Comfort & Security or Luxury & Status

You can have them all, for sure! And if you’re aspiring to thrive, and not just survive, aiming for all of them, in some measure, at some point, is a good idea.

But have you wondered enough about them? What do they really mean? What do they imply and entail? And what obsessing with any of these says and tells others about you? Here’s a hint: it is not what makes you better than the rest.

Comfort and security serve a preservation purpose while luxury and status serve a positioning purpose. The former has to do more with the self, what you need and want regardless of others, and the latter has to do more with others, what you need and want regardless of yourself. And if you can accomplish all of it, what is there left to worry about? They don’t have to be at odds.

If you tend to value comfort and security the most, having your own space for nourishment and enrichment is important to you. You might be what can be called a homebody. You are possibly modest, even humble. And might have trouble wrapping your head around why others invest so much in showing off - often at the expense of having comfort and security first.

If you tend to value luxury and status the most, your image and how others view you is important to you. You might be what can be called vain. Perhaps you are acutely aware of how that benefits you, opening up opportunities for you, getting you VIP treatment, and allowing you into some of the most select areas and circles. You could have trouble understanding why anyone would pass up on that - and rejoice in the lifestyle that so few get to have.

You could have been brought up like this and it is simply what you are familiar with, so that is how you roll, unquestioningly. Or, on the contrary, you lacked it so much before that you committed to never again be without it (may take it to the extreme, too). Either way, prejudice and resentment could form.

However, while it is sensible to say that one must learn to prioritize and practice moderation, completely denying yourself some level of any would do you a disservice. It is still up to you to figure out what you genuinely appreciate the most and in what amount, as well as what would be a suitable means to a worthy end, but watch out for the pressure to value in excess what you sincerely wouldn’t.

May you make your life an unregrettable and unforgettable experience!

CREDIT: AI-Generated Examples done on Leonardo.AI

The Power of Pluralism

▶ Watch the 2024 Democracy Forum

I do believe that Pluralism is very possible. However, as with most things, only to a degree. There are divisions that we can do without and divisions that we require. But like Obama himself pointed out, it isn’t about holding hands and singing Kumbaya.

It isn’t about compromising entirely and losing your own convictions. It’s about building bridges and coming together despite our differences when there’s a common goal to achieve or problem to solve. You can gather around and be civil with others for a specific purpose. You don’t have to view them as your best pal and give yourself wholly to them. Boundaries are as important as certain compromises can be.

There will be people who, if at all, must be treated at a distance and/or with vigilance because they have shown to be harmful or dangerous, and cannot be trusted, or to be left be with minimal to no interaction, as their manner of being has proved to be detrimental to you and yours. But otherwise, for inclusive progress that is broader and greater, gotta work with people who don’t share your exact same principles, values, and beliefs - at least every once in a while, here and there.

For me, I do have the luxury of cutting out as many people as I wish to out of my life. I made sure my lifestyle allowed me that. Growing up forced to be in the company of people who were literally driving me to the brink, I swore I’d never go through the same again. But you can bet that sometimes I do put my own desires and preferences aside - when there’s a job to be done and putting myself above that would just be awfully self-centered. Yet, as human beings, we all have our undeniable limits and it’s on us to note what they are so we can respect them and not lose ourselves.

Humans are complex, but also gifted in many ways. Ways that may be more complementary than they are contradicting. And we miss out on that when we let prejudices dictate our every move. Figuring out what rules and norms to set in place for things to run smoothly enough would be The Challenge. And likely an ongoing task...

Business or Charity? Both?

It definitely doesn’t have to be one or the other. In fact, existing exclusively as one or the other can lead to failure.

If you orient yourself too fully to business, which seems like the smartest thing to do, there will be lines that you will be crossing, of questionable morals and ethics. And while you could keep going in such a way, it will be causing numerous problems for you to tend to or attempt to ignore. The chances of it imploding or you breaking under the pressure would continue to increase. Until it happens. (And if you’ve got any conscience, you wouldn’t enjoy that sort of existence.) 

