Temporarily a Stray

If you feel like you’ve been left alone, out in the cold dark, despite repeatedly calling and reaching out, this is for you.

Focus on yourself for a while. Whether that’s by doing work or by getting rest. Make the most of this “solitary” period. Because chances are that you will soon have more people around you than you can even count. And you will belong there with them.

It won’t matter how much is sitting in your bank account, how many follow you on social media, or the amount of awards you have been recognized with. Although, granted, these can point to characteristics that have merit too and/or make you valuable in some way. But I digress. It won’t even matter much if you’re somebody’s favorite or not.

As long as you’re a genuine person, sincere with others, and devoted to being and doing your best, you will fit marvelously with those who are the same and believe that “the more, the merrier”. Sometimes you just oughta give the universe time to move things around and make space. (And maybe yell and wave a little louder and clearer, just in case.)

You Might Not Change The World But...

You could be particularly ambitious, and whether your ambitions are realistic or unrealistic is another matter. The issue is that, if you are, you are pulled to dream big. So big you might yearn to cause a massive and long-lasting impression on the entire globe. Perhaps even beyond.

For better or for worse, and against the odds, some make it. You could say that they were born for it, as countless factors had to come into play for it to happen, many out of their own control, aligning perfectly to push them forward and up. As if it were fate.

You might not be one of them, but merely be in the pool of those with a comparatively higher chance to wind up with them, and maybe you’ll get quite close but not quite there, and that’s how it goes. Yet, if so, did you miss out or are you comfortably right where you belong?

Regardless of how far you manage to get, if you’re that ambitious, you’d prefer to at least aim for something grander than the usual. Seeing yourself in circular or dead-end roles simply doesn’t go with you. And the mere idea of it can be demoralizing. Not everyone will be understanding of this, possibly not even yourself, but if it is the case, you must go for it.

Convincing yourself and others that you’re both worthy and capable can be tricky (not to mention insulting). If life gives you tests, this would be one. It doesn’t necessarily measure character, but it measures your ability to navigate obstacles, in and out, visible and invisible, right in front of your face or further ahead, coming at you from all around, and deploying unbelievable antics to thwart and sabotage you. People aren’t simply going to hand you the world, or a huge chunk of it, on a silver platter. Not unless you have the privilege of that unfair advantage.  

Yet, if you crave to keep pushing yourself, checking just how much you can get away with, few things can stop you. You would be your best friend or your worst enemy, choosing whether or not you are deterred by what can be overcome.

Ultimately, “luck” or “divine order” might not be in your favor for what you assume, believe, or wish was your place. However, don’t take for granted everything else that you can nonetheless accomplish that also significantly impacts the world. 

Christmas Month

December is here!
It’s Christmas (/holidays) time.
You can expect an emphasis on altruism-related content.

Winter Once More

Winter arrives once more...
Do you know what that means?
It means, at last, we can sit back.
Let out a long sigh.
Spend time with our close ones (and oneself).

Actually, Just Live While You Can

What does living while you can mean? Usually, we interpret this as being fully in the moment at all times, yielding to every whim, recklessly taking every opportunity or risk. However, it doesn’t have to be this reductive (and dangerously regrettable).

It can be more about tending to what’s important. And that differs from person to person. What brings you peace and what brings you joy? Are you caring for your needs and for your wants, in such a way that you can accomplish fulfillment? Do you give enough attention to what you value most and to what deserves it?

There’s a popular saying that can be applied to this. Essentially, they say something along the lines that the only two people that you should try to impress and make proud are the 8-year-old you, who looks forward, and the 80-year-old you, who looks backward. How well are you doing at that? Are you pleasing the version who’s filled with wonder and the version who’s overflowing with revelations?

Your life is more than just your present; it is also your past and your future, and all that interconnects. This means that being thoughtful and considerate is part of what constitutes living without regrets. This can be paralyzing sometimes, trapping in needless fears and worries, and that’s something to watch out for, but shouldn’t be entirely dismissed.

There is peace, joy, and fulfillment in bothering to take into account what must be. The problem arises when you neglect your present for it.

Furthermore, others may get a say in how it goes, but you do as well. If you’re completely handing over the script of your life to somebody else, or to traditions, trends, or predictions, are you really living your life? Certainly, you can learn from them and implement what sits right with you (or what is imperative), but you lose the plot when it wholly dictates what you do and don’t do.

