What It Means (WHIM) is a collection of essays that examines how myth, symbol, and archetype manifest in everyday American life in the early third millennium. WHIM was written for readers interested in cultural studies, mythology, language, human behavior, philosophy, and anthropology, and is also intended to be a time capsule text for future readers curious about life back in the CE 2,000s. From the not-too-distant future to the end of the twenty-first century and beyond, What It Means will be a source for readers to gain insights into, what will likely seem to them, the peculiarities of an earlier time. From generation to generation, the world's myths, symbols, and archetypes express their timeless qualities in compelling and uniquely contemporary ways, and What It Means interprets and illuminates this phenomenon for today. Included in the WHIM collection are essays on topics such as 'The Roller Coaster Ride as Aristotelian Narrative,' 'Indoor Skydiving and Dreams of Flying,' 'Fidget Spinners,' 'Car Wash as Surrogate Purification Ritual,' and 'Acoustic Weapons.' What It Means shows that ancient stories, archetypes, symbols, and ideas can all be found in the contemporary, providing (at least a few of) the answers to our sometimes confusing, sometimes chaotic existence.