#astounded by the moral apathy

[baby-girl-aaron-dessner]

Israel has planned its latest bombing campaign around the American consumer. They waited for the Super Bowl to begin before they launched a violent attack on Rafah Refugee Camp.

So between the noise of Beyoncé’s new album, Taylor Swift cheering on her boyfriend and Usher’s performance, we are viewing the corpses of dead children.

We are truly living in dystopian times.

[ashwantsafreepalestine]

But seriously, how do Israelis do it though? The moral apathy is astounding. Maybe this is just me, but if I got kidnapped by Hamas, and then find out that 200 civilians were killed to rescue me, most of them children, I would kill myself out of unbearable guilt. Either that or I’d waste away. I’d be haunted, tortured. But then again, maybe this is just me.

[a11ie0]

Character BG

Huang Xuefeng

Backstory:

Born into a family of alchemist cultivators, from a young age Huang Xuefeng showed a keen intellect and innate talent for manipulating formations and creating powerful potions and elixirs. 

His parents were overjoyed at his potential and he was quickly raised under the knees of the Huang Patriarch.

As he grew older, he began forging his own path through alchemy. He spent years studying ancient texts and experimenting with new techniques and materials, expanding his understanding of the world around him. 

He remained indifferent to the praise and admiration of others, solely focusing on perfecting his craft and pushing himself to new heights of mastery with each passing day. Those within Xuefeng’s inner circle understood that his aloofness stemmed from a deep-seated drive for perfection and not apathy. He was only hard to get to know because he was always researching and experimenting.

As with all skill refinements, Xuefeng became known for his innovative approaches and frequently shared new and improved formulas that astounded seasoned practitioners. 

Rather than using his talents for personal gain and power, Xuefeng dedicated himself completely to alchemy driven by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and true mastery, his search for perfection sometimes teetering towards outweighing any concern for morality.

Of course, as a cultivator, Xuefeng needed to continue to cultivate so as to not let his alchemy stagnate. Full of confidence, he underwent the tribulation to transcend from a Nascent Soul cultivator to a Spirit Formation cultivator.

Unfortunately he failed.

His Nascent Soul struck by the 81 strikes of tribulation lightning, Huang Xuefeng fell from the Immortal Realm and landed in Solaria, the capital planet of the Interstellar Republic.

Xuefeng wandered, desolate in an unfamiliar world. Unable to find anyone who would believe he was from a different world and called insane too many times to count, he finally decided to bury his past deep in his heart. He continued wandering, seemingly lifeless, unable to adapt to his new world.

Until he was picked up by Auntie Huang. She took him in simply because they shared the same family name, and accordingly she treated him like a nephew.

Warmed by the woman’s attitude towards him, and willing to cling to any warmth within the unfamiliar, Xuefeng gave no protest when Auntie Huang found out about his alchemical talents with traditional tools and enrolled him into the Institute of War and Defense.

Enrolling in such an Academy is considered an honor in Solaria, as it is a top-tier institution. Xuefeng only felt mildly amused that Auntie Huang thought he was so young to be in school.

Still, when Xuefeng went to his first classes he realized that the Interstellar Republic’s alchemy was completely different from the alchemy of the Immortal Realm. 

There was technology and rune writing that seemed similar to formations but was completely different. Different kinds of materials and techniques surrounded him. The passion that had been buried in his heart after years of the same ingredients and the same processes burned anew while he enjoyed further opportunities to perfect his craft.

Class schedule at Institute of War and Defense:

1st Semester: Basic Alchemy, Weapons and Defense Strategy, Intergalactic History & Politics, Interstellar Commerce, Galactic Economics and Finances and Advanced Starship Design and Construction

2nd Semester: Basic Combat Skills, Advanced Portion & Elixir Design, Advanced Mecha Construct & Weapon Design, Advanced Runecraft, Interstellar Galactic Military Technology, Advanced Interstellar Galactic Trade Routes & Supply Lines

3rd Semester: Galactic Spacecraft Construction, Galactic Spacecraft Systems and Engineering, Rune Theory and Applications, Advanced Mecha Combat & Piloting, Galactic Military Industry Management, Galactic Space Travel, Transportation and Colony Management

4th Semester: Rune Integration with Mechs & Starships, Cosmic Power Applications, Galactic Warfighter Strategy, Galactic Defense & Infrastructure Security, Galactic Starship Logistics, Galactic Strategic Planning

5th Semester: Spacecraft and Runes, Tactical Alchemy, Runecraft and War, Galactic Rune Smithing, Advanced Alchemy Practice, Advanced Alchemy Theory

6th Semester: Cosmic Runecrafting and Rune writing, Cosmic Rune Smithing: Advanced Construct Design, Galactic Runecraft: Advanced Potion and Elixir Design, Cosmic Rune Smithing: Complex Runes and Alchemy

Thesis: An Analysis of the Application of Cosmic Runes in Alchemy: Constructing Advanced Potion and Elixir Designs

Graduated with honors: Alchemy Grandmaster, Distinction in Alchemy Excellence

Student Orgs/clubs: Alchemy Society, Intergalactic Writers Society, Intergalactic Arts Club and Mecha Pilot Club

Awards: Won 1st  for their thesis in the Intergalactic Alchemy Competition, and Silver in Intergalactic Mecha Pilot Competition and honorable mention in the Intergalactic Interdimensional Writing Competition for their story ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of the Eternal Flame Clan’s Heir’

[schiste-argileux]

Idw Prowl is an evil SOB (took him two years to send the Wreckers to Garrus-9 and help Maxy (who was protecting all the war crimes the Bots did), put Maxy’s torturer and a war criminal on board the Lost Light cuz why not, sent Pharma to Delphi knowing it was DJD territory)

Prowl... Prowl’s creation and competence in his area of work is astounding. He is brilliant, creative, and defiantly apathetic of this world. But, he is very human in his own way. IDW Prowl is selfish, yet not. He is a unique in that aspect because most people make decisions like his for the sole reason of benefiting themselves. But Prowl’s sole reason of existing is to create PEACE. 

Peace. Peace can only be done when people are complacent, happy, and satisfied. When things are stationary. Stable. 

But life is never stable. Elements desire to form bonds, yet are almost always leaning towards to instability... Prowl’s form of PEACE is a world where there is no fighting. But everything sentient requires to fulfill its desires. As long as there is desire, people will fight. 

A world of PEACE would be a world of full control, there are no surprises, no change. Safety, routines, and constants. No creativity, no development... nothing. stagnant. 

But I must admire Prowl’s tenacity and dedication to this world! 

He sacrifices everything for the sake of the directive, preserve cybertron, PEACE. He sacrifices his morals (Robot Gets Bullied By a Human), his dignity (Recent News, Cop Accepts Orgy For The Means of Establishing Peace, his body (Recent News, Cop gets Molested by A Spider for The Autobot Cause), and of course, thousands of lives (Not Recent News). :D Prowl respects and understands that there will always be chaos and instability, and he is so very flexible around it all! He literally can maximize everything and anything he has. He is the embodiment of consequentialism with a lil dash of politics. I wish my group project members were 1% as productive as him! Prowl tries to put everything black and white, and he gets upset when things get far more tricky, and wants to get everything in control so people can stay safe and remain in peace and not fight! And that’s a respectable goal! Control can be good, it means one understands and is able to retain themselves and the thing they are controlling. But Prowl doesn’t want to accept that there are things out of his control. And Prowl likes to think he’s justified when he controls the uncontrollable. 

I mean, yeah, if he didn’t do what he did, the autobots would have been six feet under A LOT EARLIER. Optimus is not a good leader, preserving organic life over his own soldiers? Psh. Look at Spike, he’s got valid points and can I understand why he left the ‘bots. Prowl’s probably thinking everyday, DAMN, OP, WHY R U SO DUMB. LISTEN WE NEED TO FEED OUR SOLDIERS AND PRIORITIZE OUR SPECIES LIVES INSTEAD OF THIS FUCKING CARBON BASED CIRCLE. HELLO??? And literally Prowl could have been like I’m gonna get ya assassinated so I CAN HAVE IT MY WAY. But Prowl was BORN for the RULES. To follow, to MAKE PEACE. Killing the prime figurehead is against that, even if it would make his life way easier! (hence, not that selfish and also sad that your life is the rules. That’s a short leash, but he makes due)

Honestly I feel bad for Prowl. Must suck to be so big brain that everyone hates you when you say the truths (but also you could learn some more tricks from Jazz to be nicer and hide the truth, but that’s scary because a nicer prowl means more people he can trick and use. Thanks Prowl for being so straightforward! Now people can avoid you easier). He's so straightforward about things that need to be done, he’s in constant denial about the grey area of life!

That’s why when Spike slapped Prowl with reality slaps, Prowl lost some of his shit. Remember, nearly everyone had the edgy depressed time in their teens or young adult years where you realize the world is truly unfair and nothing is black and white? Yeah. Slap that on a 6+ million year old robot with a battle computer and is capable of big brain CPU-age, and was literally built for the sole purpose of enforcing rules and making peace? And no one really cared about Prowl enough to understand him and his background. So Prowl goes through his angst moment alone with his huge titties, frustrated. THIS. IS. WHY. YOU. COMMUNICATE. YA DINGUS. 

Prowl doesn’t become a school shooter like Pharma cuz hes got bigger brain and a lot more power and control over himself, but he literally becomes Shadow The Hedgehog (Even if the world’s against me I’ll fight like I’ve always have). HE’S GONE ROGUE. MA’AM, SIR, THE FUCKING OREO COOKIE HAS TRANSFORMED AND ROLLED OUT.  like. OP was the one thing holding prowl back, which was good! But now prowl’s on the roll and bumblebee is too nice and passive to hold him back. + the bombshell brainwash? feels so bad. being prowl sucks. because Prowl is a necessary evil. 

At least he’s wonderfully blunt about his goal to create a peaceful cybertron, which makes it easier if you want to avoid him or smth. meanwhile you have fake people IRL that smile their way through and then slit your throat and you won’t even know it was them (hey jazz, no offense, but that’s what spec ops does). Fakers are the scariest enemy, but Prowl is still a threat, just not as big as a someone who fluffs you up on a balloon and then pops it. Prowl would just be like, hey, you’re really useful, come over here in my white van i wanna show you something and then maybe you get destroyed. But hey! You were the one with the highest chance of surviving compared to other people! Isn’t that great? You’re so skilled WOW. (Prowl gets punched. Again!) Prowl represents the necessary evil in society. We WILL ALWAYS HAVE EVIL people in this world. But Prowl is a far better evil than people who do evil for their own selfish reasons. It’s like how we have law enforcers and politicians . It’s basically giving them legal rights to do illegal things (lmao). BUT we need them regardless. We need those people to get their hands dirty, possibly killed, so that people can live in innocence and peace. 

I don’t think Prowl ever realized that he was a necessary evil, and when Spike showed him that, he was bitter. But he accepted it. Which I respect because most people can’t be bothered to understand themselves and just throw themselves in denial, and point fingers for their flaws. Prowl sucks up and understands who he is, and he makes the best of it to achieve his goal.  I mean, honestly? Prowl is probably a miracle worker. Not in a Ratchet sense. But look at the way modern governments run, nothing gets done, everything is stalled because no one has the guts to make sacrifices. Prowl would have gotten a shit ton of things done, man, and take quick efficient action. Even if he sacrifices many things for it.  (Warning. I do not condone any taking of lives, NO ONE has the right to judge whenever a person should live or die.)  Prowl reminds me of 秦始皇 (Qin Shi Huang), the king who unified China and sacrificed millions to make the Great Wall, canals, and road systems that last to this day. If it wasn’t for these accomplishments, China wouldn’t have been what it is today. Was it a good thing? For the future residents of China? Hell yeah. But the costs? Those are sins that can never be erased, and they are horrible and shouldn't be done ever again. Was it necessary? Perhaps. But that’s another discussion. Is Prowl evil? Depends on your definition of evil. Perhaps he’s justified, perhaps in his world, he’ll go down as the Qin Shi Huang of the Cybertronians. Regardless, Prowl like Pharma, is an EXCELLENT example to study on public ethics, and administrative officials should analyze him and learn from his mistakes and sins.  I think Prowl is not evil in a sense that he wishes to harm others, but evil in a sense of his apathy. Prowl is a necessary component to a functional society (someone to plot, to use people, to enforce rules even if some are sacrificed, someone who can get their hands dirty). He lives a terrible and sad fate, and I do not wish ANYONE to live a life like Prowl’s or look up to Prowl. Yes, he’s so clever and brilliant, but that kind of power will make you the loneliest person on Earth.

Thanks Prowl for taking the entire load of sin on your shoulders! Big MVP! You get nothing from the world except hate and contempt.  I would go on about him more but I have IRL stuff to do. I love Prowl as an example to tell people that MODERATION. COMMUNICATION. AND COMPASSION are important factors to have a healthy and good mental state. Prowl is the perfect example of someone who doesn’t want to empathize (haha so many people are like this today), who doesn’t want to try to use more braincells and friends help to make better plans that are more moderate and not extreme, and who doesn’t want to talk to anyone thinking its a waste of time or have difficulty explaining things.  BUT I LOVE G1 PROWL because he has far more patience and manners, and doesn’t take a darker, route for his goals. awhohdohd he’s baby,,, i wish all cops had patience and manners and in general open-minded yet cautious enough not to be taken advantage of,,,, perhaps then we wouldn’t have so much polarization and fighting with authority in this world.... 

uwuwwuwuwuw they did prowl so dirty in idw WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ;____;   Again, you are welcome to disagree or agree! I wrote this really quickly so I’m sure there will be points that could be clarified or edited. Prowl’s really complicated and I do not like to talk about current IRL problems, but Prowl represents a lot of problems in society. And I think it’s critical if we try to look at both perspectives to get an understanding on WHY people do these things, and is there a solution to AVOID making those same mistakes? There’s a couple of controversial things in this short essay I wrote, esp. about cops IRL. So feel free to have at it! Or ignore it! Whichever is more comfortable for you! Thanks for coming to my ted talk! Again, Prowl is a bad influence and a sorrowful life to live. please do not try to be like prowl. xD I won’t intrude on you if you do, because you have a right to live the life you want as long as you’re not hurting other people’s interests and wellbeing! 

