#cognitive equal opportunity

[bajabustanut]

WDS - the Whole Dyslexic Society

Hi everyone!

If you've got some free time, whether it's today or in the future, please consider checking out the Whole Dyslexic Society - a Vancouver BC based NGO. It is facilated by a lovely woman named Sue Hall, who is a facilator of learning with a large background in helping young people (and adults!) who struggle with their dyslexia. Sue is dyslexic herself, and is strong in her belief that dyslexia is a gift rather than something to ashamed of.

They're mission is to shed light on Dyslexia, how it effects individuals, and brings more nueroinclusivity to the educational system. Dyslexia is a gift and a tool, and can be utilized as a new way of thinking rather than a hinderance.

"Our Mission - To be an organization which offers a coordinated and central approach in addressing the needs of the dyslexic individual, their families and their community, while ensuring a safe place for accelerated learning, healing, education, social interaction and support of individual growth and development."

They've finally gone international and are working with students as far as New Zealand, and currently have an ongoing project in Kenya in the Kakamega County.

They have a blog, a newsletter, and and a podcast called Fish Don't Climb Trees that updates regularly on several platforms (Spotify and Podbean included)!

Sue was also invited for a TedTalk, where she further discusses her own family's journey and the meaning of Cognitive Equal Opportunity.

Please consider checking them out, maybe listening to a podcast or two, or even subscribing to their regular newsletter! Regardless of whether you are dyslexic or not, this is a tool for everyone to educate themselves on dyslexia and find some valuable resources.

On another note, if you want to contribute and show support, they do offer 'Gifted with Dyslexia' pins for people who would like to show pride in their neurodiversity. Links to pins and how to order them are at the top of their main website, and forms can be filled out there. To quote directly from the webpage, the goals of these pins are:

For those with the ‘gift of dyslexia’ to have a physical, global symbol of pride in our way of thinking and learning.

To ensure that these different learners know they are learning able, they just don’t learn the way they have been taught.

To increase the understanding of how these different minds work, and eventually for the education system to be able to reach them from day one, thus ensuring the challenges do not have a chance to arise.

To acknowledge the discovery made by Ronald D Davis, in his book The Gift of Dyslexia, and the subsequent programs which have changed the lives of thousands of learning able individuals.

To fundraise for our charity, The Whole Dyslexic Society.

[homunculus-argument]

The absolutely funniest example of Fantasy Authors Writing Their Kinks Into Their SFW Works has to be Robert Jordan's whole thing in Wheel of Time. Like this dude really liked the idea of dignified, powerful and respected women getting brought low, degraded or humiliated. And not like even in brutal or violent ways, a good chunk of these humiliating situations he wrote them ladies in were things that nobody else present is even aware of. Nobody else here knows that this awkward maid is bad at serving tea because she was a queen once and now doesn't know how to act now that she isn't, nobody else here knows that this Mildly Weird Thing this woman is doing is actually deeply humiliating in the context of the specific culture she was raised in.

Like this dude wrote a whole-ass 14-book series (well, to also give credit to Brandon Sanderson who finished what he started, Jordan made a brave effort and died trying) where half of the characters are women, in a world that doesn't just have equal opportunities for women, but actually has solid and credible matriarchies, just to Put Women Into Situations. A world where women can and do have social, political and literally magical power, not through their relations to any man but in their own right.

In the world of Wheel of Time women are respected and even revered to the point where one of the ways the protagonist goes insane is because of the cognitive dissonance between the chivalrous "women must be protected" farmboy Wholesome Village Life Values he was raised with, and the feminist reality where women can and will have the agency to choose to fight wars and also die in battle side-by-side with men.

One must first stand high in order to be brought low, and clearly it wouldn't have been fun to just write about women being degraded because their status in society is less-than by default. Oh no, This Bitch In Particular is going to get spanked (by another woman who has power over her) because she, personally, is cringe.