And what about your growth? Isn’t it amazing that you get to come to this place to explore, experience, experiment, express, and expand? You literally start with a set of talents and capabilities and can, from there, decide what sort of knowledge you will be collecting and what sort of skills you will be developing, reaching higher and higher levels throughout your entire lifetime. Overlooking this and getting stuck, stagnating at the bottom, does seem like a waste.

Ultimately, you could live so fully that it makes a positive and constructive difference, not only on you, but on those around you - or even coming after. And that’s something that, at least to some, makes life worth striving for.

Reclaim your life. Live it responsibly, but live it.

Billie Eilish's Birds of A Feather

Uff, I'm really not yet sure what was behind it. Yet, undeniably, there was a ring to the song, making it now a favorite to go back to over and over again. However, what most caught my attention, initially, was the location. It looks like such a liminal space!

I am personally fond of how it is as if from another time. With the construction, the furniture, the colors, and even the camera. It sort of transports me to when I was growing up and somehow ending up in such places while the grownups were doing their grownup things. Yet, interestingly, in this case, it is empty of other humans (at least in flesh), which is also particularly satisfying, given my innate aversion to crowds and noise. It is difficult to explain, but that’s indeed a dimension that I can sincerely appreciate. Oddly so. Not to be forever stuck within it, but to have at some point experienced.

And of course, it got me with the themes of death, too. As much as I welcome such topics with the ambiance that exacerbates them, it was refreshing to have them in a more casual manner - making it less of a taboo to bring up.

I don’t know what it is intending to portray, exactly, but it is definitely an intriguing and fascinating concept. While words essentially speak of willingly joining in, imagery speaks of an invisible force that can pull and carry someone around and across the room(s).

You could catch me humming and singing along to Birds of a Feather as it trended without realizing the depth of it, though! (Do love it even more now, however...)

Sticking Together, It’s Complicated…

When creating, the systematic processing side is compelled to make everything neatly organized, but the storytelling processing side is like, “No, actually…” And throws that stiffling made-up order out the window for LORE.

It is tempting to have all the parts fit together perfectly, following the same approach, sharing similar traits, and so on, but that doesn’t say a lot. That ends up being… lifeless.

So, although it can be irritating, frustrating, or just boggling when things don’t follow a script, break and/or fall out of their spot, become something other than they could have been, it is what makes it wonderfully organic rather than merely mechanical. And it is what tells a tale.

Yes, I’m mad about the possibility that the deity who nurtured the outlaws at the verge of extinction out of the danger of it will lose her magical powers and turn into cement.

Yes, it was unexpected that one of the catalysts was chosen and promoted by his pupils rather than by the ‘officials’ as it usually goes.

Yes, it is incredible that some of the most impactful factors have a low profile or are even anonymous while the rest rose to fame and stardom.

And don’t get me started about entities that are but aren’t there…

However, if you ponder it, all of this unravels more about the nature of all. It’s gonna be tricky and challenging to narrate, not gonna lie, and you may not be happy about each and every step and turn this takes, but ohhh… the intrigue, the fascination, the slap in the face that this is more grand, more profound, and waaay more complex than you could initially comprehend.

You are not in control. You are only the creative writer. And ironically, that makes you a reader too.

(May not even have to go out of your way and ‘do it for the plot’. It gets crazy on its own.)

Shakira's Anniversary

Oh. My. God. It’s been DECADES. And this song has aged like fine wine! Shakira, questioning social and societal norms since forever. And for that and more, love her!

You know what else I’m grateful for these days? Being able to remember stuff. This is taking me back to when I was a kid, singing my lungs out, jumping around to this song, while attempting to keep up with the lyrics and checking how much I managed to do so. (If I recall correctly, I couldn't get a hold of the CD, so it was a cassette I had to patiently rewind or fast-forward to get to the parts I was into and/or play the whole thing without skipping. If anything, I'll take that as a testament to being a true fan!)

It is taking me back to my grandmother’s house - specifically to the living room she had, where she kept antiques and artworks she cherished (we play-pretended it was haunted), and the big family dinners, with relatives and their +1s coming from different countries for it, were held. I’d indulge in music and more there any day of the year, enjoying the space and the atmosphere. And I’m so thankful to be able to relive this, even if only in little bits.