[unfortunately-lovestruck]

So concerning Antonio’s update, this is a long-ass analysis/ramble. If you don’t want copious amounts of literary analysis, ignore this. If you want my review or thoughts, it’s all under the cut.

So to start off, I think we all knew this was inevitable. And by “this” I’m of course referring to the MC’s deterioration into cruelty and hunger for power. In terms of plot, this update mainly consisted of MC’s emotional and mental instability after seeing Frankenstein, who unsurprisingly reactivates trauma within her. So this is mainly build-up and the finale next week will be the climax. But, in terms of symbolism, allusions, and character insight, this update was surprisingly deep.

1) We got a large amount of mental insight from both Antonio and the MC, but especially a lot from the former compared the usual. We learn how lonely Antonio felt after breaking out of the castle and splitting up from her. We learn the urgent and borderline hysterical fear he felt when he learned Eva was alive through the MC feeling the exact same thing in regards to Frankenstein. He explains just how and why the MC changed him, that she made him look at himself and actually confront his problems instead of running away. In one of the options when the MC asks “What scares you?” he answers with “Too many things to list”. MC feels down the bond that he’s experiencing loss, like he’s losing her. He admits he’s not sure stopping her in her fit of rage against Victor was the correct choice. They’re little glances, but when you add them up like this, it becomes a lot. Because the focal point of this update is the MC’s mental stability (or decline of it) we have to see his mental state as well because they’re linked. This leads me to the next point.

2)

The bond literally just snapped. The way it’s described in the second screenshot almost makes it sound like a piece of wood, but what I envisioned was a rubber band. MC experiences so much emotional strain after seeing Frankenstein, which transfers over to Antonio. The copious insight we get from him mirrors how much we see of MC’s emotions, and it all builds and grows. The stress is like pulling on the elastic of the band, until eventually the tension rises so much, it just breaks.

3) We get another reminder from MC just how similar she and Antonio are. Albeit brief, it’s definitely relevant to one of the entire route’s themes. Is man so different from monster if that monster was once a man? (I.E. moral grayness.) MC and Antonio both grew up poor, both lost important immediate family, and both have a little sister they would do anything for. They both crave power as well, and in the end, they both get it. After being born into poverty, Antonio builds status in both the human and vampire world. He’s the billionaire CEO to mortals, and an elder vampire with high ranking to immortals. After having a similar background, MC becomes the prophesied Lady of Blood, and is able to make even Dracula bend to her will and fear her, a feat not even Antonio could accomplish in 5 centuries. They are both so similar it’s astounding. How does this connect to moral grayness? Well, MC eventually ends up calling Frankenstein a “pathetic human”, and is surprised at her apathy considering how recently she was turned. Vanessa asks her what she’ll become when it’s only her and bloodlust with no bloodbags in sight. Though a good portion of this struggle is tied to her being losing control of her power and just being a vampire in general, MC ends up pondering her morals before this slip of her mental state even begins. In the beginning of Antonio’s route, she sees him as a monster. His whole role in the series is the “dark” vampire. Yet after 6 seasons, MC is powerful like him. She drinks blood like him. No matter how morally questionable she initially found him, she is like him. And the transformation, apart from the Lady of Blood bit, only amplified that.

4) Returning to the theme of power, it arises yet again, and is another reminder of the early stages of the route. From the start, there’s a power imbalance between Antonio and MC. Rich vs poor, old vs. young, vampire vs. human. So they both figure turning her into a vampire will even the playing field. But now there’s still an imbalance. MC has control over every vampire in the world except for him. And though Antonio doesn’t want to use it, he has control over her after turning her. Both harbor too much power, and it didn’t cancel anything out as intended, but instead seems more like it squared itself. 

5) I mentioned the symbolism and character insight, but I’ve yet to address allusions. In Antonio’s route, we get a combination of Dracula, Frankenstein/Igor, and Elizabeth Bathory/the Blood Cult. Dracula, so far, hasn’t been too imposing. He nearly bit the MC in the masquerade, and Necahual did try to bite her too, but other than that, they ended up being more minor inconveniences. Frankenstein, however, manages to cause so much damage with so little effort. It takes only a single sight of him to tip MC over the edge of stability. His true motives remain unknown, since just reviving Eva clearly wasn’t the end of it. Now, I haven’t read the novel by Mary Shelley, but after a quick Google search about his motivations in the book, it’s obvious that Frankenstein has a God complex and wants to create a being so powerful it defies nature and science. And the master of the Blood Cult just so happens to have wanted to turn MC himself so he could have control over her, and therefore control of every other vampire. I don’t know how this would take form exactly, but from what I’m seeing, it looks like MC is Frankenstein’s next monster, whether metaphorically or literally. And after this quote,

I just feel like her heart has to play some role in all this. Igor almost cut it out with a knife at an alter. Antonio considered giving her heart to Eva so it would continue to pump the blood she needed to survive. MC calls Victor’s heart cold and dark to do what he did. This scene might look like a cheesy, romantic exchange between two lovers, but I’m 95% sure this is foreshadowing somehow.

So what’s going to happen now? Well, the way it looks is that MC is going to push Antonio away and shut him out completely, and unless he stops her, she’ll force the cult to go find Frankenstein and murder him. My bet is the season finale will be him finally using his control over her and stopping her, and the MC will feel betrayed. We might seriously even just lose a coherent point of view from her because she’ll straight up have a different mentality, and even personality all together. In other words, she’ll become the Lady of Blood, fully and maybe even irreversibly.

But hey, that’s just my theory. Feel free to discuss!

[nmcwriting]

cosmicity - a wip by nmc

cosmicity tells the story of malum, a boy of astounding apathy. residing in a city of life, malum has lived the past year like a ghost beneath neon lights, with no will and no desire. it’s only when he’s possessed by a demon that activity enters his life. he and the demon fight for control, and although he is only a human vessel, malum manages to grasp his own mind and the demon within it. unfortunately, while malum mostly contains control of his body, the demon speaks to him, a constant hiss that begins to terrorize him.

meanwhile, malum catches the interest of another student at his university, an eccentric, loud boy named citro. citro’s world is confusing, an onslaught of violence and chaos and noise, and the demon inside him buzzes with it, tamed only by the familiarity of what he knows, mindless entertainment. because of this, malum is drawn to this world, and he follows citro and his gang with no question of morality, only the pleasant hum of satisfaction every time he’s submerged in mayhem.

cosmicity is a story about death, chaos vs control, and belonging. message or dm me if you’d like to be on the tag list!

[beinglibertarian]

Civilized Society: On the Death of Civility

One of the most influential questions I’ve ever encountered came not from a great philosopher or writer, nor from any inspiring conversation or work. Rather it came from a black comedy at the end of a rant about people throwing used tampons at each other and ripping on American Idol.

The movie (and I highly suggested giving it a watch) was called “God Bless America” and was a story of a man who decided to address the idiocy and (un)culture of the U.S. Of A.

The question: “Why have a civilization if we are no longer interested in being civilized?”

The weight of that question has stayed with me for many years. In all aspects of our lives, we see a continuous shift towards not just tolerating but accepting and rejoicing at the de-evolution of our moral and normative standards.

Before this gets misinterpreted, I am not attempting to start the “objective/subjective” morality debate. Rather I want to touch on this trend, the damage it has and will continue to do, and its effects on not just discourse but human interaction at large.

For the purposes of this piece, I feel that I need to define what I mean by “civilized” in this context.

I am referring here to a standard. A level of culture, of self-betterment, and of social advancement. I am referring to refinement, tact, principles, and all of the other things we have allowed to be eroded from our social norms. The very things that made us as advanced as we are as a civilization are the things that we are allowing to disappear, and it’s primarily due to either apathy, intellectual laziness, or the false belief that these cornerstones of our society are mere relics compared to our own decay.

Make Politics Civilized Again

When we talk about politics we usually end up discussing how terrible one politician is compared to another (which I’ll touch on later). Worse still is attempting to engage with people themselves. Moreso than our politicians, people in general need to be more civilized when discussing these topics.

God forbid one disagrees with someone these days! Outline the belief in an opposed idea and you will be beset by the tribalistic howler monkeys hungry for the flesh of the heretic.

To many, it has become as if the mere existence of opposition is equal to a personal affront or attack.

If one believes or is thinking something different than the hive they are implying that the other is somehow mentally deficient.

Everything gets couched in false dichotomies of us/them, yes/no, right/wrong, all when the world of political ideologies are far more convoluted and nuanced than that. I may disagree with someone’s views on a topic like gun control, but that doesn’t mean that that alone is justification for me to start screeching “Statist!” the second someone suggests some form of restrictions. Just the same I would hope that my opposition wouldn’t immediately jump into saying I support the deaths of children or some other absurdity simply because my stance remains unchanged after a school shooting.

The purpose of debate and civil discourse is to present and challenge ideas; not to pontificate and organize pissing contests.

I find it odd that people will demand to have their voices heard, then squander the opportunities to shift hearts and minds to their cause through empty vulgarities.

Despite millennia of evolution, we still allow ourselves to be put into the little boxes of our self-designed tribes. Even those of us who preach for individualism can be found guilty of this.

Not all is lost here though. I’ve found that much of it lies in approach. If one approaches a discussion from a good faith position with a true willingness to objectively debate and review ideas you will eventually find those on the opposition that are the same. Even the ones that aren’t can eventually be swung into a proper discussion with the right levels of tact and respect.

Obviously, there will be those that are simply there to screech, but that doesn’t grant a license to debase one’s self and do the same. Ideologies can and ought to be discussed on an ideological level. Any lower and one may as well not speak at all.

The Death of Nuance

By and large, this might be the biggest contributing factor to the issues spelled out above and below.

Even those that maintain the ability to discuss, debate and create tend to have lost this necessary skill. The ability to understand and look for the nuance in things.

We design things around simplicity rather than quality. Whether it’s our political arguments or our art, we are constantly aiming to accomplish some form of streamlining that in turn means the frills need to be trimmed.

Arguments are reduced to dichotomies and art reduced to the most easily packaged thing. We see this with our politics especially. We will ignore the nuances of arguments that have vastly different implications because they are outside of our tribes.

There is a massive difference between saying “I’m against the existence of unions” and saying “I’m against government empowerment of unions.” Supporters of unions will treat these as the same thing, even if the latter statement came from a supporter of unions themselves, or if the opposition is some form of left-libertarian. Logical consistency and honest review of the details of their opponent’s arguments are thrown aside for the sake of their tribe.

As I mentioned above, we try to reduce all things into ���yes/no” categories and trap ourselves within them. This does far more harm than simply amputating the civilized tones political discourse once held. It also kills our ability to think outside of these dichotomies.

If what one has to say can’t be reduced to a tautology or syllogism then it isn’t worth hearing in the eyes of our generation of pundits and keyboard warriors. As a society, we have stopped our exploration of philosophy and the arts and moved into a phase of rearrangement. We no longer strive to make something wholly new, but simply remix and argue over what has already come before us.

Most of our media and ideas are not our own anymore. They are remixes of ideas and arguments from before.

While it is worth understanding and appreciating what came before us, we should strive to move past it. We should strive to improve rather than regurgitate the ideas that came before us. We should take the time to learn the subtleties of what we engage ourselves in. I brought it up in one of my podcast episodes where I talked about the human habit of overcomplication, yet I am equally astounded by the amounts of those complications and nuances that we add to our interests that we then summarily ignore.

We will spend all of this time debating philosophy, politics and economics, but we won’t take an equal amount of time to review the basis for the arguments our opponents use, or in some cases ourselves. Instead, we will defer to the basics of what we encounter and fight from there.

In art, we will accept a lower quality of music lyrically because we’ve reduced our listening experience to the beat. We examine our world from generalizations rather than attempting to view things as a whole. We discard the whole once we’ve decided what is in front of us. There are some out there reading this that likely saw the repetition of the word “we” and got their backs up. It should be easily understood that the usage of the word here is in a generalized form and thus should receive no contention from those this critique doesn’t apply to. The fact that this likely needs to be explained further illustrates my point.

“It’s Art”

It is saddening when people say this in defense of baseless vulgarity or unoriginal pieces of “art.”

Through the postmodernist lens, we’ve come to accept anything as art so long as it was made in expression of whatever the “artist” whips up as a reason after the fact.

While some pieces can indeed be interesting, on the whole, much of the talent the art world use to hold has been replaced with expression for the sake of expression; no actual skill required. We’ve turned the study of the aesthetic into a scatological field.

The truest shame of this is the amount of true talent that gets passed over in place of these works of “art.” The amount of technical skill and artistic vision that likely went into your phone’s background or those random “cool art” Facebook page posts you’ve seen massively outweighs anything I’ve seen from the “performance art” crowd in recent years.

Outside of the regular talentless hacks that throw the term “avant-garde” around like they actually know what it means, there’s the overpackaged side of this decline as well.

Now it needs to be stated first: I understand that most television, movies, and pop hits aren’t designed to be masterwork expressions of the craft. They’re designed to be popular. The problem is twofold here.

First, we are a very systematic species. We’ve devoted thousands of man hours and resources into the study of what makes certain music or shows popular and reduced these fields to a science rather than the art it ought to be.

Not every TV show needs to be some high-level journey of wonderment, but at least they could stop redoing the Three’s Company formula every time they need a new hit. Even some of the better works that have come out in recent years like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, while refreshing, ended up doing little more than creating a new system for companies to flood the market with.

With every repetition of the model, it becomes weaker and more deformed.

Pop music has always suffered this, but the emphasis on it has eroded the usefulness of the media form.

Even older pop hits still had to reach a certain level of quality before we would begin to eat it up. Instead of keeping up with that trend, we’re fed things that are scientifically designed to be appealing; rather than being appealing on its own artistic merits.

Luckily there are definitely acts out there that bring that higher level of quality, but sadly they simply aren’t as big or on the same level of reach as the cookie-cutter ensembles that I’m referring to.

I’m not suggesting we need to go back to some idyllic civilized high society that only listens to classical and jazz (though I wouldn’t really oppose that either), but rather that we pay more attention to the art we consume and demand more than a catchy tune with an appropriate level of compression.

