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Even when alternative views are clearly wrong, being exposed to them still expands our creative potential. In a way, the power of dissent is the power of surprise. After hearing someone shout out an errant answer, we work to understand it, which causes us to reassess our initial assumptions and try out new perspectives.

Jonah Lehrer

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“A man is so prone to systems and to abstract conclusions that he is prepared to distort the truth on purpose, prepared to deny the visible and the audible just so he can justify his own logic.”

— Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground

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Pink Martini’s “Que Sera Sera” and our loci of control

Pink Martini's haunting rendition of "Que Sera Sera" offers a vivid illustration of the contrasting perspectives of internal and external loci of control. While the lyrics' surface message might appear to endorse a belief in fate or external control, a deeper examination reveals a more empowering narrative.

Internal and external loci of control refer to the extent to which individuals believe they can control events affecting them. Those with an internal locus of control believe they can largely influence their life events and outcomes through their own efforts and actions. In contrast, those with an external locus of control believe that their lives are primarily influenced by external factors beyond their control, such as fate or luck.

The song's refrain, "Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que sera sera," is delivered with an eerie cheerfulness, seemingly endorsing an external locus of control. The speaker asks for guidance at various life stages and is repeatedly told that fate is all-powerful.

However, this interpretation overlooks the song's subtle encouragement to assert one's control over life's outcomes. By repeatedly questioning the guidance of authority figures and seeking understanding, the speaker illustrates a thirst for autonomy and an unwillingness to blindly accept fate's decree.

Pink Martini's "Que Sera Sera" is not a resignation to external forces but a provocative challenge to them. It invites listeners to recognize their power and responsibility in shaping their lives, to realize that while some things may be beyond our control, many are not. It's a call to action, an urging to take control of our destiny, to engage with life proactively, and to believe in our ability to influence our path.

In the interplay between fate and free will, the song urges us to lean towards an internal locus of control. It encourages us to see ourselves as active participants in our lives, not passive observers. To recognize that the future might not be ours to see, but it can be ours to shape.

This perspective aligns with the principles of metacognition and the development of intuition, where personal liberation is found in understanding oneself, embracing one's ability to influence outcomes, and rejecting the idea that we are merely at the mercy of external forces.

In the end, "Que Sera Sera" serves as a rallying cry for empowerment and personal agency, challenging us to break free from external constraints and seize control of our destiny. Whatever will be can indeed be shaped by us.

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The Matrix "The Matrix Is Collapsing" Is Collapsing

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Unleashing Potential: Metacognition, Intuition, and Personal Liberation

In a world that seems increasingly complex, the journey to personal liberation might appear elusive. However, understanding and engaging with the faculties of metacognition and intuition can guide us to a path of true self-empowerment.

Metacognition: Thinking about Thinking

Metacognition, or "thinking about thinking," is the process by which individuals analyze their own cognitive processes. It's akin to having an inner observer that watches over our thinking, learning, and decision-making.

By becoming more aware of how we think, we can identify cognitive biases, unproductive thought patterns, and areas for improvement. It's a process of mental refinement, offering a new level of control over our thoughts and reactions.

Developing Intuition: A Subtle Art

Intuition might seem mystical or even magical, but in many ways, it's a natural human capability. It is the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.

Developing intuition is about honing this instinctive understanding and learning to trust it. This doesn't mean abandoning logic or reason, but rather integrating intuition into the decision-making process. It involves recognizing patterns, drawing on past experiences, and allowing our subconscious minds to assist us.

Intuition and metacognition are linked. By being more in tune with our thinking processes, we can better access and trust our intuitive judgments.

Personal Liberation: Freedom Through Understanding

Personal liberation is the process of freeing oneself from limiting beliefs, thoughts, and emotions. It is about finding a true connection with oneself and unleashing one's full potential.

By enhancing metacognitive skills, individuals can develop greater control over their thoughts and behavior. They can identify what holds them back, cultivate self-awareness, and make more informed choices.

Similarly, nurturing intuition allows us to navigate life's complexities with grace and wisdom. It's a subtle tool that, when combined with rational thinking, can lead to more authentic and fulfilling life choices.

