TAICHUNG, TAIWAN—While teachers convened in preparation for a PTA meeting, American School in Taichung (AST) 8-year-old student Dustin Huffman sought nirvana in the science lab, to which he gained unauthorized access using a crowbar he had stolen from the general affairs office.

Designed in accordance to the reward-and-punishment system made famous by the eponymous behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner, the 6 x 6 foot box contains an intricate system of buttons and levers which the human or non-human animal within must learn to manipulate.

Upon entering the container, Dustin suppressed every urge to work for a treat so that he could live the life of an ascetic. At 3 p.m., when Dustin was at the brink of achieving nirvana, AST veteran Lily Hsu walked into the room to pick up a a biology textbook, scaring the boy home.

Categories: Lifestyle, Science

Tags: american school in taichung, behaviorism, Buddhism, enlightenment, nirvana, psychology, satire, skinner