The Pursuit of Knowledge

As of the beginning of this sentence, this article was already at 1795 words. For most of those that read web articles, I’m already over the average attention span by about 1000 words.

Even in libertarian circles, there are tons of people that will fight you to the death on an economic or philosophical concept, yet they’ve never read the source material these ideas came from.

They’ll have gotten their arguments from watching others debate online or by parroting whichever YouTuber they happen to follow.

They’ll attack commies for their ideological views, but have never picked up a copy of anything by Proudhon, Marx, or Kropotkin. This isn’t a libertarian issue alone though as those same commies are just as likely to have never read the material either.

We’ve bred a social order that values the products of knowledge, but not it’s acquisition. Sure, we push our youth to run off and get their degrees, but we do that for the sake of them gaining better  employment rather than to actually learn.

Shows like “Are you smarter than a 5th grader” are only possible in a society where we treat the civilized pursuit of knowledge as a means rather than an end in and of itself.

Even when we do pursue knowledge, we aim for summaries. In order to stand for something one first needs the legs that true knowledge grants you. After reading a single Wikipedia article or listicle people consider themselves educated enough to discuss the finer points of Spinoza. And that’s if they even read non-fiction to begin with.

The average person reportedly reads twelve books per year, though this is largely believed to be inflated with the actual average closer to four. This is out of the nearly one million books published every year. Obviously, it would be physically impossible to read that much per year, but even when we do read the quality is suspect.

Look at the explosion of YA novels. Most of it is average, slightly above dime store level tropes repackaged in slightly different arrangements. These sell millions of copies and get turned into blockbuster movies.

Even “Adult” (no, not that kind) novels tend to follow the same path of repetitive swill. The bulk of the variety ends up coming from the types of characters rather than the plot itself, or the authors will predictably try to over M. Night Shyamalan their works with more twists than a 50‘s sock hop.

All of this may sound like some form of intellectual elitism, but rather it is a call for standards. We can enjoy the odd bit of trite every once in a while (one of my favorite films is still “The Room”), however, we cannot sustain ourselves on it.

Civilization and culture around the world has been built on the backs of the thinkers and the dreamers. If we only feed our brains garbage then we will produce the same. To make society more civilized we need to start by making ourselves more informed and demand of others and ourselves the higher standards that would grant us.

Psuedos: A Cancer on Culture

In listing all of this I feel it is important to list the worst offenders of those that erode all that is civilized: Psuedo-intellectuals.

These are the types that list their IQ and pedigree within the first 5 facts you learn about them. They learned all they need to know about being successful from reading 7 habits of successful people and a handful of Malcolm Gladwell books. They took not one, but two CrossFit classes and are ready to become personal trainers and dietitians. They are plebs in Armani.

The reason I think they are contributing to the uncivilized trend that we have been experiencing is that they steal the limelight from real thinkers in the name of egotistical desire.

They speak less for the purposes of sharing any real knowledge they might, by chance, have gathered, but solely to express that they are the ones that know it. They are not agents of enlightenment, but rather of sophistry.

They make compelling arguments completely devoid of any nuance that could show true thought behind their ideas, and become excessively defensive should their supposed superiority be questioned.

They’re willing to show how civilized they are in a discussion right up until any of their ideas are challenged. In their eyes, to challenge them is to say they are wrong which is tantamount to blasphemy.

Their involvement in a conversation sullies it, which in turn turns people away from engaging in the material at all.

Worst still, it can lead to people quietly settling into their little tribes on the topic.

A true thinker should want people to engage in their material. Critiques help people hone their ideas, add to their knowledge base, and offer perspectives that may previously have been unconsidered. A Psuedo-intellectual wants none of that.

The Psuedo just wants to be right from the start, and acknowledged for it. Most painfully, they are likely to self-victimize. They will claim they argue purely from facts and reasoning, but they will also be offended on a personal level if they are sufficiently challenged.

Most commonly this results in pedantic commentary, condescending remarks and stances, and a transition of the discussion from the topic at hand to an emptier game of linguistics. If one dares stoop to their level they’ll immediately decry that they’re being attacked and turn the discussion towards tone and words to gain some level of superiority out of the exchange.

This erodes not only civilized and intellectually honest discussion, but also the foundations of knowledge in the public sphere. Discussion gets driven not by the wisest voices, but rather the loudest.

I think the best example of this committed to film was in the movie “Good Will Hunting.” In the famous bar scene where the pretentious grad student attempts to browbeat Ben Afflick’s character solely for the purposes of browbeating him and making a spectacle. Matt Damon’s character (Will) comes forward and begins to pick him apart for the ideas stolen from entry-level books, generic stances, and walks him through what his academic and general future will encompass being that way.

He quotes the authors he’s stealing from (and even the damn page number), and generally summarizes all of the issues with this breed of person; all through a thick Boston accent.

I highlight this scene because it perfectly encapsulates what I’m referring to. Unfettered pedantry by those that overvalue their own knowledge and capabilities.

Now, I’m not lacking in self-awareness to the degree to not notice that one might think the same of me for writing such a lengthy piece as this attacking all of these aspects of discussion and society as if I am somehow above it all.

I am the first to acknowledge if and when I slip up on the things listed here, and truly without pretense welcome it when others notice so that I can course correct and improve. Noticing these traits and taking the time to improve upon them is what separates us from those that are simply in it to put on a show. True learning and development start with a real hunger for the knowledge, and a humble willingness to be wrong.

Civilized Office Starts With Civility

Look at the news. Just look at it and weep. People have always gotten heated and thrown mud in the political arena, but it had generally been understood that there are levels to which one simply does not stoop.

As time progresses that notion has been eroded.

Even during the infamous Watergate fiasco, we could still see a level of civility in the commentary and discussions on Nixon’s actions, and what should follow. I doubt that reporters from most MSM outlets could sit down through an interview with Trump and remain as civilized yet to the point as Frost could.

Even amongst the general public, we’ve seen this shift. After Clinton and that little blue dress, the respect for the presidency as an office plummeted as seen with the open hostility towards Bush, the baseless attacks against Obama (which tended to ignore the large list of factual reasons to criticize him), and the circus around this current presidency.

I welcome the reduction in the worship of the office as much as the next libertarian, however, I cannot support the lack of civilized discourse regarding it.

One doesn’t need to pretend these politicians are good people (generally they aren’t), but debasing one’s self for the sake of attacking them is unnecessary and pointlessly negative as well.

Civilized discourse is built around maintaining a level of decorum and mustering enough respect to effectively and fairly engage an opponent. As we remove our respect and decorum we also erode our expectations.

You don’t get a Trump (or a Hillary, or Bernie) in office if you actually demand a higher quality from these offices. While one may be on the anarchist side and against the existence of the offices themselves, that doesn’t mean we should treat the offices so poorly as to turn them into a joke. When we do that we don’t reduce the power these offices currently hold; we only reduce the quality of those who hold them.

Put another way, one can question the legitimacy of these offices and want them abolished, but simply treating them sloppily only results in lower quality people hold these positions of power, making them that much more dangerous. Conflating that these offices ought to be removed or reduced with the idea that they hold no power is a root cause of the continuous degrade in the quality of people that hold them.

Conclusion

This also needs to be said: I’m not dictating that we need to make these changes by force. That’s an important detail that is likely to be missed by some on first glance.

Cultural direction works the same as markets in the sense that changes only happen three ways. They happen by environmental factors (abundance of a resource in one area, natural disaster, etc), by the force of an interloper (such as the government), or by the sum of the actions of the individuals of society.

The environmental influence on civilized societies are mostly immutable (note: mostly), and, while there are those that attempt to enforce their cultural views via force and law (From the Puritans of old to the archetypical SJWs of today) I am attempting neither.

I write this in an attempt to get people on a different track and to change how the sum of our culture will look. Between these three factors, I personally will always bet on the individual as being the greatest genesis of change. It’s the individual I seek to showcase this to, and to engage. At the very least I hope this sparks a discussion and consideration of the points herein.

The Dalai Lama had a book titled “How to see yourself as you really are” that I think is apt to mention here. The book discusses the concept of self-knowledge, and removing the biases that attribute to both false negative and false positive interpretations of yourself.

The goal of the exercises and philosophy presented is to direct the reader towards being able to see the reality of themselves, and act accordingly rather than from empty pretenses they might have of themselves.

While I most definitely am nowhere near his levels of understanding or wisdom, my intentions here are the same.

It is my hope that those that read this will aim for more civilized heights than they had before, and will look for opportunities to improve the way we function.

I hope that you will self-reflect and take something away from all of this. It is my hope that we can answer the question of whether to have a civilization anymore with a resounding yes, but that will only be possible if we as individuals are willing to fulfill our parts.

* Killian Hobbs is a writer for Think Liberty.

The post Civilized Society: On the Death of Civility appeared first on Being Libertarian.

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[ailithnight]

My latest Sander’s Sides fic and the first one I’m pre-planning as a multi-chapter. So far, I’m planning 4-5 chapters, but that number may fluctuate upwards as I have more ideas or down as I write stuff out. We’ll see. For now, just buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Title: Anxiety and Deceptions Chapter 1 Words: 1711 CW: In this chapter, Angst, Deceit, and Manipulation. Also, foul language. In future chapters, it’s going to get worse and probably turn more abusive. If that’s going to be a reason for not reading, I don’t recommend getting invested in this fic. 

Tagslist: @moose-squirrel05, @didsomeonesayprince, @readeatfightlove13

Everyone in Thomas’s mind knew the change was coming. Conscious and Subconscious traits alike had felt the mindscape shifting, changing, growing. Much like Thomas himself was, what with the onset of puberty. The reason for the change was clear. Someone was going to be promoted. One of the Subconscious traits would be moving upstairs to become a Conscious trait. The upstairs traits seemed less than happy about it. Creativity’s voice was easy to catch and follow to its source.

“One of those heinous, inhuman fiends is going to be coming up here. They’re going to be up here, more powerful, and spreading their disease-like influence into Thomas’s ever day life. How can you two just be okay with that?”

“Now Roman,” Morality would caution, “we don’t even know which one it’s going to be. Maybe they won’t be so bad.”

“Patton is correct, Roman.” Logan would interject coolly. “There is little purpose in making these judgements until the trait moves up here. For all we know, they are being promoted because they will fulfill some important role in Thomas’s day to day life.”

Deceit could hardly keep the grin off his face. Technically, none of them knew for certain which trait was being promoted. The mind had sealed the room off until it was completed, so there were no clues to be gathered there. But Deceit was certain it would be him. After all, which trait could possibly be more useful to the gay teenage actor who was slowly turning into an adult. There were so many deceptions to take place in Thomas’s future. Of course, Deceit would be promoted. All of the other Subconscious traits seemed to agree it would be Deceit.

Naturally, Selfishness had been envious. Apathy didn’t really care. Rage had been frustrated it hadn’t been him. Exploitation said he didn’t care as long as Deceit would help him get some influence in every now and then. He was looking forward to taking advantage of every opportunity presented, even when it worked Thomas to the bone doing it. Deceit had easily agreed, assuring all the Subconscious sides that he would insure their voiced were heard and heeded more often. Well, Deceit had made this statement in the presence of all but one.

Anxiety was… well, Anxiety was different. Deceit didn’t like him. In part because his constant paranoia, skepticism, and overall anxiousness made him far less susceptible to Deceit’s manipulation. But that alone wouldn’t have been enough to incur Deceit’s distaste. All of the Subconscious sides were tricky to manipulate, them being so much more familiar with Deceit’s antics. No. The real kicker was that Anxiety didn’t really care if Deceit manipulated him. He was timid and passive in all aspects regarding his own person. The only thing Anxiety ever cared about was Thomas. And when he was acting to protect Thomas, well, Fight or Flight has two halves.

Anxiety was more like the Conscious sides, the “Light Sides” as Creativity liked to call them, than he was the Subconscious sides. He cared about Thomas. He used names instead of titles. He barely even had any inhuman attributes. All the Subconscious sides had something. Deceit had his half-snake face. Rage had literal fangs and claws and eyes the color of dried blood. Apathy was ghost-like; sometimes solid and there, other times not so much; with solid white eyes, no pupil or iris to be seen. But the only thing Anxiety had was a pair of dark wings, black with deep purple highlights. Not only that, but more often than not, Anxiety shape-shifted his attribute away.

Anxiety was weird and unpredictable. He didn’t act like a Subconscious side, but he didn’t act like a Conscious side either. He was this big grey area that never ceased to irritate Deceit. Luckily, Deceit was good at hiding it. It took a lot of work. The other Subconscious traits were constantly having to hide their true natures from Anxiety. Not that they couldn’t take care of him if it came down to that. But if it did come to that, Anxiety was the most likely to spill the beans to Thomas on the Subconscious sides’ existence. Sometimes, the things that trait did, the power he had in the grips of fear and panic, they were honestly astounding. It was infuriating that Anxiety would only get like that for Thomas. But Deceit was nothing if not manipulative. With some hard work and a carefully woven web of lies, Deceit had Anxiety convinced that all the Subconscious traits cared for Thomas as much as he did. Now Anxiety was putty in Deceit’s hands. Tough, partially dry putty, but putty nonetheless.

And now, Deceit was on the verge of promotion. There would be perks to being a conscious side. Perks like constant, instant access to Thomas. None of the other Conscious sides would be able to banish Deceit’s influence to the subconscious mind. He would always be working at the forefront of Thomas’s mind. On top of that, free travel between the conscious and subconscious mind. Easy access to the Conscious traits, ripe for manipulation and corruption. All Deceit had to do was get upstairs and the way would be paved for him to take over and do whatever he pleased. Speaking of.

The day was upon them. Everyone knew it. The mind had finally finished constructing the new room. Everything was ready. All that was left was for the mind to pick up the promoted trait and drop them off in their new room upstairs. All the Subconscious traits had gathered in the Subconscious center. Deceit had worn his best, cleanest clothes. His was bidding farewell to his fellow Subconscious traits. They really were a sort of family. All but Anxiety, hanging on the fringes. Deceit walked up to him last. “Well Virgil, the day is here.” Deceit hated using the name, but doing so had been part of that web of lies Deceit had ensnaring Anxiety.

