The Nudge stories are about the countless decisions we each make everyday, many we are unaware of. Yet each decision moves ourselves and the rest of humanity forward.  These stories are set in an alternate universe much like our own, facing the same uncertain future. But at some point, the universes split, and the alternate universe moves forward after a cataclysmic event on the Earth’s surface. Thanks to the foresight and planning of those who chose to “Plan for the Worst,” a remnant of humanity survives, scattered in twenty small self-sustaining cities reaching miles below the surface of our planet.

Survival was a given, but could humanity do more and thrive? The originators of these cities embarked on a bold experiment: to see if treating all inhabitants with equal value and worth could eradicate the violence and hatred plaguing our species for well over a hundred thousand years. Could humanity, in this new situation, rise above its past? What could we achieve without the constant backdrop of hostility and aggression?

What would happen?

Each choice we make, no matter how small, moves us along a path. With each choice, we as a species continue to evolve. But our species’ history is filled with stories of conflict and violence that, even to this day, continually erupt. How far back were the choices that led to the violence we now take increasingly for granted?

What would our lives look like if our ancient and more recent ancestors had chosen differently? We’ll never know since it’s impossible to go back and change our past. But what if we could start making different choices? What if instead of being taught to hate others for exhibiting a different skin color, following a different religion, or not conforming to societal ideas of relationships and identities, we could move toward realizing and valuing our connections with one another?

We are constantly evolving. The time we live in now is filled with stories of conflict and violence that are continually erupting. How far back were the choices made that facilitated the violence in our lives today? How would our lives be if the choices made had been different? What if instead of devolving into hatred, misinformation, and the urge to create a world of conformity, we moved toward realizing and valuing our connections to one another?

These stories appear with little apparent regard to time, moving back and forth through the years. As more stories are published, themes and events reveal themselves more fully. How you read the stories, be it by a particular order, exploring a theme or through the eyes of a specific character, is up to you.

What choices will you make?