[whetstonefires]

So re: Qin Su's death, one thing I'm absolutely certain of is that she did not just conveniently kill herself due to her high level of distress, at the exact moment most convenient to a person she was super mad at.

Because, frankly, mxtx is not that shitty a writer. She doesn't sweat the details or logistics of things, characters are allowed to coincidentally turn up in the right place to make the plot work and so forth, but these novels are intensely concerned with character motive and internal life. Everyone does things for their own reasons.

People do what the plot requires, but a defining feature of her writing is that everyone is fashioned into the shape of the kind of person who would do that thing in this situation. Sometimes whole scenes or subplots exist mainly to put on display the underlying cognitive patterns that justify as individual choices the kinds of things stock characters routinely do in genre novels, for no reason than that they are The Type Of Character who Does That.

If Qin Su was going to commit suicide about the bad news, there would have been hints that this was the direction her thoughts were trending during the preceding scene, where we're introduced to her reactions. And there aren't.

Her primary reaction is anger. She's scared to death when her husband paralyzes her and puts her on his dismemberment table to interrogate later for the name of her informant. She is contemptuous of his caring almost exclusively about what all these horrors could do to their reputation.

There is nothing in the scene to suggest she would, given the opportunity to denounce him to the cultivation world, choose instead to escape by knife.

The interpretation of this sequence that says she Just Did That really annoys me, because it requires ignoring basically every single piece of information about the character other than the fact that Wei Wuxian always thought since they were kids that she wasn't very bright.

Furthermore, it would be out of character for Jin Guangyao to have knowingly arranged a situation likely to go so badly for him, and wildly unusual for him to get so lucky if he had. This man has shit luck normally.

The sensible thing for him to do, in a universe where Qin Su just conveniently opted for suicide instead of ratting on him, would have been to take the ten to twenty minutes of prep time he had to work with to disappear her the same way he did nmj's head.

This might have required killing her first, since we don't know where he put it, but while I'm sure he didn't want to do that I'm equally sure he was entirely capable. He had a convenient scapegoat handy to blame for her disappearance.

He had no reason to allow her to be visible and capable of independent action when his cavalcade of guests arrived. But there she was, dazed but unrestrained. And then...cursed knife time.

Super convenient! She's dead and can't blab, and lots of important people saw her do it and saw how horrified he was and are disposed to be sympathetic. Works out much better for him than the risk of being blamed if she disappears.

So Wei Wuxian's assumption that jgy set the suicide up and compelled her somehow is the most logical inference. Neither of their characters is really compatible with the other scenario.

If Jin Guangyao had actual mind control powers he definitely would have used them a lot, so the most straightforward version of what happened is he used some technique or drug that would confuse her and suppress her cognition, then deliberately put 'cursed dagger that preys on your negative feelings and makes you kill yourself' within reach just before everyone entered.

I'm sure if it hadn't worked, and she'd just kind of stared into the distance while he talked his way out of the unproveable allegations and weaponized Mo Xuanyu's bad reputation and so forth, he'd have been happy with that outcome too, since it would still have meant a lot of important people saw her alive and not freaking out, and then he'd still have been able to torture her for information later. (Again, something I'm sure he didn't want to do, but absolutely would have.)

But this worked out well and got rid of two exposure threats at once while buying him sympathy points.

Although considering his shit luck, I wouldn't rule out that his plan only went as far as sedating her so she couldn't make trouble and he could show everyone how not paralyzed on his murder table she was, and he'd forgotten he had an evil dagger that compelled you to kill yourself lying around in reach of a woman whose ability to exert force of will he'd just reduced to nothing.

And he wasn't expecting that result at all.

[pencilpat]

okay okay! first i wanted to say i love your art! it's so unique and cool!! also super soft when you do moceit and analogical 🥺🩵💛 💜💙 i think those are the characters i find perfect in your style, logan is just 💙✨ (/gen)

so! on the topic of moceit and analogical, maybe some headcanons you have for both pairings? :3 🩵💛 💜💙

Thank you, that's so sweet of you to say! I love every tag you leave on my art, and the whole system is glad you enjoy our work!