“Yeah.” Anxiety responded gruffly. His eyes roved around, always searching for danger. After a moment, they landed on Deceit. “Take care of him, yeah? Whatever you do, take care of Thomas.” Deceit forced a convincing smile.

“Of course, Virgil. What is a personality trait for, but to take care of the person?” Virgil watched him skeptically, searching for the lie, but too blinded by Deceit’s masterful manipulation to realize it was standing right in front of him. Not finding anything but the same Deceit he had always known, Anxiety nodded.

“Yeah… I’ll, uh… I’ll miss you. You were, always easier to talk to than the others.” Deceit laughed.

“Jeez, Virgil, you make it sound like I’m leaving Thomas’s mind. I’m just going upstairs. We’ll be able to visit each other.”

“Yeah, but you’ll have a lot of responsibilities taking care of Thomas. Probably won’t have as much time for us down here.”

“I’ll make time. I’ll always make time for my family.” Deceit didn’t miss the subtle sheen in Anxiety’s eyes, indicating he was getting emotional. Deceit struggled to keep up the façade and not be sick. Thankfully, a flash of light caught his eye. A beam of energy was moving across the Subconscious, clearly searching for something. Or rather, someone. A grin stretched across Deceit’s face, though he was careful to hid its maliciousness in Anxiety’s presence. “There it is.” Deceit turned his back to Anxiety, facing the light. For half a moment, he felt warm arms and even heard the tale-tell ruffle of feathers encircling him in a hug. Deceit almost gagged, but held it in.

“Goodbye.” The hug was broken and Anxiety stepped away. The light was right in front of him. He closed his eyes, waiting to be enveloped by the mindscape energy. He waited one beat. Two. Three. Four. “WHAT THE FUCK!” The startled shout brought Deceit to open his eyes. He expected to be hovering yards above the others, but he was still on the ground. Behind him, Anxiety was kicking up some kind of fuss. He turned around, but Anxiety wasn’t there. He chanced a look upwards and there he was. “No. No! NO! I’M ANXIETY. I’M NOT! THIS IS WRONG! NOT ME! I’M ANXIETY!” Anxiety’s double layer voice echoed across the subconscious. His eyes were wide and panicked. His wings were fanned out around him, but Deceit blinked and Anxiety had shape-shifted them away again. Deceit was incredulous. More than that, he was furious. Anxiety looked at him and Deceit quickly wiped the emotion off his face. He forced a hearty laugh.

“Well then!” He called up as Anxiety was lifted higher and higher. “Guess we were wrong! See you around, Virgil? Don’t forget about us down here! We want to be able to help Thomas, too!” Anxiety opened his mouth to respond, but in the next moment, the light intensified ten-fold, then vanished, Anxiety along with it. The Subconscious traits all stared at the place he had disappeared, facial expressions ranging from shocked to angry and of course, apathetic for Apathy. It was several moments before anyone spoke. Exploitation was the first.

“Fan-fucking-tastic. Now who’s going to get us up there to influence Thomas?”

“I am.” Deceit said coolly.

“Oh really?” Demanded Rage. “And how do you plan on doing that? You weren’t the one who got promoted.” Deceit gave him a cold look.

“Come now, comrades. You’re talking to Deceit. Master manipulator extraordinaire. I’ve got a plan.”

“Care to fill us in?” Apathy dead-panned.

“Patience. It might be a long game, but it will be worth it. Have I ever let you down before? I mean, think about it. I’ve been keeping us hidden from Thomas for all these years. And I managed to get Anxiety on our side and keep him there ages ago. Trust me. I’ve got a plan. You just go about your normal business and let me do my job.” He really didn’t have a plan. Not yet at least. But his silver tongue was enough to get them off his back until he could come up with one. Everyone dispersed, but Deceit remained, glaring up at the spot Anxiety had disappeared. One thought was running clear through his mind. ‘Oh boy, Anxiety. You are going to pay for this. Screwing with my plans? Big mistake.’

Y’know, if ya hit me up with some of that sweet feedback, I am more able to take that into consideration while writing the next part. Just thought I’d put that out there.

[sowhatisthisfor]

Movies 2018

 List of films I watched in 2018 from best to worst.

Updated soon after I’ve seen them.

A Ghost Story [David Lowery, 2017, United States] No film has made me feel this melancholic ever. This is a film so profound, it examines existence in the simplest yet most esoteric way possible. It surely goes straight to the top of my all-time favourite list. 10/10

Burning (Boening) [Chang-dong Lee, 2018, South Korea] Shows the interrelation of hunger and class, the truths and the unknowns. Of how desires could either free you or cage you in unhappiness and despair. A mystery of misery that parallels its political viewpoint. 10/10

Roma [Alfonso Cuaron, 2018, Mexico] Its technical expertise in every element of every frame and composition is overwhelming. It's a movie about contrasts and how each opposite gives life balance, told with such authenticity, it's luxurious cinematic experience. 10/10

Women of the Weeping River [Dayoc, 2016, Philippines] A film about a generational blood feud, and also a metaphoric portrayal of the unending armed conflicts in Mindanao where the vulnerable is the most at risk, and the strong isn’t really unbreakable. 10/10

Kung Paano Hinihintay Ang Dapithapon [Carlo Catu, 2018, Philippines] a small film that tackles layers after layers of things too close to heart. Sincere and profound, definitely my favourite. 10/10  

Loveless (Nelyubov) [Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2018, Russia] cold and chilling in all aspect from start to end. It has such great observation of the recognizable societal apathy. 10/10

Beats Per Minute (BPM) [Robin Campillo, 2017, France] Goosebumps. This is a film clear of its objective, it is exhilarating and exhausting in the good kind of way. 10/10

Cold War (Zimna Wojna) [Pawel Pawlikowski, 2018, Poland] Makes something despairing so beautiful with its artful composition, rightly-paced narrative transition, and cold but affecting character treatment. 10/10

Faces Places [JR, Agnès Varda, 2018, France] Wow. This is the film to watch when your soul is dying for art. Tears, I can't help them from falling. 10/10

Sid & Aya [Irene Villamor, 2018, Philippines] It’s too beautiful, I’m crying halfway through the film for how beautiful it is. You can watch this film without audio and understand it by its lighting, it’s that amazing. 10/10

Arrhythmia (Aritmiya) [Boris Khlebnikov, 2017, Russia] For a movie with characters of increasingly tenuous emotional bond, this is teeming with sensitivity and sensibility. It has so much love, neutrality, and longing, yet so cold and fleeting. Definitely, an emotional rollercoaster of my liking. 10/10

Shoplifters [Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2018, Japan] a film that questions if blood is thicker than the ties that bind us. Here’s Kore-eda capturing our hearts again with his gently-observed humanism. 10/10

Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus [Dwein Baltazar, 2018, Philippines] a genius anti-romance that plays along the lines of loving the thought of being in love and making yourself believe in your own ethereality. I love it. 10/10

Balangiga: Howling Wilderness [Khavn, 2017, Philippines] Disheartening and provocative in all its hypnagogia. 10/10

A Star is Born [Bardley Cooper, 2018, United States] If only for its music and its astounding performances, I'm already sold. 10/10

Oda sa Wala [Dwein Baltazar, 2018, Philippines] Is an ode to nothing, to the unseen, to the nobody, to the dead that's more alive than the living and to the living that's more dead than those who died. Baltazar has this gilt-edged technique that leaves its audience wretched yet buoyant. 10/10

The Shape of Water [Guillermo del Toro, 2017, United States] Elegant in its visuals, storytelling, and performances. It is del Toro’s best yet. 10/10

The Guilty (Den Skyldige) [Gustav Möller, 2018, Denmark] Is clever in its minimalism. A fast-paced action thriller and a psychological suspense, all shot entirely between four walls. 9.5/10

Hereditary [Ari Aster, 2018, United States] Unsettling down to the core with a convincing cast and a powerful storytelling. 9.5/10 

Batch 81 [Mike de Leon, 1982, Philippines] In its subversiveness and its sardonic undertone is a remarkable spectacle of expertise, bravery, esoterica, and dynamism. 9.5/10 

Dogman [Matteo Garrone, 2018, Italy] Examines a man's need to be recognized as a chihuahua in a shepherd's world. 9.5/10

BuyBust [Erik Matti, 2018, Philippines] a spectacular display of astounding filmmaking where every element is designed and choreographed fittingly well. Entertaining yet harrowing from start to finish, it's the kind of film that stays. 9.5/10 

God’s Own Country [Francis Lee, 2017, United Kingdom] Features a kind of romance with such carefully-observed realism. It was very well portrayed. Very well. 9/10

Sunday's Illness (La Enfermedad del Doming) [Ramon Salazar, 2018, Spain] Scene after scene of mesmerizing mystery and such powerful attention to detail. 9/10 

Annihilation [Alex Garland, 2018, United States] Though at times flawed, it ended with such thought-provoking, ambitious, and lasting impact. 9/10 

Captain America: Civil War [Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, 2016, United States] it’s hard to point out which part of the film I didn’t like, that’s if I hated anything. 9/10 

The Florida Project [Sean Baker, 2017, United States] Kids, no matter the social class, are still just kids in search for adventure, friendship, and love. This movie doesn't feel like a movie at all, it's brilliant. 9/10

Signal Rock [Chito Rono, 2018, Philippines] Very raw and phenomenal. Each character formidably plays an important role in characterizing a small town of heartwarming spirit. If not for its distracting bad CGI which I think is unnecessary, I’d give it a perfect 10. 9/10

Beti [P. Sheshadri, 2017, India] manages to oppose patriarchy in Indian culture in such an innocent yet intelligible perspective. 9/10 

Train to Busan [Yeon Sang-ho, 2016, South Korea] When everyone's becoming a monster, humanity is the way to survive. Fast-paced. Thrilling. Heartfelt. I honestly feel like Train to Busan lacks a stronger female character, but it's interestingly very human that I'm completely captured by it. 9/10

ML [Benedict Mique, 2018, Philippines] teeming with ingenuity and masteful filmmaking, it’s a suspense too relevant for anyone to miss. 9/10

Liway [Kip Oebanda, 2018, Philippines] Is at most powerful when it exposes the correlation of facts and fiction. Doesn’t hit you right away but when it does, it hits hard. It hits still. 9/10

Sicilian Ghost Story [Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza, 2017, Italy, France, Switzerland] Cinematic and poetic. Beautiful in all its mythological symbolism. 9/10

Get Out [Jordan Peele, 2017, United States] a satire of utmost significance, it lives. 9/10

Si Chedeng at Si Apple [Rae Red, Fatrick Tabada, 2017, Philippines] Hilarious with punchlines, intelligent with comebacks. This is comedy with brain, soul, and heart. 9/10 

Happy as Lazzaro (Lazzaro Felice) [Alice Rohrwacher, 2018, Italy] a charming small film with a subtext of such vivid social allegory. 9/10

I am Not a Witch [Rungano Nyoni, 2018, United Kingdom] For a debut film, this is quite a remarkable take on exploitation, abuse, and misogyny. 9/10

A Quiet Place [John Krasinski, 2018, United States] For a film that’s supposed to be silent, I find it quite overscored. Still a good watch though. 9/10

Ang Panahon ng Halimaw [Lav Diaz, 2018, Philippines] Sarcasm at its best. Quite fun. 9/10

L'amant Double [Francois Ozon, 2018, France] Wild and mindblowing, a film of endless curiosity. 9/10

Seklusyon [Erik Matti, 2016, Philippines] a thought-provoking jewel on the corruption of divinity and an examination of people’s inner evils. 9/10

BlackKKansman [Spike Lee, 2018, United States] Although satirically exaggerated, this film is teeming with entertainment and importance. 8.5/10 

In This Corner of the World [Sunao Katabuchi, 2017, Japan] It stays. Films like this, they always do. 8.5/10

Euthanizer (Armomurhaaja} [Teemu Nikki, 2018, Finland] An examination of how suffering is commensurate with cruelty. For something so bleak, it is surprisingly a good exemplification of moral values. 8/10

Padman [R. Balki, 2018, India] Speaks volumes in a humorous way. Something enlightening and empowering, I love it. 8/10

Gutland [Govinda Van Maele, 2017, Luxembourg] For a debut feature, Van Maele is a master of slow-burn tension. 8/10

The Square [Ruben Ostland, 2017, Sweden, Denmark] An ironic and satiric take on elitism, privilege, and humanity. 8/10

A Prayer Before Dawn [Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, 2018, France, Thailand] For something that feels hesitant in showing violence, this is already quite a tough watch. 8/10

We Need to Talk About Kevin [Lynn Ramsey, 2012, United States]

A Taxi Driver [Hun Jang, 2017, South Korea] an entertaining yet affecting tribute to nameless heroes. 8/10

Memoir of War (La Douleur) [Emmanuel Finkiel, 2017, France] Sadly, its visual choices, experimental scoring, and drawn out structure don't match Marguerite Duras's poetic writing. 8/10

The Wound (Inxeba) [John Trengove, 2017, South Africa] More than the physical wound from a boy's transition to manhood, this movie tackles a deeper kind of pain, the kind that scars forever. 8/10

Pan de Salawal [Che Espiritu, 2018, Philippines] a hard-hitting reminder that the most painful challenges people overcome are also the most rewarding. Don’t be afraid to feel them all. 8/10

The Great Buddha+ [Hsin-yao Huang, 2018, Taiwan] Not sure if saying "this is my kind of humour" is something I should be proud of but damn this film is hilarious! Oh and really clever too. 8/10 

Leave No Trace [Debra Ganik, 2018, United States] a small film of massive authenticity and warm touch. It will leave a trace. 8/10

Manila by Night [Ishmael Bernal, 1980, Philippines] a classic representation of the realities of how Manila is a witness to the city's moral lethargy. 8/10 

Coco [Lee Unkrich, 2017, United States] Understands what La La Land doesn’t – relationships shouldn’t suffer when achieving our dreams. 8/10

Don’t Breathe [Fede Alvarez, 2016, United States] Alvarez has some serious skills to make this suspenseful with only a blind villain inside a small house. 8/10  

The Other Side of the Wind [Orson Welles, 2018, United States] Not for a Welles beginner but is surely a completist's delight. 7.5/10