Alternatively, orienting yourself too fully to charity, which seems like the noblest thing to do, whether in the strict or wider sense of the word, can have you adopting beliefs against the very actions that would take you further or at least keep you afloat. And if providing for others is your intention, you must put and maintain yourself in positions that allow you to. The same or better. Instead of ceasing to exist.

You can find a balance and incorporate both attitudes into what you’re doing. Without any guilt or shame. The how would depend on what is it you do, which strategies and tactics would best suit it, taking into account what is relevant for its success. Whether you’re (re)introducing something or adjusting based on current offer and demand.

Naturally, you would have a stronger inclination to one than another side. And perhaps, despite knowing better, you are perpetually compelled to keep inching toward it. It can be as relieving to treat everything as a transaction as it can be relieving to treat everything as a contribution. But there comes a point where you must pull back to the other side. It doesn’t have to be an equal distribution. You don’t have to sit precisely in the center. People are born to deal with one side more than the other. And if it’s simply not in you, you can delegate it.

What comes easiest to you? What invigorates you the most and barely ever tires you? This could be circumstantial, and you could have different answers at different periods, as your brain pushes to activate and develop in various sections. But there may ultimately be a default for you to lean into.

CREDIT: AI-Generated Examples done on Leonardo.AI

Christmas Month

December arrives again!
And with it, at last, the Christmas mood.
If you enjoy this holiday (secularly or not), you can indulge it with me.
I celebrate it with festive and solidary content and vibes here and there.

Another Winter

Another winter arrives…
Sanctuaries, lights, cookies, and milk.
With the dark getting darker and the cold colder,
It is time to celebrate past work and prepare for future work.
You deserve retreat, rest, and restoration.

How's The World's Culture Progressing This Year, 2024?

We’re in my third year of religiously publishing my views and opinions on culture and how it is progressing (or regressing). You can read my 2022 article and my 2023 article, too.

My Personal Stance
Still, again, it remains the same! As it has been from the very beginning, I stand for what is truthful, effective, and fair. I don’t yet have all the answers, but I do my best to consider and weigh different views and opinions to grasp the reality of the matter and find solutions to issues. Generally, I see that people are either ignorant, confused, misguided, malicious, pushing an agenda, or a combination of two or more of those. And I try to have patience but it can run out.

Cultural Progress in 2024
I think calling it disastrous would be an understatement. We’re in a time when many people don’t know why things are or how they came to be - and they believe themselves to be free thinkers merely for going against what many others have been sacrificing and working hard for, that even benefits THEM, without a real basis for it other than being oppositional and standing out. It’s gotten messy and the point, more often than not, is missed. Shallow “understanding” reigns. You can still find a few beacons of light sorting it all out. But in such an increasingly fast-paced world, where being sensational is more rewarded than being thorough, indifference to the truth increases.

Points
This year, as we fear entering a “dark age”, where culture suffers for the worst, I’d like to cover as much as I can, while being brief and concise with each point, so it is all at least established and we don’t lose sight of it. But first, a lengthier paragraph on women’s liberation.

• Women’s Liberation
Men are being openly disgusting in more ways than I can stomach. Women wish to love and respect men, but a lot of them make it nearly impossible (or indeed impossible unless deluded). They miss “how things were before” and take their battered mother as the example that women should strive towards for them. They don’t like to compete with women and be outperformed (many of them don’t even grasp that most of us prefer to cooperate instead and that that’s also an option). They’d rather keep women down and “in their place”, and worry only about other men. They believe it’s more of a flex to have a woman they mistreat than it is to actually become a man who is not threatened by a woman’s success and freedom to choose, and is genuinely a catch. Lately, they’re being seen as ‘resentful closeted gays’ because they just hate women so much (but it’s more complex than that). It’s gotten to where the few men that do love and care for women have to actively justify themselves to others for such. Meanwhile, the term “pick me” is regaining serious meaning with more females willing to degrade themselves and throw the rest under the bus for male validation. Others are being the complete opposite (promoting using and discarding men like objects, basically becoming the worst that men have been, in retaliation or to make it even, sinking to their level) and giving men more confirmation bias as they miss the mirror reflecting their own behavior. The sides can argue forever and never gain perspective while being stuck in their ego and egotistical desires. But whatever happens, I will not respond nicely if anyone attempts to force me into unmerited submission and compliance in the name of gender roles. And I’m not alone in that.

