The Test

We wrestle with them every day: the places we know we shouldn’t go. Those things that might break us apart. Temptation is an inherent part of who we are as humans. It surrounds us, and how we deal with these attractions, these enticements, serve as defining waypoints in our character. They help write our life stories.

What constitutes temptation’s arena differs wildly from person to person. But in that moment where strength dwindles under the power of allure, we often find the precursors to excitement, risk, and fun. The internal drugs start percolating, passed on via a hard-pumping heart. We feel that flutter, the fleeting natural rush that overwhelms us right before a first descent or an unexpected kiss. It’s danger. It’s the unknown. It’s mystery. It’s trouble. It’s so good.

It’s what people of the adventurous ilk are looking for. They want to be tested, to push past barriers: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, social, sexual or otherwise. This is life thick and rich. It’s also where we eat the most shit. Maybe that’s why temptation is at the root of every good story, from Adam and Eve to Touching the Void. This great test of our curiosity and resolve. And so we tempt you with stories from the edge in this, our 15th Anniversary Edition.

Enjoy Issue #30.

—Mitchell Scott