Conclusion

Metacognition, intuition, and personal liberation are interconnected facets of the human experience. Understanding and embracing them can be a profound and transformative journey.

By engaging in thoughtful self-reflection (metacognition) and trusting our inner guidance system (intuition), we can move toward personal liberation - a state of being where we are more aligned with our true selves, and empowered to live a life of authenticity, meaning, and fulfillment.

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A lot of the wisdom you need, you have actually been given several times, but you’ve been made to think that it’s all corny.

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“It’s anecdotal, but I regularly see Frankenstein’s monster described as a warning against scientific hubris, an alarm about Tampering With Things That Should Be Left Alone™. This I think is quite wrong: I think it is a story about what happens when one fails the (still at the time of writing) radical enlightenment by failing to take social responsibility for one’s actions and interventions. If it’s a warning, it’s a warning about turning one’s back, out of cowardice, on what one creates, not about creating it in the first place.”

— China Mieville, interview with the Weird Fiction Review (via brotticelli)

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Struggles of Being Intuitive

Intuitive people are often characterized by a high degree of sensitivity to others' thoughts, feelings, and underlying motives. This can manifest in an ability to detect unspoken secrets or hidden truths about others. While this might seem like a beneficial trait, it can lead to several struggles:

Trust Issues: Intuitive individuals might become skeptical of others, as they often perceive inconsistencies or hidden agendas. This can lead to difficulty in forming or maintaining close relationships.

Emotional Burden: Knowing or sensing something about someone that isn't openly shared can be a heavy burden. It might lead to a feeling of guilt or responsibility, especially if the information is sensitive or painful.

Misinterpretation: Intuition is not always accurate. An intuitive person may think they've uncovered a hidden truth, but they might be wrong, leading to misunderstandings or unjust accusations.

Isolation: If others become aware that an intuitive person seems to "know" their secrets, it might cause discomfort or fear, leading to social isolation.

Ethical Dilemmas: Deciding what to do with information about others, especially if it's not been shared directly, can pose significant ethical challenges. Should they confront the person, share it with others, or keep it to themselves?

Expectations and Pressure: Sometimes, others might expect an intuitive person to know things or offer guidance on personal matters, leading to undue pressure and unrealistic expectations.

Impact on Personal Life: Being highly attuned to others' emotions and secrets can take a toll on the intuitive person's emotional well-being, leading to stress, anxiety, or even burnout.

Being intuitive is not the same as being psychic, and it doesn't mean that an intuitive person can literally read minds or see hidden truths with certainty. It often involves a heightened sensitivity to cues, patterns, and underlying emotional states. It can be a gift, but it's one that comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities.

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Lady Gaga’s “Replay,” A Defense Against Toxic Monstrosities

Chromatica, as a body of work, is an anti-The Fame. Where The Fame relishes celebrity in all of its frivolities and intrigue, Chromatica stares back from the top of the mountain, disheveled, defeated, and yet still just as committed.

The album is steeped in pain and resentment. “Alice” explores the pain of unmet idealism, “Stupid Love” is an aggressive surrender to the need for others’ approval, “Fun Tonight” is an examination of how fame has ruined art for her, and “Plastic Doll” is a resigned admission to her immense entanglement with consumerism.

However, no track hits the mark more than “Replay.” Agonizingly self-aware, “Replay” lucidifies the trap Gaga finds herself in. Embattled with chronic pain and at the mercy of a vicious fan base who show her adoration to her through hateful commentary, she exclaims in remarkable vulnerability “you monsters torture me!”

And she knows it’s their fault. She sings “I won’t blame myself because we both know you were the one,” and yet she finds herself helpless at the hands of a vicious mob. “I don’t know what to do, you don’t know what to say, the scars on my mind are on replay.” She’s at a standstill, her fans won’t stop, she still loves them (“I hate to say, you’re the worst thing and the best thing that’s happened to me”), and she still loves her art, but the immense scrutiny has significantly tainted her love for her work.