• People of Color
Racism is dumb. Measure people based on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Make amends if due. Check yourself, your privilege, and your prejudice. Whatever color you are.

• Homosexuality & Bisexuality
It happens in nature, it is something natural. And in the case of some individuals, it is something that cannot be denied or repressed. It doesn’t have to be “normalized” in the sense that everyone engages in it, but it should be normalized in the sense that everyone should know by now that it’s no reason to look down on others, mock, ostracize, or harm them in any way. “It’s deranged sexual behavior!” You know what IS deranged sexual behavior? Rape and any kind of lying, manipulation, and coercion to have access to sex. And that’s something STRAIGHT MEN do too often.

• Transgenders Transitioning
Having reached a mature age (at least 18 y/o), transitioning after you’ve reflected enough and concluded that you cannot gladly accept the body you were born in and would be happier in the body of a different gender? Okay. Transitioning because you hate yourself and that’s the solution that occurs to you? Not okay. Identifying as this or that out of whim or convenience without undergoing any significant revelation or transformation? Diabolical (think about all the ways that can go). There should be acceptance and accommodation for legitimately trans people, but the consideration should still go both ways. Gotta say it because I’ve come across a few quite awful ones: You’re not the only one with issues. Others, though? Brilliant and lovely people. Some of whom have gone through more pain than I wish on anybody. Also, trans or not, cross-dressing shouldn’t be a big deal - keep it a fun thing anyone can try whenever.

• Sex Workers
In my opinion, it must be kept legal and safe, taboo-free. I don’t even want to say why. Figure it out. Imagine how much worse it’d get without sex workers. I see no problem with it as long as it’s done willingly and compensated accordingly, with due security measures in place. The fetishes indulged and the negative effects that over-relying on sex workers can have are things to watch out for, though.

• Abortion
Why is this still being discussed? Men insist on having women as baby ovens against all reason. “But the declining birth rate!” Well, effing prepare and rearrange for it as you do for an increasing population. It’s like it’s not even the real reason. As if an overabundance of unwanted children is going to fix society. Said it before and I’ll say it again, having restraint and reservation to avoid unplanned pregnancy is important. But if it comes to be, we should have access to proper abortion assistance.

• Disability
I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care about others. Regardless of how ‘productive’ they are. Not treat them as a burden and suggest they off themselves. What have we come to?

• Immigration
If it’s legal, they’re well-behaved, and there’s room, what is really the problem? Most of them aren’t even ‘taking the jobs’ you’d like to take (or are qualified for).

• Narcissism
It used to be that people threw around those terms too freely. But lately, it seems narcissism and more are on the rise and you’d be fortunate to find someone who isn’t narcissistic or worse. Wanna guess what I blame for it? We all should be more educated on this and keep it from getting worse.

• It’s offensive!
This has been a problem for a long time and still lingers. Though maybe not as much anymore, with all the pushback (from both progressives and conservatives). In any case, it is always necessary to distinguish when something is merely offensive (because it contradicts your notion of how things are or should be - or fails to give you special treatment) and when something is actually harmful (wounds you psychologically, deteriorates your dignity, or impacts your place in your environment and community). Open and direct dialog is required to make genuine progress - without walking on eggshells, beating around the bush, or fearing ‘being canceled’ because you weren’t tactful and diplomatic enough. (If there’s intention to hurt in it, that’s another thing.)

And again. That’s all for now. I may still sporadically engage and elaborate on various topics, but expect the continuation of this post next year. Please stay lucid and keep improving!

It’s Thanksgiving and I’m Thankful!

Looking around, the blessings seem countless! I’m both overwhelmed and relieved!