Moceit:

Patton has trouble with seeing the other sides as equals, tending to view himself as an authority figure. Not only was Janus the first to challenge this, he was the first to become an equal. Janus challenges a lot of Patton's preconceived ideals and it's good for him - Patton has been living by the morals of a child while also putting himself in a role of power over the others. Janus is needed in order to break apart that dynamic.

Janus and Patton really both love hanging out in the outdoors, and just being around each other and chatting quietly is their favourite way to spend time. Very old married men behaviour.

Janus isn't much of a cuddly person, but Patton very much is. Janus is willing to concede to bedtime cuddles and maybe 5 hugs a day, but no more, no less.

Janus rarely talks about himself and his emotions, he's not fond of the vulnerability that comes with sharing facts about yourself. However, Patton tells Janus everything about himself. To the point that Janus knows about his cold shoulders, even though Patton didn't even know why Janus likes Halloween best.

Patton crochets so many warm clothes for Janus to use during winter to keep him from getting all slow and foggy brained. Janus can become nearly catatonic if he gets extremely cold, and Patton tries to help him stay warm as possible to prevent it.

Analogical:

I LOVE queer romantic analogical!! They care for each other so greatly, even if it couldn't necessarily be defined as a 'relationship', and neither of them want a relationship anyways. (aroace kings)

Logan writes fanfic and Virgil lays against his back on the bed and just hangs out with him. He calls it "nerd stories" but he loves editing for him and proofreading his work (and he loves the opportunity to spend time with Logan and engage his interests and passions in general).

Logan really enjoys letting Virgil show him his music! He enjoys breaking down the beats and melodies logically and the excitement of discovering new things. Logan is an emo and goth music fan by proxy.

Both of them are a bit touch averse and not incredibly physically affectionate, so cuddling or even hugging is rare between them. They much prefer to parallel play beside each other, doing their own thing yet enjoying each other's company.

Virgil truly understands Logan's current struggle, being disregarded and pushed aside, having your opinions discredited and ignored. That's why he never gets mad at Logan for snapping or jumping to conclusions that people hate him. After all, Logan was the one that taught him about cognitive distortions. Virgil is pretty much the only person Logan will accept comfort from at this point.

That's all that is on my mind for now, I love both of these ships so deeply <3

[mingos]

「 h.c. 」 ー the one about rosinante

　　　　hot take(?): doflamingo loved rosinante a lot.

　one of the few people he would have the emotional capacity to and his worldview would allow him to love, actually.

('but he was planning to sacrifice himー' we will get to that. look, it's complicated.)

to explain what i mean (& prevent from being too long) i want to invite anybody who hasn't seen this to give it a look. here, i talk in more detail about what i mean when i say doflamingo 'loves' somebody & what his limitations are as a neurodivergent person with low empathy.

maybe i'll write a separate post about his cognitive empathy (using logic to determine how someone feels) vs. his emotional empathy (the ability to resonate with someone's emotions and feel what they feel) because it's complicated, and nuanced, and all that junkーbut that's a deep dive for another day. right now let's just talk his emotional empathy.

-

　basically, his love functions differently because his empathy (a pretty key component in loving somebody) functions differently. for most people, he 'loves' in the sense he attaches himself to you because you make him feel good & feed his ego, and he wants to keep you around as a result. he recognizes that, in order to do this, he needs to provide you with things in exchange: protection, money, opportunities, etc. but he cannot connect with you on an emotional level, or at least not where it matters: empathizing with you.

　　that's for most people, though; there are some rare exceptions, and even then it's still a bit... off.

he 'empathizes' best with not just people who have experienced the same things as him, but who experienced the same thing with him. ('empathizes' in quotes because, even then, it's more him projecting how the event made him feel onto a person rather than actually knowing how they feel and it just so happens that sometimes those feelings can overlap sometimes but, eh, he's trying his best...).