Felicite [Alain Gomis, 2017, Senegal, Congo, France] With such lyrical tone, its narrative was thinly sketched that some of its elements don't match. 7.5/10

Malila: The Farewell Flower [Anucha Boonyawatana, 2018, Thailand] A beguiling narration of existentialism, redemption, and the philosophy of Buddhism. All told in such calming gaze, it's actually hypnotic. 7.5/10 

Revenge [Coralie Fargeat, 2018, France] Caution: explicit cursing while watching and cheering to this. 7.5/10 

Aria [Carlo Catu, 2018, Philippines] Could have gone deeper and darker to make a more harrowing but lasting impact. It borders on the safe side, but still able to tell something important. 7.5/10

Billie & Emma [Samantha Lee, 2018, Philippines] There's magic in its production design and an amusing chemistry that would remind you of what it's like to fall in love the first time. It is everyone's teenage romance, the kind that buries heteronormativity. 7.5/10

Of Love & Law [Hikaru Toda, 2017, Japan] Questions the intricacies of Japanese culture through a collection of simple yet meaningful moments. 7.5/10 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [JA Bayona, 2018, United States]

Saving Sally [Avid Liongoren, 2016, Philippines] Is the freshest and has the most creative visual style I’ve seen in a long long time. I want more of it. 7,5/10 

One Week Friends [Masanori Murakami, 2017, Japan]  There’s a good reason for my sunken eyes right now, right? 7.5/10 

Room 8 [James Griffiths, 2013, United States] Unique and smart. Too amazed, I had to share it with everyone. 7.5/10

Isle of Dogs [Wes Anderson, 2018, United States] A quirky imagination of a simple narrative, told in a hyper-stylized artistry. 7.5/10

Black Panther [Ryan Coogler, 2018, United States]

Hintayan ng Langit [Villegas, 2018] I'm not completely sold on a couple of its elements but boy, Gina Pareño is a gem. A sparkling one.  7.5/10  

Avengers: Infinity War [Anthony and Joe Russo, 2018, United States]

The Invitation [Karyn Kusama, 2016, United States] I know a psychological thriller like this is effective when I find myself so uncomfortable, wanting to leave, cautious of being brainwashed. 7.5/10

Ready Player One [Steven Spielberg, 2018, United States] Too amusing to the point of apathy. Still entertaining though. 7.5/10

Disobedience [Sebastian Lelio, 2018, Ireland] Depicts the beauty of internal turmoils and hidden desires, it’s gripping. 7.5/10

Apostasy [Daniel Kokotajlo, 2017, United Kingdom] the more it rolls, the more I loathe religion. 7.5/10 

Wonder Woman [Patty Jenkins, 2017, United States] More than it being a feminist is it being human and that I think is more important. 7.5/10 

Meet Me in St Gallen [Irene Villamor, 2018, Philippines]

Never Not Love You [Antoinette Jadaone, 2018, Philippines] Beautifully and realistically written. It’s just really hard for me to like Reid’s character. 7/10 

Eight Grade [Bo Burnham, 2018, United States] One of the most important and most natural teen movies of the year. 7/10

Cam [Daniel Goldhaber, 2018, United States] Pushing its flaws aside, this is actually quite an accomplished thriller of a possible near future. It didn't end with an impactful resolution though. 7/10

The Miseducation of Cameron Post [Desiree Akhavan, 2018, United States] Provocatively presents how emotionally abusing conversion therapy could be. 7/10

Crazy Rich Asians [Jon Chu, 2018, United States] Important and feel-good, but that's just it for me. 7/10

Distance [Perci Intalan, 2018, Philippines] a tender family drama with powerful performances of characters who choose to love no matter how wrong or right. 7/10 

Showroom [Fernando Molnar, 2014, Argentina] is a showroom of how beautiful and luxurious an artificial world could be. 7/10 

Contagion [Steven Soderbergh, 2011, United States] Believable but somehow lacking in its scare tactic. 7/10 

Zodiac [David Fincher, 2007, United States] Intelligent drama, boring thriller. Not a fan. 7/10

The Greatest Showman [Michael Gracey, 2018, United States]

Smaller and Smaller Circles [Raya Martin, 2017, Philippines] Suspense done right but there's something about its exchanges that seems unnatural. 7/10 

Pop Aye [Kirsten Tan, 2018, Thailand, Singapore] Is as slow but as heavy as its lead. 7/10

The Day After Valentine’s [Jason Paul Laxamana, 2018, Philippines] Brilliant in its canny use of language to illustrate people's tendency to miscommunicate emotions. 7/10 

Thoroughbreds [Cory Finley, 2018, United States] The kind of film that doesn't lead to what you think. It's black comedy of my liking. 7/10

Nearest and Dearest [Kseniya Zueva, 2017, Russia] displays the weakening social and moral values in contemporary Russian society. 6.5/10 

Hearts Beat Loud [Brett Haley, 2018, United States] Magical in its little ways. 6.5/10

Me Casé Con Un Boludo [Juan Taratuto, 2016, Argentina] Nothing much in here but laughter after laughter. 6.5/10

Delinquent [Kieran Valla, 2016, United States] a small-town thriller with a set location that breathes on its own. 6.5/10

Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wifi [Jun Lana, 2018, Philippines] I thought it was just a cutesy take on appreciating moments and living life in the present, but heck no, prepare to find your tears falling. 6.5/10

Bakwit Boys [Jason Paul Laxamana, 2018, Philippines] a warm and light-hearted family drama with beautiful original songs to brag about. 6.5/10

Musmos Na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma [Iar Arondaing, 2018, Philippines] At times, it feels like it's trying too hard both to make a point and to sound subtle to a point that it feels a bit disconnected. 6.5 /10 

What If It Works [Romi Trower, 2018, Australia] Delightfully charming amidst the chaos of mental disorders. Works quite well. 6.5 /10

Eternity Between Seconds [Jan Alec Figuracion, 2018, Philippines] There’s comfort somewhere between the discomforts of bad acting here. 6.5 /10

Love, Simon [Greg Berlanti. 2018, United States] It’s a very familiar coming-of-age romance, but that familiarity is what made it stand out. 6.5 /10

Blockers [Kay Cannon, 2018, United States] Definitely my kind of humour. The sarcastic wit is overflowing. 6.5 /10

Alex Strangelove [CraigJohnson, 2018, United States] Nothing too new but isn't short of likeable. 6.5/10

Lobster Cop [Li Xinyun, 2018, China] Hilarious. I’d like it to be more brutal with its action scenes but it’s already otherwise quite entertaining. 6.5/10

Ant-man and the Wasp [Peyton Reed, 2018, United States] Funny as always, but I'm in love with Paul Rudd so I must be biased. 6.5/10

Kuya Wes [James Mayo, 2018, Philippines] explores the fundamental need of being appreciated in a light yet stinging narrative. I don't like a number of things, but the soundtrack works well, it's satiating. 6.5/10 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before [Susan Johnson, 2018, United States] There's substance in its shallowness, it's charming. 6.5/10

The Snow White Murder Case [Yoshihiro Nakamura, 2014, Japan] It’s a little too long to keep it entirely interesting. 6.5/10

Cardinals [Grayson Moore, Aidan Shipley, 2018, Canada] It was burning slowly until it was shot to the head. Could have been more painful if not for its loose ending. 6.5/10

Unli Life [Miko Livelo, 2018, Philippines] Not a fan of its comedic banters but I find its rare seriousness quite a gem. 6.5/10

The Cured [David Freyne, 2018, United Kingdom]

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance [Park Chan-wook, 2002, South Korea]

Berlin Syndrome [Cate Shortland, 2017, Australia, Germany] Cold and riveting with a third act that would push you to the edge. 6.5/10 

Wonder [Stephen Chbosky, 2018, United States]

12 Strong [Nicolai Fuglsig, 2018, United States] All that technical expertise and still end up saying nothing. 6/10

Goodbye, Grandpa [Yukihiro Morigaki, 2017, Japan] depicts the kind of mourning we tend to overlook and is only intensified by the bonding of family. 6/10 

Deadpool 2 [David Leitch, 2018, United States] Started off fun, ended up exhausting. 6/10

Bird Box [Susanne Bier, 2018, United States] a film with no emotional connection, no proper climax, and therefore no sensical resolution. 6/10

Madilim Ang Gabi [Adolf Alix, 2018, Philippines] seems like a show-off of stars after stars after stars playing bit roles to the point that it already feels unauthentic. 6/10 

Call Her Ganda [PJ Raval, 2018, Canada, Philippines] I'm not convinced of its storytelling, still an important one to watch though. 6/10 

A Million Happy Nows [Albert Alarr, 2017, United States] Despite the smallness of this film, it actually hits big. 6/10 

Bomba [Ralston Jover, 2017, Philippines] is brave in its defiance, bold in its commentary but it somehow failed to deliver. 6/10

Oceans 8 [Gary Ross, 2018, United States] Slow and mediocre, quite a waste of powerhouse cast. 6/10

Koxa [Ekrem Engizek, 2018, Turkey, Germany] Uninteresting for the kind of fact it exposes. 6/10

2 Cool 2 be Forgotten [Petersen Vargas, 2017, Philippines]

Beastmode [Manuel Mesina III, 2018, Philippines] ingenious and inventive but it’s not the kind I enjoy. 6/10 

Dedma Walking [Julius Alfonso, 2017, Philippines]

Can We Still Be Friends [Prime Cruz, 2017, Philippines]

The Belko Experiment [Greg McLean, 2017, United States] The experiment and the film are both pointless, but pointless sometimes is entertaining. 6/10

Hooked [Max Emerson, 2018, United States]

Sierra Burgess is a Loser [Ian Samuels, 2018, United States] I was enjoying it until its last act which felt rushed and unnatural. 5/10

Skyscraper [Rawson Marshall Thurber, 2018, United States] Plot after plot of action-packed impossibilities. 5/10

Glorious [Connie Macatuno, 2018, Philippines] Watching it is like riding a taxi cab with a clutch driver, it’s making me dizzy. 5/10

Rampage [Brad Peyton, 2018, United States] Feels like a bargain with nothing much to offer but cool CGI. 5/10

Je Ne Suis Pas Un Homme Facile [Eleonore Pourriat, 2018, France]  

Mga Mister Ni Rosario [Alpha Habon, 2018, Philippines] Entertaining but also miserably problematic. 5/10

Carrie [Kimberly Peirce, 2014, United States] Is quite an urban myth version of a school shooting. 5/10

Rough Night [Lucia Aniello, 2017, United States] Watched it on a plane, not sure if it's as fun if landed. 5/10

Bomba [Rolston Jover, 2017, Philippines] is brave in its defiance, bold in its commentary but it somehow failed to deliver. 5/10 

Avengers: Age of Ultron [Joss Whedon, 2015, United States] Boring with a capital B. 5/10

The Meg [Jon Turteltaub, 2018, United States] Mediocre. Very mediocre. 5/10

Final Score [Scott Mann, 2018, United States] It has potential but didn't quite scored a goal. 5/10

Uncle Drew [Charles Stone III, 2018, United States] I can't force myself to get comfortable watching this. 5/10

A Piece of Paradise [Patrick Alcedo, 2017, Canada, Philippines] It’s okay but there’s nothing much in there. 5/10

Happy Death Day [Christopher Landon, 2018, United States]

The Flu [Kim Sung-soo, 2013, South Korea] Stupid but fun. It's the kind of silly you enjoy. 5/10

Ali and Nino [Asif Kapadia, 2017, Azerbaijan, Georgia] Badly-acted, badly-designed production. Offers nothing much of excitement. 4/10 

Unexpectedly Yours [Cathy Garcia-Molina, Philippines, 2017] Fun at times. Corny at most. 4/10 

Forget About Nick [Margarethe von Trotta, 2017, Germany] is as if made as an example of movies that failed the Bechdel test from supposed to be feminist directors. 4/10 

I Love You, Hater [Giselle Andres, 2018, Philippines] I find its main plot gender insensitive so it’s a nope nope for me. 4/10

The Mumbai Siege: 4 Days of Terror (One Less God) [Lliam Worthington, 2018, Australia, India] That’s an annoying take on a siege that marked world history. 4/10

Life is What You Make It [Jhett Tolentino, 2018, United States, Philippines] For some reasons, I’m not sold on how it tries to inspire. 4/10 

We Will Not Die Tonight [Richard Somes, 2018, Philippines] If you're looking for brutal action and relentless stabbing where blood and sweat are like fireworks, go see it. If you're looking for sense or better fight choreographies, go somewhere else. 3/10 

Bleeding Steel [Leo Zhang, 2018, Hong Kong] Feels like switching between channels. 3/10

Citizen Jake [Mike de Leon, 2018, Philippines] Is like a collection of everything de Leon wants to try. Not effective at that. 3/10

On Again Off Again [Arsalan Shirazi, 2017, Canada, India] Undesirable characters in undesirable performances. 3/10

Jigsaw [Spirieg brothers, 2017, United States]

Tomb Raider [Roar Uthaug, 2018, United States] Impossible but fun. 3/10

Insidious (The Last Key) [Adam Robitel, 2018, United States] 

Pitch Perfect 3: Last Call Pitches [Trish Sie, 2018, United States] The worst of them all pitches. 3/10

When We First Met [Ari Sandel, 2018, United States]

Attack on Titan: Part 1 [Shinji Higuchi, 2015, Japan] Lacks character development, lacks plot continuity, it’s the movie adaptation disappointment of the decade. 3/10

Alright Now [Jamie Adams, 2018, United States] is said to be a feel-good movie but more like a feel-regretful for the time wasted watching this. 3/10

Hostel [Eli Roth, 2006, United States] Nothing here is pleasing. Not its concept, not its execution, and not even its gore. Down to the trash bin. 3/10

One More Chance [Cathy Garcia-Molina, 2007, Philippines] I’m sorry, I really can’t stand this movie. 3/10

Slumber [Jonathan Hopkins, 2018, United States] Is a snoozefest as simple as that. 3/10

In Un Giorno La Fine (The End?) [Daniele Misischia, 2018, Italy] Is funny in a bad way. 3/10

Peter Rabbit [Will Gluck, 2018, United States] RBF the entire freaking time. 3/10

You, Me and Him [ Daisy Aitkens, 2018, United Kingdom] Just one of those films that pass you by. 3/10

The Dawnseeker [Justin Price, 2018, United States] With that kind of premise, I honestly wanted it to be at least a decent watch. It isn’t. 2/10

Mara [Clive Tonge, 2018, United States] Generic. Mediocre. Forgettable. 2/10

Office Uprising [Lin Oeding, 2018, United States] Dumb. 2/10

School Service [Louie Ignacio, 2018, Phiippines] the intention is there but the concept isn’t concrete enough to be decently executed. 2/10 

The Strangers: Prey at Night [Johannes Roberts, 2018, United States] What a freaking stupid family that was. I could go on and on and on with my disgust towards this movie, but the bacon is cooked and bacon is more important. 1/10

The Matchmaker's Playbook [Tosca Musk, 2018, United States] a misogynist piece of bullcrap. 1/10

The Do-Over [Steven Brill, 2016, United States] Wow. That was boring. 1/10

Aswang [Michael Laurin, 2018, United States] a film perfect for when you can’t sleep. 1/10

The Lookout [Afi Africa, 2018, Philippines] is a joke after joke after joke, so unfunny, it deserves a laugh. 1/10 

[serpent-energy]

The Time for Revolution; begins with a completely different approach (to Everything)

The definition given by the Oxford Dictionary for Perception is "the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses". Now how much of an impact does this concept of in taking information, much through the subconscious within which is constantly taking internalizing information in ways unable to be consciously recognized in in one's conscience. This plays a bigger role in how one grows to perceive the world. With many life changes and experiences along the timeline of one's life, the individual will process as much as one can possibly formulate, organize, and consciously utilize as tools for protection-- for we are living in a society that feeds us fear to comply, remain uninformed, and just walk on. It is really one's choice to believe most everything they are told and stick to it like a sickly codependent relationship between only one's self. What this does is perpetually and persistently isolates and, although an extreme word, truly alienates some people from the outer world of social interactions and spreading positivity and a helping hand to another who needs it. So, I think I'll begin around here.