Gaga has found some refuge in film, which I’m happy for her about. But I feel like she really wants to make different kinds of music while her fans force her into a box (thinking of the reception the Tony Bennett albums got as well as Joanne). Idk her like that obvi but I feel like she’s due for a rebrand, new stage name, her own sound, and an announcement that Lady Gaga is no more and anyone interested in exploring her new work is welcome, and if they don’t like it that’s okay. Just my 2 cents and I think there’s a lot of ways out of this bind. This isn’t sustainable though.

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Close Reading - Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land

MARINA's Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land continues on an empowering route for her of making the music she wants to make. After three albums aimed, to varying degrees, at securing traditional fame and success, ADIAML is a continuation of her rebirth, where she dropped "and the Diamonds" and decided that this work was for her.

Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land

This is such a powerful way to open the album. To me, it planted really powerful seeds to center that I am the product of sooooo much evolution and in the process me, and those around me, stand at the apex of human capacity and ability. It simultaneously acknowledges the power of the present while also paying homage to the work and ambition of the past. Furthermore, it alludes to lost wisdom from ancient eras that it is incumbent upon us to return to.

You don't have to be like everybody else You don't have to fit into the norm You are not here to conform I am here to take a look inside myself Recognize that I could be the eye, the eye of the storm I am not my body, not my mind or my brain (ha) Not my thoughts or feelings, I am not my DNA I am the observer, I'm a witness of life I live in the space between the stars and the sky

The emphasis on breaking from conformity within it all also gets at a very important idea: enlightenment cannot be found on the beaten path. It requires self-reflection and an awareness of/deviation from patterns.

Venus Fly Trap

Venus Fly Trap is her reminder to us that she could be making more commercially popular music, easily. Electra Heart was majorly successful and she could've gone down that road. Big pop producers were fucking with her. But she tells us she says!!!

Don't underestimate me 'Cause one day you're gonna see you're in a losing battle Babe, you'll never stop me being me I got the beauty, got the brains Got the power, hold the reins I should be motherfuckin' crazy Nothing in this world could change me

It continues on this path of emphasizing "I am not here to be commercially popular!!! I am going to stay here and do my own fuckin thing and if y'all come great but if not I really don't care lol I already gamed this shit and got enough money to live the rest of my life just fine."

Man's World

Man's World, the lead single. Sets the tone for the broader spirit of the album: analyzing the structures that have restricted our thinking and calling them out. It's accessible: we all know the patriarchy is fucked up, we all (as MARINA listeners) also know that climate change is a problem.

It's also optimistic while being delightfully ominous.

Spring appears when the time is right Women are violets coming to light Don't underestimate the making of life The planet has a funny way of stopping a fight

This life can be disorienting, but playing on spiritual principles of balance she provides an understandably anxious audience solace and empowerment.

Purge the Poison

Right out the gate she's talking about witchcraft, finding empowerment in her ability to make an impact, and analyzing how we have created so much of the damage around us. She is also saying, quite candidly, that there's a lot of toxic institutions in our way but that has always been the case. However, she also reminds us of the work we've successfully done to fight these instutitions.

2007 when size zero was the rage Britney shaved her head and All we did was call her crazed Harvey Weinstein, gone to jail Me Too went on to unveil Truth and all its glory The ending of a story It's a new world order, everything just falls away Our life as we knew it now belongs to yesterday Inside all the love and hate we can now regenerate Stopped how we'd been living every single day

The appeal to 2007 and all of its horrors is used in a peculiar way as a comfort. Like, look how far we've come in a little over a decade. Look how powerful we are at creating a just world. Change is coming!!!

Highly Emotional People

Highly. Emotional. People. This is the break. The first three songs are so empowering about change, but this is where she strips down and acknowledges how overwhelming she finds this world.

She takes the universe's eye here:

The universe hangs like a necklace from God Jewels suspended in the cosmos And it makes me believe This is how we're meant to be 'Cause we're just highly emotional people And you don't need to hide Sometimes it's hard to tell me how you feel I never see you cry

She flips the messaging on its head. After talking all her shit, rightfully so, about how impactful humans can be, she goes back and acknowledges how daunting it is for us to feel small. She tells us it's okay to feel small. She creates safety.

She also flips Man's World on its head: the unenlightened will be like blah blah she's a misogynist blah blah. But she candidly calls out the male suicide rate and unpacks how men are really the first victims of toxic masculinity.