he lived in garbage dumps with his four executives, he built his pirate crew up from scratch over 25-30 years, and, uh... y'knowーspent two years suffering poverty & unimaginable abuse side-by-side with his little brother. it's a circumstance that allows him to speak in detail, and commiserate, and genuinely come the closet to caring about someone's feelings that his extremely finicky brain will allow.

　but with rosinante specifically, doflamingo's capacity goes even deeper. because he, most likely, was not only the first person he developed a bond with as his brother, but he inherently places a higher social value on him because he's a celestial dragon. so, in a world of humans (people he declares himself as being socially, morally & maybe even genetically superior to) rosinante is the closest person he has to an equal, and that counts for something.

it counts for a lot, actually. it allowed rosinante to get away with a lot:

leaving for 14 years

coming back inexplicably

the frequent accidents

letting him just leave again for another 6 months & also take law

being seen as generally incompetent when doflamingo values people so long as they're useful

we also don't know the extent of how much rosinante masked his caring & compassionate side during his undercover mission before breaking away with law, but i have to assume doflamingo at the very least knew and, despite hating that side of him, overlooked it and allowed him to stay close.

i also genuinely believe vergo when he says doflamingo didn't suspect him and he accepted rosinante back with completely open arms & no strings attached. for my own portrayal of doffy, i've toyed with the idea of him being secretly a little bitter about being 'abandoned' because he's got some issues with that which may or may not have made the decision to sacrifice his brother easierーbut canonically it's probably a bit more cut & dry.

sacrificing him with the op op fruit was never the original plan. he didn't give rosinante the directive to eat it because he wanted to get rid of him for the last 4 yearsーhe wanted to sacrifice him because he was disobedient.

more than that, he wanted to sacrifice him in this specific way because it was a test to reconfirm his loyalty one last time. at the cost of his life, yes (though, all of his 'family' members are held to the same standard) but he gave rosinante something he didn't give his father or anybody else that betrayed him: an option of how he'd like to die.

'you can keep running if you want, prove to me right now you're a traitor, and i'll come & kill you myself. or you can come home & show me you're still my loyal little brother by giving your life to me. i'm giving you a choice.'

rosinante decided to run, and i have to imagine that broke doflamingo's heart a little. or, whatever what was left of it

[buppypuppy]

Finished up a little thing today. Developing some of the other houses in Oldwood, finally. The rest is beneath the cut if you'd like to give it a read.

For what they lack in a sense of style, much to the chagrin of certain serpents, they more than make up for in efficiency, strength, and notably intimidation. The hulking form of the arbiter of the house leading you along is certainly doing work to maintain that reputation. 

Her massive spiraling horns are assuredly not just for show. It's doubtless that the various nicks and chips in them are from various duels, all of them won with sheer strength. No medals or trophies are needed to show her valor, as they are all carried with her, displayed proudly on a rack. 

The scabbards for her immense cleavers clank together as she walks, her hooves clicking against the floor in time. An odd manner of cognitive dissonance is invoked with how notorious the House of the Iron Grate is for having a heavily-armored militia, in contrast with just how little armor the Arbiter of the House wears. The studded gloves and knee-length trousers with nothing else are an interesting choice, but she's quite famed to be indestructible, so truly things seem to be working well for her.

She turns her head to you as you walk with her, the thick wool obscuring her eyes, but her piercing gaze still chilling your blood even further.

"You must be sure you are strong. This house meets force with force. This means you must be forceful."

It is unclear if she intended to insult you, but nonetheless, her words ring in your mind. You must be forceful. To be forceful is an endeavor many strive for, but never truly manage to grasp. They have misguided notions of what force is, what it truly means, but they never can bear to strike their hammer down on the anvil of fate. 

The people who are after you would not know how to be forceful. Your decision to align yourself with one of the Houses was one that took much time to mull over, but ultimately, the decision was fated to be. The House of the Iron Grate was the only House who would have you.