I speak from my experience of course, so I will say a few words on the American government. A place I've seemed to stay dormant and waiting. Not sure for what…maybe the second coming of our Lord and Savior, though I'm not religious, instead I think, as I believe we all are, "Spiritual beings on a human journey". I like this because it doesn't separate, segregate or divide. As we are all one species, locations and different forms of faith should be understood, truly, simply, with maybe a little empathy: the why of it all. Simply the mere fact that cultural differences, many a time, can make the citizens of one nation view another nation of different customs alien, negatively foreign, and anything different that threatens one's ego and belief system, the different peoples view each other as odd and maybe living life wrong as to what they have learned life to be, and above all, there is this paradigm where nations view others as inferior. At least many. And it seems that our lovely, sympathetic government filled with only the best and honest politicians, I say sarcastically of course--only with plans and multiple blueprints and the beautiful love in their hearts to truly create a better world is astounding.  With corporations overhead pulling the strings in the past years specifically, while the bankers wait till they feel that hole inside once again and become maliciously reinvigorated to rake in the money, the money, the greatest: the Cash Money.

Nowadays we watch the blue tube, the awesome Television that brainwashes people into an ugly metamorphosis wherein it manipulates the citizens through commercials, for example,  telling you if you buy their product you will be the best, or at least better than you already are; that, if you wear some cologne like Polo, Ralph Lauren--or whatever really.. You'll go home and have the best lay of your life. Or if you're a woman, no better time than the present to go out and buy the absolutely to die for, perfect, super sexy bra and panties at no other than Victoria's Secret of course. And hey, maybe even they mysteriously seductive thong to ride up a woman's lower back a bit. That gets one going. Hey, if I could walk around naked all the time in the warmer weather I would. But that's a fantasy. Though I'd like to present another question to ponder.  How unintentional are these things? Really, in these cases, any form of intellect or sense of humor these types of women may have really seems to be  nothing more than just an extra bonus on top the physical.

It's all marketing and the illusion they present to us. Subliminally speaks the unheard words but obvious message. "Better is  more. And more is just better." Tell em' you're okay because you have all you need momentarily…they'' try to convince you that what you're doing is holding only yourself back from self-improvement, and the completely sensationalized lie of a line that states,  The pursuit of happiness is a human right. The fact is, as children we were born with infinite rights, and can really go as far as our imagination takes us, as well as our drive to manifest our best qualities we've learned about ourselves over the years.

Tyler Durden, a character in the book-made-movie Fight Club, at one point says, "Self improvement is masturbation. Now self-destruction…" I like this quote and movie so much because what it does, within the many layers of the story, is promote a kind of spiritual growth by true the discovery of the self through hardships. Tyler also says, "It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything". Problem is, today,  we don't just want…we need. At least we were too-easily taught to believe. And of how crazily and irrationally we crave affirmation! The fear of loneliness, the turn to isolation, habitual to many for the nation is and has become even more of an intense race up this ladder of economic struggle and fortitude on all fronts towards holding onto the wonderful but brief moments of peacefulness, and gratitude.

My fellow reader, brother or sister, there's a lot goin' on here. Out there. Constantly. No doubt in that. So here's a question only moments ago I thought I'd pose for it seems like an appropriate time,

How curious of a person are you actually? Do you have a thirst for knowledge and crave truth?

Or do you hide in your shell like a hermit crab unable to walk forward though sometimes being blown back by the salty wind breaking through and over waves like stock market fluctuations and white-collared criminals smoking opium while on lunch break and sniffing speed before re-entering a sea of people that walk faster than hundreds of different sea creatures all trying to get on their merry way with much traffic and frustration. Can fish feel frustration, or do they just swim and float on? Sometimes I wish I could float on devoid of frustrations and the unnecessary anxiety that paralyzes me. Just your average American. I look in the mirror, shave occasionally, I like cologne when I have it, smoking cigarettes make your teeth yellow so I brush with whitening paste, Crest if you must know, and then I hope I don't look too weird and awkward and somewhat socially acceptable. Where does social anxiety stem from? Too much stimulus can make my spirit quiver inside with discomfort.  with graphs and useless numbers where men simply are playing games with money, making unfathomable profits off really creating nothing positive for the whole, or even a small portion of society.  Self-righteous, narrow-minded, greedy, men addicted to speed, and power. Sometimes going with the flow is a mistake and it took me a while to realize it. Because I see things.

Right now, from where I'm sitting and writing these words to be read by very possibly nobody at all,  I'm watching bodies just dragging pathetically, sadly; bodies filled with apathy, probably hoping to find a partner to save them from their boredom and feeling of loneliness that stays dormant and benign most of the time. But when it opens up, truly there's no other isolating feeling. The hole. The void. The gaping circle of emptiness-- it creeps up at  different times for different people. But it's always there. This is the main reason: everybody likes distractions.

Monotony. Oh monotony…it just breaks one spiritually over time till it's all you know. The wake up, the daily duties, sleep, and repeat, and whatever kind of joy one can experience and grasp and try and hold onto during their days is what keeps people going. The one burning feeling many Americans have inside, is that tomorrow may be a better day.  We lose our identities and as a result experience less and lose the drive and real hope that much different will come in the future. More of the same.

The definition for obligation given by Oxford Dictionary is "required by a legal, moral, or other rule; compulsory". Yet I ask, how are these laws produced and presented forth initially? Well, by politicians and the government of course. Sometimes in the name of religion, which is a great tool they have utilized convincing the public it is a complete Us vs Them situation and yet it is  undoubtedly the dirtiest of schemes to go over and bomb, ruin, just destroy hundreds to millions of lives. How positively does the United States really affect the world around us? The global planet we live in…

And the media's really become a joke. But it works, because it really gets the masses in a frenzy. Call it modern propaganda. Call it what you want. Very few answers, and much too many words. How much of what I write, or we as a species think on the daily, has already been thought, recorded, and recycled for that matter…. And how many times over?

Is to be genuine to one's self and original must they be a nonconformist and go against the grain? How many pills will they prescribe before we're definitely more than less, these synapses like snapping wires inside the head all connected allowing one to function as an average human being-- well we're changing our chemistry. We're altering our makeup. Western psychiatrys got us begging for a cure to the mundane like a junkie to a bad dealer. Here's a fun Snapple fact: America was bought and sold a long time ago. So find your way and just let the rest go grey.

But first let's talk television! The magnificent, blue glowing screen that tells us who we should be, manipulating wants for needs, materialism bleeds and corporations way across seas smile at their sneaky ways of maintaining modern day slavery-- and all the commercials on the tube brainwashing the youth, but drudgingly seducing all ages into the warm waters of consumerism.  TV! Though I don't think we'll ever change the channel and switch lenses for this fictitious concept of time to wash away regrettable lines. Most all the information, the talking in circles, their eyes wide combatting lies with more lies, for the good of the people is not the good of the government. All politicians are generally the same. Always reaching for more power, while quietly working to benefit those already extremely wealthy, corporations, and the banks. Even churches don't pay taxes…you ever ponder that? The television is really better off smashed till the screen shatters to make the floor bleed a dark red kind of static. For nowadays, Americans come to view what is said and told to them by their trusted News Channels and commercials for anti-depressants with a never ending list of horrifying side-effects and another for erectile dysfunction. What audience are these people targeting anyway? So it's  really no reach to say, the man or woman speaking on the TV screen, informing viewers of their either perceived to be important news, or simply news they were ordered to report-- and Americans watch and listen, sometimes flipping from one news station to another, nodding out, a couch potato, but eyes still wide watching Steve Harvey smile too much. People look to the Screen as they once looked to icons such as Christ, Dr. King, Ghandi, and others. Television is the public's new age religion.

So if people do rely on television and social media for intellectual growth and awareness of the world around them, then it's time to exit through the backdoor. A dirty dive bar anyway entitled simply the Who Cares Pub in some city no one pays mind to. And Americans especially know very little of the world outside their large bubble of a nation that goes to great lengths in order to keep us occupied. New iPhones out around twice a year now which have become a commodity through conformity and unaware of how much anguish and suicidal pain has gone into making such a self-absorbing contraption. The few news channels on TV all sound the same to me now. Whether the much criticized and at times comically taking jabs at them, not much is ever really being said. These reporters and interviewers ask questions that are either unimportant answered by someone hired to lie and manipulate and make seem like things are, or will be going splendid in no time. Sincere appealing lies and a couple smiles here and there can get a country going. That's when many start looking away and continue driving their suburban's and SUVS while most simultaneously knowing we're screwing up our environment, ozone layers, and it’s more than evident in the rapid fluctuation in temperatures as of the past few years.  viewing from the end of the world. Over seas….as far as the eyes can see, but much, so much further.

Our imperialistic roots and the overwhelmingly manipulative and forceful means we impose onto other countries; it seems raising the flames on the already troublesome spreading fire is unwise, but how often does wisdom interact and convince men intoxicatingly diabolic, whom have reached a level of astounding deception, Where is the line drawn? Have we ever even had one? If we are we're playing jump rope over it and quickly back on outside and it's pissing a lot of people off. But one has to remember, this has been going on since almost the beginning of time. It's one's choice, which takes a lot of strength and discipline, to see through it all, and play your own game which one can only hope brings success and some form of pride inside. This happens all over the globe. This has a lot to do with the government and how start wars. Every major war in the past two centuries have followed a simple blueprint; it is called the Hegelian Dialectic.

Alright. Switch it up. Something pertaining to the psychological. Depression. Depression vibrates at a low frequency and causes irrational thoughts. A fascinatingly complex phenomena we still only know so much about. Mental illness's. The first principle in Buddhism is 'Life is suffering'. If one were to really learn this and have it engrained into their minds and spirits at an early age, then reality is seen with eyes of understanding, with the quest to find peace in a state of clarity and understanding and patience.   have materialism and consumerism to thank for it. And some people do live this way. I'd see many couples in New York City, the Big Apple, while I lived there for some time, I'd see endless window shoppers and then these lovers would walk in these overpriced, shops with little color to give it that modern, upscale look, which I'll never understand…the point is, the infatuation with material things, and buying and buying all this excess junk one will more than likely get rid of or throw it away, or just simply hang in your closet, to look at, and maybe even regret the purchase and wonder why they even wanted it….

Consumers is what Americans are. The result of a monetary system that feeds off the fact that humans crave stimulus in one form or another. The pursuit of happiness, right? Now it's video games where kids are shooting and killing, have a blast with it, and some of these people find themselves lost in isolation spinning around in a world that doesn't exist. Why? Escape is not only easier nowadays and keeps the majority uninformed about the realities of what's not only going on inside our own damn country and maybe paying a little more time tending to that, and maybe more often televise and report happenings going on daily around the world. This country was bought and sold a long time ago. The bubble this government keeps us in, to maintain our ignorance, uninformed nature, and we're voting for people you wouldn't even want to share a beer with, because maybe, as George Carlin once said, "Where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall from the sky…they don't pass through another membrane from another reality….They come from American parents, American schools, American Universities, this is what we have to offer folks. Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish ignorant citizens, you're gonna end up with selfish ignorant leaders".

And I haven't been here that long, but it's not too hard to notice, something is very  wrong.

It really isn't anyone else's choice but your own, in where you wish to go, and what you long to experience. Forget a bucket list. For we're all dying, baby. Some slow, and some quicker than others. Some transparently, and some so very obviously. So before you take your final bow and so very briefly say goodbye to the harsh world you survived as long as you did, remember…Remember what it was like to feel alive. The look in your lover's eyes before a passionate kiss and the smile returned after…the salty ocean breeze blowing every which way on your skin providing warmth and joy. The brothers and sisters you made along your adventures on this planet. What you've learned, and please disregard regret. If you were to practice conjuring this hypothetical happening in your mind, it won't merely prepare you for your deathbed, but bring a sense of encouragement, motivation, and inspiration to see the good, and learn to deal with the bad.

A grain of salt. A needle in the haystack. And a Humpty Dumpty that never fell. The American Heaven, with an underlying Hell.

[hekigankiseki]

apparently your 'selfless' act wasnt enough to stop future events from having loopholes. like the fog in Inaba, you wouldnt be able to stop that as people turn into Shadows in that fog. and then theres the whole steal your heart thing, where people become even worse. your wish for humanity doesn't seem to do anything... is this what you wanted? ( this isnt anon hate just a curious headcanon like question, how does he feel about this?)

