of Seven."
"I thought that stuff about Thirteen was just a metaphor."
"Some people believe that, yes. But I'm a literalist on that point."
"So the figurative interpretation is wrong, then?"
"Clearly."
"How do you know?"
"I just know it in my heart"
"But so do they. In their hearts."
"Yes, but they're wrong."
"But they have just as much faith as you do that they're right. They're no less convinced than you are, and no less confident."
"They're just wrong, though. And I don't have to defend my beliefs to some sixist. Why can't I just believe what makes me feel good to believe, anyway?"
"Um. Because it isn't all about you, or your feelings? It's Math, dude."
"Well, I think it takes more faith to believe what you do... ."

This conversation strikes me as eerily familiar, for some reason, but I can't put my finger on it.