#Life's True Values

[omegaphilosophia]

Exploring Significance: What Truly Matters in Life

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it's easy to get caught up in the noise of the mundane and lose sight of what truly holds significance. We often find ourselves chasing fleeting pleasures and distractions, but it's essential to pause and reflect on the things that genuinely matter. In this blog post, we will delve into the concept of significance, exploring various aspects of life that hold lasting value and make our existence richer.

Meaningful Relationships: At the core of human existence are our connections with others. Meaningful relationships with family, friends, and loved ones are a source of support, joy, and emotional fulfillment. These bonds provide us with a sense of belonging and purpose, making them one of the most significant aspects of our lives.

Health and Well-being: Without good health, all other pursuits lose their meaning. Physical and mental well-being are the foundations of a fulfilling life. Taking care of our bodies and minds through exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness practices ensures a better quality of life and a brighter future.

Personal Growth and Learning: The pursuit of knowledge, personal growth, and self-improvement is a significant part of the human experience. Learning new skills, expanding our horizons, and setting goals give our lives purpose and direction. Lifelong learning keeps us engaged and adaptable in an ever-changing world.

Contributing to Others: Making a positive impact on the lives of others and the world at large is a source of profound significance. Acts of kindness, volunteering, and community involvement create a sense of purpose and fulfillment that extends beyond our individual selves.

Passion and Creativity: Exploring our passions and engaging in creative pursuits adds depth and richness to our lives. Whether it's through art, music, writing, or any other form of self-expression, these endeavors allow us to connect with our inner selves and leave a lasting legacy.

Inner Peace and Mindfulness: In the midst of a hectic world, finding moments of inner peace and practicing mindfulness can be profoundly significant. Cultivating a sense of presence, gratitude, and contentment allows us to savor the beauty of everyday life.

Nature and the Environment: Our connection to the natural world is undeniably significant. Protecting and preserving the environment ensures a sustainable future for generations to come. Time spent in nature rejuvenates the spirit and reminds us of the interconnectedness of all life.

Cultural and Spiritual Exploration: Exploring different cultures and spiritual beliefs can be a transformative journey. It broadens our perspective, fosters tolerance, and deepens our understanding of the human experience.

Acts of Kindness and Compassion: Small acts of kindness and compassion have a ripple effect that can touch countless lives. These acts not only bring joy to others but also create a sense of significance within ourselves.

Legacy and Contribution: Leaving a positive legacy and making a meaningful contribution to society are endeavors that transcend our own lifetimes. Knowing that our actions have made the world a better place is a source of profound significance.

In the grand tapestry of life, it's the threads of significance that give it color and meaning. While we may be tempted by the transient and superficial, it's essential to remember what truly matters. By nurturing meaningful relationships, prioritizing health and well-being, and contributing positively to the world, we can lead lives that are not just long but deeply significant. In doing so, we leave a legacy of love, compassion, and purpose for generations to come.

[inkskinned]

the thing about art is that it was always supposed to be about us, about the human-ness of us, the impossible and beautiful reality that we (for centuries) have stood still, transfixed by music. that we can close our eyes and cry about the same book passage; the events of which aren't real and never happened. theatre in shakespeare's time was as real as it is now; we all laugh at the same cue (pursued by bear), separated hundreds of years apart.

three years ago my housemates were jamming outdoors, just messing around with their instruments, mostly just making noise. our neighbors - shy, cautious, a little sheepish - sat down and started playing. i don't really know how it happened; i was somehow in charge of dancing, barefoot and laughing - but i looked up, and our yard was full of people. kids stacked on the shoulders of parents. old couples holding hands. someone had brought sidewalk chalk; our front walk became a riot of color. someone ran in with a flute and played the most astounding solo i've ever heard in my life, upright and wiggling, skipping as she did so. she only paused because the violin player was kicking his heels up and she was laughing too hard to continue.

two weeks ago my friend and i met in the basement of her apartment complex so she could work out a piece of choreography. we have a language barrier - i'm not as good at ASL as i'd like to be (i'm still learning!) so we communicate mostly through the notes app and this strange secret language of dancers - we have the same movement vocabulary. the two of us cracking jokes at each other, giggling. there were kids in the basement too, who had been playing soccer until we took up the far corner of the room. one by one they made their slow way over like feral cats - they laid down, belly-flat against the floor, just watching. my friend and i were not in tutus - we were in slouchy shirts and leggings and socks. nothing fancy. but when i asked the kids would you like to dance too? they were immediately on their feet and spinning. i love when people dance with abandon, the wild and leggy fervor of childhood. i think it is gorgeous.