Things have been working out or falling apart in… interesting ways. I’m thankful for the good that comes in and the bad that goes out, making room for more and better. I’m thankful for the support, the assistance, and the opportunities sent my way. And while I’m certainly not without woes, it is all part of the package I signed up for and it keeps pushing me forward - to a place where these problems won’t be problems or even be there anymore.

More specifically, this year, I’m thankful for:
- The amazing people I’ve unexpectedly met.
- The ongoing devotion toward humanness and humanity.
- The shared laughs and cries as we make it through.
- The silliness with the wittiness lessening the load.
- The numerous gifts and celebrations enhancing all.

Yet, as great as it all has been, it is not the peak and can still go further up. Regardless, if it somehow goes downhill from here, I’m faithful it’ll be manageable and we’ll get through to the other side with more experience and expertise. I just pray the challenges will be more fortifying than destructive.

So…
Happy Thanksgiving, pals!
I’m hoping your blessings won’t pass you by and wishing you’re showered with even more blessings!

Be Careful What You Wish For

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase. Unfortunately, there is truth to it. It may not happen immediately, if at all, but you could be cautious or at least prepared for what might happen.

Sometimes a wish sets into motion much within us. And sometimes much within us sets a wish into motion. In both cases, something is at work. It may not even require any divine intervention. You may fulfill it yourself, knowingly or not.

What is tricky is that they come in a package. Including more than you “signed up” for. And often, that is inevitable. You cannot have one thing without the other. Not in this universe and the mysterious (yet explainable) ways in which it works.

If you wish for strength, you won’t suddenly be strong with the snap of your fingers. You will have to go through and/or swallow what will make you strong. And not only that, once you are strong, you will have the consequences of it. Things will shift. You will be looked at differently and treated differently. For better and for worse. You will also begin attracting or repelling based on it. And with all of this, you would have sacrificed what cannot coexist with the fact of you being strong.

The same, in essence, can be applied to other wishes. Because as chaotic and whimsical as life may seem, it is still strictly governed by certain rules.

When you make a wish, know that you are making a trade. And sometimes, depending on what you currently have going on for you, that trade will bring about tremendous change. You might be forced to let go of and lose things that you would rather keep and even cling to. Because, again, they are not compatible with your wish or are getting in the way of it. If it is only the latter, there may be room again for them later on. A typical example would be people who are holding you back more than you realize or admit to yourself while you hold on to them dearly. It can be painful.

It gets worse if you resist. If the wish is inevitably coming true but you are stubbornly keeping in place what is keeping it out, devastating destruction could manifest. Does this mean you should always be flexible and open to anything? And simply go with the flow? No, that is quite dangerous too. It means that you should try to figure out what is an obstacle to it and, if you can’t, be ready to endure what will reveal it as such. 

So, be careful what you wish for.

CREDIT: AI-Generated Examples done on Leonardo.AI

Sagittarius' Description

♐ SAGITTARIUS

Sagittarius, the ninth sign, is a fire and mutable sign, adventurous and optimistic. Known for its love of freedom and exploration, it is the eternal seeker of knowledge and truth through expanding its horizons. Often embarking on journeys both physical and philosophical, they collect experiences and ponder with openness. As an archer, it aims for higher understanding and idealistic aspirations. Having done and seen so much, it doesn't take itself too seriously and is prone to humor.

Spiritually, Sagittarius leads to expansion and enlightenment. It teaches us the importance of accepting diversity and finding meaning in the vast tapestry of life, reminding us that the journey can be as important as the destination.

For context and more of relevance, please read about The Zodiac.

Saviors (Hero & Anti-Hero)

Now let's get Saviors in perspective, a role that Leaders tend to slip into, whether by accident or not.

We could say that Saviors can be both what is considered a Hero and what is considered an Anti-Hero. But what are they all about and how do they compare? And perhaps more importantly, do you have a savior complex or is it indeed part of your destiny? If the latter, what is in store for you?

Look closer to see. Ponder further to connect how it all relates. And let it prompt you to acknowledge even more.

What is happening in, for, against, and around you?