New America

Admittedly my least favorite. Idk why it did feel corny to me when it came out and in retrospect I do think she made some points but it's also just like soooo on the nose and i think she could stand to be a bit more abstract here.

With that said I mean she didn't lie in a lot of it. I think this is one of the instances where i do disagree with her cuz she talks her shit about GMOs and its like idk girl that's rlly helped us fight food scarcity. But like we're allowed to disagree!

And I don't hate the song rlly. I mean I think there's something powerful to the idea of an American reckoning and a blatant call out of American hypocrisy. I just also think her fanbase already kind of knows this tea so it's one of those things where it's like "I mean yeah true but you're not really inspiring me here....."

But you know what a lot of them prob found validation and further explication of what they knew in this song so let's celebrate that!!!

Pandora's Box

Part two of the album. Heartbreak songs. A friend once complained about this to me, they were like she was really cooking with broader social commentary and now here she goes talking her shit about her ex boyfriend and it feels petty.

But like, this is really just a switch from the macro to the micro. Our relationships teach us so much about ourselves and how the world should work vs. does work.

In this specific case, it's her admission of her partner's adultery. And an acknowledgement of how, for someone with her mind, this was earth shattering in terms of maintaining her trust with someone who she had let in in the most intimate ways. It's about heartbreak and betrayal when you are a highly emotional person. It also alludes to the dangers of trying to heal others to the point where you sacrifice your own well-being. You have to make sure your cup is full first and others get the overflow!!!

I Love You, But I Love Me More

She alluded to how her partner "almost turned her psycho," and this is the response to that. When Marina gets upset, she leans into this ominous character. A character who draws boundaries through appealing to her ego/self-love.

It's also a rejection of the toxic pattern she had found herself in. He failed her, and she wants to heal dude but refuses to choose healing dude over herself.

Flowers

As we know healing isn't linear!!! At this point she properly resolves to breakup with her boyfriend.

I think it made me stronger But I would rather not Betray myself, just to keep your love at any cost And it's most tempting to give in When you hear the firin' shots When you are steps from winning back All the happiness you lost, lost Lost, lost With every careless action you let me slip away If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed You didn't think I was serious, I guess you felt so safe If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed

This is her going back to big picture Marina; there has been a whole relationship here where dude had the opportunity to prove himself and he repeatedly failed. And she cultivated the shit out of this garden but it just didn't fucking work.

And yes! She really almost didn't turn away, but she reminded herself of this broader pattern and how much it hurt her and she walked away.

Oh and a final note, there is something sad to the fact that she wanted to be there for him and knew there were things that were fake about him but was invested nonetheless, and he self-sabotaged. RIP

Goodbye

The actual breakup song. it's cordial, it's grateful, it's gentle. It's sad, it's grieving. But it's also optimistic. It acknowledges where her faults allowed this dynamic to get as toxic as it did. At the center of it is her relationship with being a healer.

I've been a mother to everyone else To every motherfucker except myself And I don't even have any kids

She's putting herself first!!! Like it's that simple. She's drawing boundaries for her own protection.

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"Ableds shouldn't baby talk disabled people cause it's infantilizing" and "Some disabled people need things to be explained to them in an easier to understand way" are thoughts that CAN and SHOULD co-exist.

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Yes! This is why, as bad as things look now, they’re so much better from a world peace perspective than they have been at most points in history.

Light always always always beats the dark. No matter how faint or weak, no matter how fragile, no matter if it flickers or burns, it wins time and time again.

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The way that I see it, it's society that has failed neurodivergent people, not the other way around. We see, time and time again, how well-adjusted neurodivergent people do incredible things. We're thought leaders, artists, and political masterminds.

The fucked up thing is that we are forced to make our identities within this system that tells us that it's not okay to be who we are, and as a result of that the smartest among us are puppeteers who themselves have been puppeteered by fearful overlords. And it's been that way for millennia now.

You know what? My disability does hold me back! I'm sick of pretending it doesn't because society only thinks we're worthy if we're actively trying to "overcome" our disabilities or that we "defy the odds". I'm sick of hearing "you can do anything you put your mind to" because that's just not true and is often invalidating of the struggles disabled people face.