their adults showed up eventually, and a few of them said hey, let's not bother the nice ladies. but they weren't bothering us, they were just having fun - so. a few of the adults started dancing awkwardly along, and then most of the adults. someone brought down a better sound system. someone opened a watermelon and started handing out slices. it was 8 PM on a tuesday and nothing about that day was particularly special; we might as well party.

one time i hosted a free "paint along party" and about 20 adults worked quietly while i taught them how to paint nessie. one time i taught community dance classes and so many people showed up we had to move the whole thing outside. we used chairs and coatracks to balance. one time i showed up to a random band playing in a random location, and the whole thing got packed so quickly we had to open every door and window in the place.

i don't think i can tell you how much people want to be making art and engaging with art. they want to, desperately. so many people would be stunning artists, but they are lied to and told from a very young age that art only matters if it is planned, purposeful, beautiful. that if you have an idea, you need to be able to express it perfectly. this is not true. you don't get only 1 chance to communicate. you can spend a lifetime trying to display exactly 1 thing you can never quite language. you can just express the "!!??!!!"-ing-ness of being alive; that is something none of us really have a full grasp on creating. and even when we can't make what we want - god, it feels fucking good to try. and even just enjoying other artists - art inherently rewards the act of participating.

i wasn't raised wealthy. whenever i make a post about art, someone inevitably says something along the lines of well some of us aren't that lucky. i am not lucky; i am dedicated. i have a chronic condition, my hands are constantly in pain. i am not neurotypical, nor was i raised safe. i worked 5-7 jobs while some of these memories happened. i chose art because it mattered to me more than anything on this fucking planet - i would work 80 hours a week just so i could afford to write in 3 of them.

and i am still telling you - if you are called to make art, you are called to the part of you that is human. you do not have to be good at it. you do not have to have enormous amounts of privilege. you can just... give yourself permission. you can just say i'm going to make something now and then - go out and make it. raquel it won't be good though that is okay, i don't make good things every time either. besides. who decides what good even is?

you weren't called to make something because you wanted it to be good, you were called to make something because it is a basic instinct. you were taught to judge its worth and over-value perfection. you are doing something impossible. a god's ability: from nothing springs creation.

a few months ago i found a piece of sidewalk chalk and started drawing. within an hour i had somehow collected a small classroom of young children. their adults often brought their own chalk. i looked up and about fifteen families had joined me from around the block. we drew scrangly unicorns and messed up flowers and one girl asked me to draw charizard. i am not good at drawing. i basically drew an orb with wings. you would have thought i drew her the mona lisa. she dragged her mother over and pointed and said look! look what she drew for me and, in the moment, i admit i flinched (sorry, i don't -). but the mother just grinned at me. he's beautiful. and then she sat down and started drawing.

someone took a picture of it. it was in the local newspaper. the summary underneath said joyful and spontaneous artwork from local artists springs up in public gallery. in the picture, a little girl covered in chalk dust has her head thrown back, delighted. laughing.

[positivelypositivethoughts]

[mohntilyet]

illario + lucanis growing up together means a lot for obvious reasons ofc like the fact they did not have to go through the dellamorte villa torment nexus alone really helps. immediately from the moment they are taken to that house, lucanis has had something to protect and love. the snark and jokes that they share in wigmaker job finally having a chance to shine outside of the only person lucanis is socialised with and he learns that wow, he's actually likable. because up until this point everyone around him calls him a demon and is freaked out by him but ofc the veilguard only know him as lucanis "he banished harding from the kitchen" dellamorte. sure he's a big bad crow assassin but his reputation simply does not carry that much weight with people who are just equally deranged (maybe a de riva rook but that's also a little different) . and then he's able to share and extend that love with his new friends, and able to try being something that he's not had the chance to before, and his goodness is actively encouraged rather than being an unfortunate sidequest that is tolerated. and i fondly think also of how much of that humor is copied and mirrored off illario ("shoulders....... feeling tight...... need a ..... MASSAGE!") and it's his best experiences with illario that turned him into the man he is. wish the game explored this just a little more because the betrayal would have been made a lot more intense if they had just bothered to show any of illario's redeeming qualities. he has them!!!!! nobody is just born a traitor. you have to love someone before they can become that.