                         “…I never did say change will come immediately, now did I?”

                         The heart of man was always the hardest thing to sway within a person. The mind can be tricked; the soul can be manipulated, but the heart stays true to what they believe in. Experience and memories tell the tale, and each beat lies a page eager to be written with the story of life. He remembers his own story very well– one filled with strife and depression (the number of hurdles he faced should’ve been enough to drive any sane man to insanity), but one also traced with goodness and trust and love. One year was enough to convince his heart to open itself to be written by others; to not give up on living and see the beauty the world and humanity may bring along.

                        Everything has a beginning and an end; Memento Vivere, Memento Mori. It was the key to him realizing his own answer to life, hence doing what he had to do. Beating Death was just not possible– how could he take down an ideology that drew the mother of Shadows in the first place? Something that existed since the dawn of time? All Minato could do was hold it back. He was hoping for a miracle, until realizing that he had to be the miracle itself. Equivalent exchange.

                      He enjoyed life: the sights, the sounds, the sensations of it all. He loved his remaining family, his friends. He loved the world, and learned to love it once more. And in a beat, the Great Seal was made through a godly whim.

                      “…Kirijo said it herself the best– for malice to truly be destroyed, everyone’s feelings must change… and that’s not an easy job to do.” Recalling how his silent demeanor and apathy for the events around him thaw into warmth and love, Minato can say hat he’s seen what change can do. The difference of his demeanor now to when he first arrived at the dormitory is astounding. Sure, the silence is there, but he’s come to love the world as it is, flaws and otherwise. If only the rest of the world would follow suit; but alas, the stubbornness of man is displayed in its full terror. They are the most stubborn creatures in the world.

                        Life strips people into their bare essentials; the will to live, the will to survive and the will to love. Trials and tribulations test these, and at the braking point it is astounding what people would do to cling onto what their heart has embraced as the truth. What happened several years ago, when The Fall was all but imminent, it was then Minato had the struggle to realize on beating death. How exactly are you supposed to stop something that was there since the dawn of time? If this was humanity was collectively wishing for, who was he to deny it? Even now that thought permeates the mind; despite holding the Universe Arcana, he wasn’t exactly one to speak for all of mankind. He was just one person.

                        “It’s not a loophole… It’s basically the truth. I can’t stop them from wishing something to come… But I loved the world and my friends too much to see it end just like that. It’s like… they needed more time to realize there’s a lot of things to live for.” All he could do was delay it. Borrow time. In exchange for his life, he made the Great Seal; all so that the world could not wish for untimely fate to end all life.

                        Certainly even he didn’t foresee what humanity would do to itself.

                        What made life so beautiful that it was not to last forever. It was up to the people to make the most out of their time walking the Earth. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. This is what he admired the most from watching over the Investigation Team and SEES (now the Shadow Operatives), and the up-and-coming Phantom Thieves; seizing the day and making change for the betterment of the world. On a global scale it didn’t seem much, but they were putting their heart and soul into it– even putting their own lives on the line. Doing something for the sake of humanity despite the rest of the world being kept in the shadows of who or what they are… Absolutely selfless.

                        “I can’t… really control what people do. I don’t have the right to micromanage that. Sure; I have the Universe as a power source, but I’m not exactly God either. Who am I to say that I can dictate what is right and what is wrong? People have reasons; some of which are valid, despite crossing a moral compass. I mean, look at me– had I not been influenced by my old teammates in SEES, who knows what would I have done if I found out that Death was inside me for a decade?”

                        The thought of such sent shudders down the spine of the Persona-user, but it was a kind of shudder that makes people even more curious, albeit worried as well– perhaps he may have done a heel turn and joined Strega? Or perhaps he would have gone rogue and disconnected himself from everything in sight, alliances and bonds be damned. The Fall would have happened uninhibited, and the world may not have looked as beautiful as it is now. Thankfully, things went the way they did, and here he is now with a better resolve and a purpose once in the dark being slowly brought into light.

                        “Perhaps… that’s why I was brought back by the Arcana?” Such a mysterious, omnipotent power bringing back its sole owner for one purpose; it has to be it. He may not have the right to be the one to lead all of humanity by the hand, but… “If I can’t guide them, as far as being deity-like goes, maybe I can protect them from the shadows. As far as what I’ve been doing lately, that’s been the top priority– everyone’s safety, that is.” Blood, sweat, tears and everything in between; despite those being shed for a sake he’s bound to get nothing in return, there isn’t much of a reason he can think up of to stop. Not because he has a duty to uphold after the miracle, or because he’s obligated to in return for letting him fall in love with the world again.

                       Sometimes, you don’t need a reason to help, after all. “I don’t care if people don’t see what I do. As long as I can protect the world and the people I love, it’s fine. This wasn’t what I wanted, but I’ll make do.” Somehow.

[knight-archivist-lapointe]

77855843: The Ancient Triad Goddesses of Little Concordia and their relevance today

The deities of Little Concordia echo those of Ancient Concordia. The Mandalorians came to Concordia over three thousand years ago, but that planet’s people were governed by the natural cycles as opposed to the customs of the Mandalorians. They worshipped three primary deities: Child, Mother, and Grandmother. With the arrival of the mando’ade , these became more commonly referred to as the adiik or ad , buir , and ba’buir . Although many Concordians still use Child, Mother, and Grandmother when translating the concept into Basic and other languages, many other mando’ade refer to the gender neutral concepts, as is their habit. The use of the “Three Goddesses'' is believed to originate in how many Ancient Concordian societies in general - although not universally - viewed motherhood, birth, and rebirth as the key sacred concepts of any life’s cycle.

The Little Concordian mando’ade who have lived in that region since the Exodus will very likely name these three deities as important as the Mandalorian concept of the Ka’ra bal Manda in their personal faiths. Each of the three life stages correlates to both a key Mandalorian value and one of the key elements.

The Child, or ad , is the wind. They are the chaos, the upheaval and trickery dancing throughout the galaxy. On the wind is carried the medium of change, as well as the dangers to life. For the Ancient Concordians, the Child could bring both life and instant death, a concept which meshed into Mandalorian beliefs easily. Whilst the Trickster prevents the entropy or total chaos of the universe, it can also be detrimental to the stability of the home, and even a threat to the Mandalorians as a whole. From change comes growth, but it is up to each person to take the chances to grow when they arrive, be they into success or failure. Some mando’ade interpret the Child to be closer to air as an element. The Trickster-child can both gift and remove the air in a being’s lungs, hence the mando’a expression haar Ad ru’atinii kaysh haal - the Child took their breath. Children are sacred to both mando’ade and the Ancient Concordians, which is reflected in the importance assigned to this particular deity in Little Concordia. There are no festivals or holy days as one might expect, but any mando’ad can inform you that the Trickster-child prompts changes out of apathy, peace out of chaos. All Mandalorians are firm believers in the grasping of opportunities as they arrive, maintaining a child-like enthusiasm for exploration and a curiosity which astounds those only familiar with Mandos as soldiers and hired hunters.

::readmore::

The Mother, or buir , represents water. Seas, rivers, oceans, and rain all fall under their domain. Change, constant and purposeful, was as much a part of the Ancient Concordian way as it is the Mandalorian way. Ask any mando’ad their greatest cultural fear, and it is likely you will receive the answer “stagnation”. Over the course of many generations, nuances have developed between Clans, lineages, and Creeds. For example, the modern Supercommando Codex as outlined by Mand’alor Jaster Mereel contains guidelines on how to follow the six traditional tenets which make one mandokar’la in a manner which allowed mando’ade to work alongside aruetiise in roles such as bounty hunters, mercenaries, and body guards.These adaptations of the traditional demonstrate the water-changeability Mandalorians seem to encompass effortlessly.

Water can both change for better and for worse. The destructive power of water has been witnessed on Coruscant many times, such as the bursting of major pipelines in 770RRGC which led to flooding and widespread infrastructural upheaval. Nothing can erode even the hardest substances like the endless and uncontrollable power of water. However, water can also be a gift. The Great Ocean yields up smoothened pebbles of coloured glass - see the article How Concord’ika Got Its Glitter: Fact and Fiction - which have for centuries been collected, shattered, and used to produce the Sector’s famous Glittercrete™. Without water, Coruscant would be barren. All humanoid life requires water, as do the vast majority of plants and animals, especially those native to Coruscant, rare as they now are. Water is life and death, good and bad, both blessing and curse.

In Little Concordia, this may seem like an odd concept to follow. How can a people who have inhabited the same region for almost a millenia represent such drastic alterations in creeds? What part of such a stationary culture can be considered mother-water? There is no need to look far, only deep. Below Little Concordia’s glimmering streets and dramatic arched markets lies the Great Ocean of Coruscant, the single largest water mass of the planet. No part of Little Concordia is truly anchored. If the occasion arises, the mando’ade of this Sector could leave the planet altogether. Looking into the culture of Little Concordian mando’ade , it is easy to perceive the following of the natural cycles reflected in their yearly festivals, celebrating such things as the changing of seasons, the changes throughout their histories, and also the things that do not change.

Stability is found in the concept of the Grandmother, crone, or ba’buir . The oldest of the three deities is often used to represent wisdom and continuity in triadic-goddess faiths across the galaxy, but where this fits into Mandalorian beliefs is both mildly surprising yet appropriate. She is linked to the earth or rock, representative of stability and calm. However, the threat of huge upheaval is constantly present. The movements of tectonic plates can be measured, understood, and even predicted, yet never prevented. A fitting companion to the Mandalorian culture of being stubborn in the extremes and forging their own destinies, the Grandmother is most commonly named Ruusaan in the stories, a popular name for females especially, meaning “rock”. Tales about ba’buir Ruusaan are very popular as children’s moral tales and fables, often urging young ones to consider how best to balance being stable with changeability. Warnings of the potential to become stagnant and immovable as a mountain (or, indeed, the elderly) come hand in hand with encouragement to be reliable and wise.

As you may expect, this is a value of particular importance to those of Little Concordia who have lived in the same region for many hundreds of years. How are they to maintain the core values of the cultures this subculture was seeded by? How does the supercity maintain flexibility whilst so well-anchored? These questions are best addressed to the mando’ade who live there; answers vary from philosophical discussions lasting entire days to abrupt directions to the local travel office. With time spent in Little Concordia, the stories of these ancient triadic deities and their Mandalorian modernised equivalents become obvious not only as history but also as regular actions, shown in the efforts across Coruscant and Core Worlds to protect and restore natural resources, ecosystems, and atmospheres. The balancing of ad, buir, ba’buir in the psyche of any mando’ad is personal, nuanced, and on the occasions the topic can be freely discussed, fascinating.

[fevie168]

Tuesday (June 26): "Do not throw your pearls before swine"

Scripture: Matthew 7:6,12-14  

6 "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you. 12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. 13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Meditation: What can pearls and narrow gates teach us about God's truth and holiness? In the ancient world pearls were of very great value and were even considered priceless. They were worn as prized jewels to make a person appear more beautiful and magnificent to behold. Holiness, likewise, is a very precious jewel that radiates the beauty of God's truth, goodness, and glory. God offers us the precious gift of his holiness so that we may radiate the splendor of his truth and goodness in the way we think, speak, act, and treat others. We can reject or ignore this great gift, or worse yet, we can drag it through the mud of sinful behavior or throw it away completely.

Pearls before dogs and swine Why does Jesus contrast holiness and pearls with dogs and swine (Matthew 7:6)? Some things don't seem to mix or go together, like fire and water, heat and ice, sweat and perfume, pure air and poisonous vapors, freshly cleaned clothes and filthy waste. The Talmud, a rabbinic commentary on the Jewish Scriptures, uses a proverbial saying for something which appears incongruous or out of place: an ear-ring in a swine's snout. Jesus' expression about "pearls before swine" and "not giving dogs what is holy" is very similar in thought (Matthew 7:6). Jewish law regarded swine as unclean. Wild dogs were also treated as unfit for close human contact, very likely because they were dirty, unkept, lice-infested, and prone to attack or cause trouble.

What is the point of avoiding what is considered unclean? Jesus’ concern here is not with exclusivity or the shunning of others (excluding people from our love, care, and concern for them). His concern is with keeping spiritual and moral purity - the purity of the faith and way of life which has been entrusted to us by an all-holy, all-loving, and all-wise God. The early church referenced this expression with the Eucharist or the Lord's Table. In the liturgy of the early church, a proclamation was given shortly before communion: Holy things to the holy. The Didache, a first century church manual stated: Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist except those baptised into the name of the Lord; for, as regards this, the Lord has said, 'Do not give what is holy to dogs.' The Lord Jesus invites us to feast at his banquet table, but we must approach worthily.

The law of perfect love seeks the highest good and best interests of one another Jesus summed up the teaching of the Old Testament law and prophets with the expression, So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them (Matthew 7:12) - and in the same breath he raised the moral law to a new level of fulfillment and perfection. God's law of love requires more than simply avoiding injury or harm to one's neighbor. Perfect love - a love which is unconditional and which reaches out to all - always seeks the good of others for their sake and gives the best we can offer for their welfare. When we love our neighbors and treat them in the same way we wish to be treated by God, then we fulfill the law and the prophets, namely what God requires of us - loving God with all that we have and are and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

How can we love our neighbor selflessly, with kindness, and genuine concern for their welfare? If we empty our hearts of all that is unkind, unloving, and unforgiving, then there will only be room for kindness, goodness, mercy, and charity. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). It is the love of God that fuels our unconditional love for others. Are you ready to let the Holy Spirit transform your life with the purifying fire of God's love?

The narrow gate and way of life Jesus used a second illustration of a narrow gate which opens the way that leads to a life of security and happiness (Matthew 7:13-14) to reinforce his lesson about choosing the one true way which leads to peace with God rather than separation and destruction. The Book of Psalms begins with an image of a person who has chosen to follow the way of those who are wise and obedient to God's word and who refuse to follow the way of those who think and act contrary to God's law : Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night  (Psalm 1:1-2). When a path diverges, such as a fork in the road, each way leads to a different destination. This is especially true when we encounter life's crossroads where we must make a choice that will affect how we will live our lives. Do the choices you make help you move towards the goal of loving God and obeying his will?