I am worthy either way, regardless of whether I can contribute in a way that society deems acceptable or not.

The same applies to you! You are worthy if you can't drive, can't finish school, can't work a conventional job. You are worthy if you can't live on your own without help. You are worthy if you'll need assistance for the rest of your life. You are worthy, always.

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Have you watched Barbie? Organized Stream of Consciousness

(The following is an email I sent to my old political theory professor, small details are adjusted to maintain anonymity and provide additional clarity)

Hey Professor!

Great chatting a couple of weeks ago! I’m proud to announce in my funemployment era; I am taking a gap year with intentions of pursuing a PhD in psychology. 

It’s only been a few days, but I feel like I’ve never made a more correct decision in my life. Corporate America didn’t really make sense for me long-term; I took a lot of lessons from it about how exactly the shadows on the wall work, but I was in denial about how I should relate to them. At a certain point I felt I wanted to liberate everyone in my company, and I got really good at it too. I caught myself being a leader who could orchestrate collective action in precise, powerful, and loving ways, which was daunting but also beautiful. However, where I landed is with a confidence in my abilities which I’ve never felt before, and a vision of myself as a change maker that makes a lot more sense as a voice in academia (one that is accessible to those outside of it as well).

That update aside, did you see the Barbie movie/have you been paying attention to the discourse around it? It’s another in a series of recent content that are basically reinterpretations of The Matrix (thinking of Everything Everywhere All At Once as well as Wandavision) which in turn strike me as reinterpretations of Plato’s Cave.

Perhaps it may sound overly ambitious to some, but being underly ambitious feels boring: I think we’re on the verge of a mass cultural awakening. The energy around us has been different. AI has been causing existential crises left and right (looking at writers’ strikes and the general ways these companies are licking their lips with the intention of further “cutting costs” without care for their fellow humans). People are contemplating the smallness of this life, getting perspective for how cultural constraints we hold as central to our worldview are actually shadows on the wall. They’re imagining how life can be different, and in turn they’ll soon start creating it.

And that’s distressing in a lot of cases, dealing with what we’ve all repressed head on. But I feel like this can be a loving revolution. I know that sounds full hippy but like, I think if people begin to enter public discourse as individuals who talk like “real” people (this is shade at the politicians, the academics, etc) and do that from a place of love instead of a place of fear (and that’s shade at Donald Trump, Elon Musk, etc) the world will open up in profound ways.

I think people struggle with this because they feel it’s inauthentic, and that’s where we get into philosophy of the self. Namely, what kind of foolish pride tells us that making ourselves accessible waters down our identity? I think of entering that philosophy chat community where, no shade at them, I was making better points than a lot of them, but because I didn’t speak their language with the precision they wanted me to they treated me like I was dumb. And it’s funny, some of them did try to argue with me, some were open to my ideas, but generally speaking, among these individuals seeking enlightenment I was branded a pariah by certain members of the community because my approach to communication was unorthodox and I used chat gpt as a means of helping me think critically and speedily (and I know it’s very imperfect, but when used correctly and critically it’s an incredible philosophical calculator).

And I was still nice to them, because I’m bored of contributing to cycles of mutual disdain, and I’ve found that when I’m unapologetically weird and unapologetically nice at the same time I awaken a version of individuals that they thought they left behind at the playground in elementary school. 

I say all of that to say, my vision of the future, which I believe is coming and which I’m eager to take part of, is a movement of radical forgiveness, kindness, and an appreciation for the intrinsic wisdom in others that we usually overlook because we don’t relate to them. I think some central frontiers for this movement will be dramatic prison reform, the decentralization of college education as the only means of achieving “success” in a lot of American minds, and maybe even the 2024 Democratic primary (I think Marianne Williamson is playing on something interesting and has generational tides in her favor. Plus Joe Biden is kinda stubborn and uninspiring, I think he’s about to RBG the Democratic establishment).

i could be wrong, I often am! I hope I’m not too far off though. I’ll do what I can to facilitate that world without overextending myself as well :)

Thanks for your time!

Your Student,

Rivenso

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have been on here for one day and made a few lil posts and this is what the algorithm is giving me...