[marciaillust]

smoke break 2

[wingsandfeather]

You must be crazy to think I’d adapt to you when you never considered adapting to me.

- K

[lady-quen]

Hello Guild Wars 2 community! A new poll has dropped! 🐦‍⬛

(At least, hopefully new, lol.) I'm curious, which blessing did your Commander get on their first/canon go through the Raven Sanctum in the story mission "The Invitation?" Choose and tell me in the tags why they made their specific decisions :)

Compiled explanations from the wiki below for ease of access:

The trial choices in order:

Save the wounded man or save the healers

Save the spell tome or save the historical record

Save the queen or save the prince

Blessings:

Blessing of Daybreak

"When the fear of beastly claws and a child's pain is made sharp by the knowledge of elders, we make no mistakes. But do we grow?"

Healers -> historical record -> prince

Grace of Dawn

"When wisdom is favored in all things—a healing hand, a text of old, a beloved queen—we lose the sharpened sword of the truly bold."

Healers -> historical record -> queen

Consecration of Morning

"We seek to destroy monsters with sharp claws and icy breath, but do we protect ourselves from the beasts shaped like us, who prey on the young and vulnerable, who seek to rule us?"

Healers -> spell tome -> prince

Invocation of Midday

"When we flee from the things we fear most - the teeth of beasts, the storm of a dragon, a change of power-we risk running backward."

Healers -> spell tome -> queen

Supplication of Midday

"We favor the skill of healers and the wisdom of elders over the uncertainty of the future. But the young take chances, and the young push us forward."

Wounded man -> spell tome -> prince

Consecration of Evening

"We long for the comfort of a healing touch, an ancestral word of wisdom, a leader we know and trust. But comfort is fleeting, and with it comes inertia."

Wounded man -> historical record -> queen

Grace of Dusk

"We sacrifice so much—safety from the claws of death, knowledge of the ages, a steadfast reign—to propel ourselves forward. But if we move too fast, do we risk the inability to stop?"

Wounded man -> spell tome -> prince

Blessing of Twilight

"We try so hard to do the right thing. We heal, we protect our people, we preserve stability. But we cannot control how the winds of fate may shift, and a tight grip can sometimes hurt more than it helps."

Wounded man -> spell tome -> queen

[wild-at-mind]

I would honestly call the left's inability to accomodate people with morality-based OCD compulsions an accessibility issue at this point.

[strawberrystepmom]

years ago kim cattrall did an interview and said that she doesn’t want to be in a situation for even an hour where she doesn’t enjoy herself and i was journaling this morning and thinking of it bc she is so correct for this

[stayuntilthefoglifts]

No one is going to value you more than you value yourself. If you don't value yourself, then you will always be attracted to people who don't value you either.

Unknown, found on pinterest

[thepersonalwords]

The idea that “work” competes with “life” ignores that “life” is actually the intersection and interaction of four major domains: work, home, community, and the private self.

Derric Yuh Ndim

[skunkes]

the bad: i have been raised without much warmth from my parents in childhood, but also pressured to conform to familial authority, doubt myself always, and value familial connections above all else (<- failed at this, and feel guilt about it.)

but also in experiencing this i have been so isolated from the entire rest of the world and others, that it will be nearly impossible to create my own "family" -> find safety and comfort in anybody else once my family is Gone. despite dis i find it really difficult to break away from the familiar, disobey and disappoint, because, well, why are my wishes more important than anybody else's. why would I cause upset and distress in anybody, and exert so much effort into my doubt filled half decisions, for my meaningless little Wishes. being away would also mean less time with these people who I'll never see again once they're gone. being raised this way is definitely paying off for those who did so.

the good: yaaaay adjacent inspiration for writing talon lore

[ssruis]

Eternally irritated by the Prsk fans who go there isn’t a misogyny problem bc like. Take my hand we’re learning about unconscious bias. Misogyny isn’t always On Purpose.

[positivelypositivethoughts]

[feminiel]

If you want to find your life purpose, you need to find your true self. You need to connect to the core of your values, needs, desires, emotional self, and passions. You need to be in touch with the essence of your soul energy.

@feminiel

[sideblogdotjpeg]

"ultrus is right, i am weak and pathetic" / "callie believes the way she loves is fundamentally repulsive" / "all i ever cared about was being useful someday" . things i think about a normal amount