The Lord Jesus gives us freedom to choose which way we will go. Ask him for the wisdom to know which way will lead to life rather than to harm and destruction. See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil... Therefore choose life that you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy 3:15-20). Choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15). Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death (Jeremiah 21:8). If we allow God's love and wisdom to rule our hearts, then we can trust in his guidance and help to follow his path of love, truth, and holiness.

"Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am - a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out towards others." (Prayer attributed to Clement XI of Rome)

Psalm 48:1-10

1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!  His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 3 Within her citadels God has shown himself a sure defense. 4 For lo, the kings assembled, they came on together. 5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded, they were in panic, they took to flight; 6 trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in travail. 7 By the east wind you did shatter the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes for ever. [Selah] 9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. 10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.  Your right hand is filled with victory;

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Unreadiness to receive Godly teaching, by Augustine of Hippo, 430-543 A.D.

"Now in this precept we are forbidden to give a holy thing to dogs or to cast pearls before swine. We must diligently seek to determine the gravity of these words: holy, pearls, dogs and swine. A holy thing is whatever it would be impious to profane or tear apart. Even a fruitless attempt to do so makes one already guilty of such impiety, though the holy thing may by its very nature remain inviolable and indestructible. Pearls signify all spiritual things that are worthy of being highly prized. Because these things lie hidden in secret, it is as though they were being drawn up from the deep. Because they are found in the wrappings of allegories, it is as though they were contained within shells that have been opened.(1) It is clear therefore that one and the same thing can be called both a holy thing and a pearl. It can be called a holy thing because it ought not to be destroyed and a pearl because it ought not to be despised. One tries to destroy what one does not wish to leave intact. One despises what is deemed worthless, as if beneath him. Hence, whatever is despised is said to be trampled under foot... Thus we may rightly understand that these words (dogs and swine) are now used to designate respectively those who assail the truth and those who resist it." (excerpt from SERMON ON THE MOUNT 2.20.68–69)

[jeremyfrechette]

The Unpaid Pawn Stars of Slavery

Every time I hear someone invoke slavery or demand reparations, albeit a politician, academic or unhinged activist, I literally cringe. Unless I’m mistaken, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued over 150 years ago, only 1.6 percent of the American populace owned slaves at the height of the Antebellum period and nearly 400,000 white soldiers died to procure their freedom; not that race should ever discern the value of a human life or disregard an abolitionist movement spearheaded by white, evangelical Christians. It is also common misconception the Civil War was fought solely to end slavery when in reality it was far more about state sovereignty (as intended by our Founders), economics, the rapid industrialization of the North, a lack of railway access in the South, and tariffs. Likewise, it is obviously of little concern to reparation revisionists that no living American breathing today “is” or ever has been a legal slave of this Republic.

For anyone, black or otherwise, to consciously compare themselves to lifelong servants – those who toiled, suffered and died under the auspices of slavery – is offensive and illustrates a complete disregard for these victims’ horrific plight. If the millions who were sold into bondage had the liberties every American enjoys today, there is no dollar amount that could quantify their sheer joy and appreciation for reclaiming their God-Given rights and forging their own destiny as equals. Martin Luther King Jr. didn't identify as a Republican out of some misplaced or partisan need to bury the truth. The civil rights icon knew that if not for the efforts of the anti-slavery party founded in 1854, the dignity of every black sentient being would have remained shackled to the fields of Democratic apathy for years to come.

Not to question the sterling anti-American credentials of the United Nations, but why has no official condemnation or financial recompense been sought in memory of the astounding 5 million African slaves transported to toil in Brazilian gold mines; a sum 10 times greater than the number brought to America between 1750 and 1860? And while we're on the subject of globalists posthumously adjudicating guilt, why haven't the Spanish, Dutch or Portuguese governments been implored to pay reparations for sponsoring and harboring notorious slave trading operations for centuries on end? Furthermore, unless thousands of Irish families have unceremoniously received a check as compensation for their ancestors being starved, driven from their homes and forced to work as indentured servants in English colonies, perhaps I'm confused as to the true definition of crimes against humanity worthy of absentee enrichment.

Between 1641 and 1652 alone, half a million Irishmen, women and children were murdered by the Crown and another 300,000 were sold as "white" slaves in the West Indies and New World, causing their native population of 1.5 million to plummet to 600,000 in less than a decade. Yes, numbers far more daunting than the estimated 3,000 blacks lynched in America; a grotesque atrocity regardless of the totality. Apparently "victimization" in the modern theater of social justice requires an invitation to sequester an equally detached alibi to not give a damn.

History was never intended to serve as a politically correct blueprint fortuitously spared from the ravages of human vice, conflict and folly; rather it is a road map for mankind to consciously elude the missteps of an imperfect past to forge a universally beneficial future where the innovative prowess of the human mind is as poignant as its cultivated respect for the lives, welfare and rights of others. If I may be so brash, how does paying blood money to disjointed descendants who have little or no knowledge of their own legacy – let alone a respectable appreciation of the opportunities their ancestors' pain made possible – honor or alleviate the gross injustices committed against the actual victims? Simply put...it doesn’t. Such an exploitative ploy would merely reward those shameless opportunists seeking a free paycheck while punishing innocent taxpaying citizens who never owned a slave or supported its vile existence in any manner whatsoever.

Considering how much the U.S. Government has doled out in public assistance and disingenuous disability claims over the past 25 years, not to mention the eight and nine figure bank accounts many black athletes and entertainers now command, I’d venture to say the term “slave” is about as irrelevant as a black president in a White House. It's just too bad the modern day pawn brokers of historical "injustice" are so incredibly immune to the human trafficking epidemic that continues to plague the Middle East, Asia and Africa because the perpetrators lack the proper nationality for an indictment of racial iniquity. Apparently the allure of the almighty dollar, appeasing America's "unpaid" political detractors, is just enough moral recompense to dull the contemporary screams of unchecked human suffering.

[writemarcus]

James Baldwin's “I Am Not Your Negro” And The Revival Of The Black Arts Movement

by realmarcusscott

Community Contributor

The writing of civil rights icon and literary titan James Baldwin has recently experienced a renaissance, but recent media attention could also be signaling a revival of black thought.

In a televised interview with psychologist Dr. Kenneth Bancroft Clark, writer and social critic James Baldwin appeared in “The Negro and the American Promise,” alongside then-polarizing civil rights activists Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Minister Malcolm X to discuss race relations in the U.S. The New York Times would later describe the 1963 broadcast (itself the product of Boston public television producer Henry Morgenthau III) and particularly Baldwin’s segment, as “ television experience that seared the conscience.” Given the zeitgeist, whilst viewing Raoul Peck’s climacteric 2016 documentary film “I Am Not Your Negro,” the heart-pounding anxiety in Baldwin’s words in that interview seem to reverberate like an atomic bomb in an echo chamber.

“That’s part of the dilemma of being an American Negro; that one is a little bit colored and a little bit white, and not only in physical terms but in the head and in the heart, and there are days -- this is one of them -- when you wonder what your role is in this country and what your future is in it. How, precisely, are you going to reconcile yourself to your situation here and how you are going to communicate to the vast, heedless, unthinking, cruel, white majority, that you are here? And to be here means that you can’t be anywhere else,” Baldwin said. He continued. “I’m terrified at the moral apathy -- the death of the heart which is happening in my country. These people have deluded themselves for so long, that they really don't think I’m human. I base this on their conduct, not on what they say, and this means that they have become, in themselves, moral monsters. It's a terrible indictment -- I mean every word I say.”

What makes Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro” an essential viewing on par with, say, “13th,” Ava Duvernay’s incendiary documentary about race and mass incarceration? Based on 30 completed pages of James Baldwin’s final, unfinished manuscript Remember This House and narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, Peck’s award-winning documentary truly shines when there is more emphasis on archival footage than the words of Baldwin’s partial script due to his death from stomach cancer at 63 in 1987. Peck spends considerable time highlighting celebrities and literary luminaries of the time who were active during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–1968). Including found footage of glitterati such as Harry Belafonte, Marlon Brando, Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis, Lorraine Hansberry, and diverging political activists like Charlton Heston. In his directing, Peck appears to make a clear and concise distinction between artists of the 1960s and the contemporary artists of the iPhone generation. But that’s about it. The film progresses at a crawl when it delves into poetics, as Samuel L. Jackson tries to capture the color of the fallen literary titan.

That is in no way a kiss-off of one America’s Greatest Writers, nor of Mr. Jackson’s work as actor, but a reflection on Peck, whose work on the film inspires more questions of interest around Baldwin, his politics and his bibliography. Footage where Baldwin takes center stage and articulates American imperialism is more appealing and more profound than Peck’s reimagining of Baldwin’s last words. But perhaps, that’s unfair. After all, Baldwin casts a tall shadow. Marking the 30th Anniversary of his death, Baldwin’s influence continues to towers over the Afropunk collective, the Black Lives Matter international activist movement, and what appears to be a revival of the Black Arts Movement via TV, film, modern art and of course, on the proscenium stage.

In Fall 2016, his influence saturated the DNA of genre-bending musicals like Stew’s The Total Bent (which he co-wrote with Heidi Rodewald and his band, The Negro Problem) and Party People by UNIVERSES, both performed at the Public Theater. Shortly after those shows ended, the year was capped off with Can I Get a Witness? The Gospel of James Baldwin by neo-soul progenitor Meshell Ndegeocello’s Afrofuturistic concert-sermon at Harlem Stages. Each one of these gems tackled contemporary issues (Trump and a divided Capitol Hill, Standing Rock, refugee crisis, domestic terror) while grappling with the state of white America, race relations, anti-blackness and the nature of protest and revolt. In a way, Baldwin’s body of work became what he accused militant Pan-African human rights activist Malcolm X of doing during that interview with Dr. Kenneth Bancroft Clark: “He corroborates their reality; he tells them that they really exist. You know?”

It’s no wonder why black songwriter-storytellers, especially those who have infiltrated the New York City theatre constituency and openly challenge the white hegemony of musical theatre, worship at the altar of Baldwin. The politics of his message—at odds with the militancy of Huey P. Newton and The Black Panthers, the political boondoggle that plagued Julian Bond and John Lewis of SNCC, the black supremacy movement of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam—is an earth-shattering, life-and-death kiss-off to the whole establishment while appraising the perils of every black life in a system engineered and fueled by America’s white supremacist patriarchy.

Baldwin’s worldview was equidistant of two polarizing ideological extremes: A pariah of the integrationist wing of the Civil Rights movement, Baldwin believed in a unified America and agreed in the establishing peace through the nonviolent resistance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his SCLC disciples. But he also believed equally in the deep-seated Pan-African radicalism of Malcolm X. Both incensed black intellectuals, unlike King, Baldwin and Malcolm X were unwilling to were to wait for white society to “solve” The Negro Question, and felt the dominant white culture in America was too toxic for black people and other people of color, considering the effects of systemic and institutional racism. In “The Fire Next Time,” his nonfiction objet d'art, Baldwin wrote: “Things are as bad as the Muslims say they are -- in fact, they are worse... There is no reason that black men should be expected to be more patient, more forbearing, more farseeing than whites; indeed, quite the contrary.”

For newcomers to the work of Baldwin, this may seem disorienting and discombobulating, but that is also what elevates his writing into the upper echelons of American writers. When L.A. musician Mark Stewart, better known as Stew, penned his genre bending semi-autobiographical 2008 rock musical Passing Strange—produced with the support of the Sundance Institute and The Public Theater—the book was purely inspired by Baldwin’s tesseract-warping writing style. Not only did the musical references the New Negro of the Harlem Renaissance, but one its central motifs involved the praise of black artists like Baldwin and Josephine Baker, who expatriated to Paris, France. Shortly after the closing of The Total Bent, in September 2016, Stew reported that he has begun to workshop a song cycle, Notes of a Native Song, inspired by Baldwin’s similarly titled 1955 non-fiction novel.

Other writers have also felt the effects of iconic writer: Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks studied under Baldwin, who encouraged her to write for the stage and described her as “an utterly astounding and beautiful creature who may become one of the most valuable artists of our time.” Ending her post as a Residency One playwright for Signature Theatre Company this year, the various productions cherry-picked from Parks’ extensive bibliography echo Baldwin’s poetics. There’s also director-playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah. In Dr. Lynette Goddard’s “Contemporary Black British Playwrights: Margins to Mainstream,” Kwei-Armah explained that his plays mirror the ‘diasporic, black politics” influenced by the writings of Amiri Baraka and Baldwin. Journalist-author Ta-Nehisi Coates’s 2015 book, Between the World and Me, was inspired directly by Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, and lest we forget, the same book of essays also inspired the Fire This Time Festival, which has become a launch pad for early-career playwrights of African and African American descent. Diverse artists are also taking inspiration from Baldwin, like Pulitzer-winning Puerto Rican playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, who wrote the book for the musical Miss You Like Hell, with help of her outrage in the post-election period and Baldwin’s poetry.

In a neoreactionary zeitgeist contaminated by Breitbart News-quoting white nationalist right-wing populists, and the ever-present tinges of anti-blackness, xenophobia, fear of immigrants, anti-feminism, proliferating ableism, and rampant homophobia and transphobia, Baldwin’s work may not only be the beacon of a Black Arts Movement revival, but a war cry for all diverse artists. To put it simply, Baldwin was a futurist. His genius—highlighted by unpatrolled mordant wit, piquant rue, spill-the-tea élan and unparalleled black boy voodoo—is a master class of artistry; regardless of context, his writing accentuates and deliberates not only the consistent struggle of black people but all of the colonized English-speaking nations of the world. Woah!

Contemporary artists have big shoes to fill. But given the state of the nation, we’re in good hands. Rest in power, Mr. Baldwin.

[perrysoup]

Remember everyone who had the stage and mic had a chance to speak up

Israel has planned its latest bombing campaign around the American consumer. They waited for the Super Bowl to begin before they launched a violent attack on Rafah Refugee Camp.

So between the noise of Beyoncé’s new album, Taylor Swift cheering on her boyfriend and Usher’s performance, we are viewing the corpses of dead children.

We are truly living in dystopian times.