It’s no news that many Latin Americans fell in love with and remember Shakira for her earlier work. I mean, damn, talk about artsy. But fret not, we love her later stuff, too! That woman is a genius, whenever and wherever she goes… 🤭

How's The World's Culture Progressing This Year, 2025?

This year has been unhinged and deranged. And not even in an edgy way. Regressively so. All the way back into denial and delusion. For the comfort and convenience of people who cannot be bothered to be more cultured.

This isn’t my first time writing about cultural progress, so you can check for more of my views and opinions on my previous World’s Cultural Progress articles.

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 2025
Now, as it turns out, not only do we have to worry about regular folks and established reporters spreading misinformation and disinformation while lacking reason and/or compassion, but also about the rapidly increasing amount of bots and paid actors, along with the mess of AI, taking over platforms and playing the algorithms - that can turn the tide in one or another direction. The times when you could come online to have honest and enriching debates with others have been coming to an end and are approaching that end. You’ll have to find your group of people who genuinely care about learning and dig through the vast amount of trash, with skepticism and discernment turned up, in order to retrieve anything you can of value, so that you can then discuss it.

Points
Overall, it looks to me as though a lot of people don’t want to think anymore and are not even trying to hide it. As if progressives were frying their brains, with either valid arguments or plain nonsense, and it’s bouncing back with all the force. However, we’re also generally living in a more stressful, overwhelming, and exhausting period that barely allows any deep or thorough thinking. The ability to be level-headed is a luxury nowadays.

• “Your way didn’t work, so we do it my way!”
There’s no pausing to see where, exactly, things took a turn for the worse or went too far. It’s a no-nuance jump-to-conclusion. "You got these movements wrong? That means they were all COMPLETELY WRONG." And now we have people casually considering that, ~actually~, maybe slavery, rape, etc., are all fine. Yes, it is getting THAT bad.

• “I miss the good old days…”
When, though? People are looking at the supposedly preferable past as if it were some ideal epoch where none of their current problems existed, and neither any other kinds of issues that they’re now fortunately free of. New generations, too, are romanticizing the past while overlooking everything that many fought and worked hard to leave behind for the better.

• “WHITE MEN, YEAH!!”
Nothing says “I lack worth and I’m insecure about it” like insisting on somehow having more worth than others on the mere basis of having been born white and male (I can’t even call them ‘men’ at this psychological development level). If anything, the unfounded belief that you’re superior solely because of that will lead you to not put in the effort to be truly competent because, according to this logic, you magically are. “But the statistics!” Look, it is not that simple. It really is not.

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!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You…

Whoa, it’s been really… something. But despite and after almost unbearably turbulent months, I have much to be thankful for! In fact, it blows my mind how blessed I am. And more and more it looks like I’m where I’m meant to be. With more answered prayers than I can count!

I’m particularly astonished by how God, The Universe, Inexplicable Forces at Play, whatever and however you’d call them, have been on my side - with more grace than I could ask for. And believe me, I’ll try my best not to fall from this grace.

I’m deeply and greatly thankful for…
• The appreciation, regardless of being found in my mess, and the help, realizing my potential.
• Being joined despite the opposition I face, given the risks and sacrifices that it entails.
• Patience had with my limits (can’t do everything) and lack thereof (might do a lot).
• Being granted space to be human, and grow, mature, and evolve through it.
• Understanding and tolerance when I cannot or fail to be at my 100%, my best self.
• Allowing me to learn from you and letting me teach you, too.
• Much of the mediation, the diffusion, the relief, and more that's done before I could tend to it.
• Harsh, but necessary truths (often with fantastic timing and delivery).
• Outstanding levels of attentiveness and devotion to important projects.
• Energy, inspiration, motivation… quite overlooked but essential to go against and beat the odds.
• Dreamers, dreaming big, INSANELY SO, and it being okay, encouraged even.
• Those still here, but also those gone, that I couldn’t have gotten this far without.

I know I’ve kept people waiting, and I am sincerely sorry about that (what is predictable these days?). However, I am also immensurably thankful that you did. And if you are sticking around for more of where all this will take us and what it will bring us? Grateful beyond words!

Thank you, for real.
And Happy Thanksgiving!