The Surgeon's sickening experiments were not something you wanted to be near. The insidious control of the Punisher of Love was too... Cowardly, for your taste. The Five Deaths are far too untrustworthy. The Tragic Poet's estate kept you away from it, the rumors surrounding its fluid nature disconcerting to say the least. And the Colored Capitols... You've heard the stories about the people who entered that accursed painting to never be seen again.

So, you took your fate with force. You will know what it means to be forceful.

The ram stops before the heavy iron door, placing her hooved hand upon it as she addresses you.

"You will not speak. Be silent. I speak with the grate first, as Arbiter of this house. The sentinels will supervise your induction, as well as I. The grate will speak to you. You will not respond to it. If you do, your induction will be voided. You do not want to discover the results of a voided induction."

You silently nod. You dare not even respond to that. You need this opportunity, you need the protection that a House membership grants, the skill that you will learn. You need a cause. 

Watching you give the affirmative, the ram opens the door, leading you into the chamber of the Iron Grate.

You enter a small, low-roofed stone room. In the center of the floor, there is an iron grate above a hole in the ground. There are ladder rungs affixed into the side of the hole, descending down into it. The grate is intricate, the iron bars of it flowing around the circular frame. 

In each corner of the room stands an armored figure, all carrying different weapons, with different suits of armor. One of them is immense, broad, standing with an enormous sword and shield. Another's is different, leather accents, but still equally armored, with a mammoth warhammer. The third, lighter, with more flexibility, a halberd taller than them in hand. The last, in robes, with plates affixed in various places. A sleek Iron staff sits in their grasp. 

All of their visored gazes affix on you. You cannot see any of their eyes, but their gazes pierce you, boring into your soul with the same depth of the very hole before you. The chill that permeates your body is unlike any you've ever felt before. 

The heavy door slams shut behind you. You know, logically, that it's still unlocked. If you had to, you could leave at any time. But you can't escape the feeling of being locked in. It pervades you, suffocates you, you're trapped in here with these armored sentinels, with the arbiter of this House, and with the founder of the House itself. And it's all on you for locking yourself in here with it.

You watch as the ram steps forward, standing atop the grate. She speaks aloud, her typically soft voice being amplified by the acoustics of this room, causing it to resound throughout your entire body.

"I bring, to you, a supplicant. Someone who wishes to know the force that exact. Someone who desires the strength we can give. Someone who will kneel to you, and will not disobey you, for this supplicant knows that all who are forced to descend will never return. To dare devote to you, requires a will of iron."

She steps forward, turning herself around to look at you, gesturing to the grate.

"Approach, iron-willed, to receive the blessing of the Iron Grate, to let your soul be washed in its cold breath, and to feel the bars of it and vow to never see what lies beneath."

You step forward, doing as you are told. You stand atop the Iron Grate, feeling the frigid draft of air rising out of it wash over your body. It is cold like you have never felt, burrowing underneath your skin, seeping into your bones, digging its claws into the center of your being.

The ram reaches forward, placing her hand atop your head. She presses it down, angling your gaze to be staring into the deep, unceasing abyss beneath the Iron Grate. You feel your stomach drop, the depth of it being utterly incalculable. You had heard the hushed tales of how traitors to the house had been hunted down ruthlessly, and dragged right back here, and forced to descend down the ladder, never to be seen by another soul. 

"Cast every doubt you have down. Slip it through the gaps in the bars, let it fall, endlessly, down into the abyss beneath the Grate. Your doubt will never be seen again. What will remain is strength. Force. Do it."

You steel yourself. You tense your muscles, thinking of every doubt, every regret, every fear, every reason you came to this house in the first place, letting them build, coalesce, fill up inside you. Then, you release, the tension in your body draining. You fall to your knees, palms against the bars of the Grate, gripping onto them. The abyss below you is ever closer, now, almost trying to pull you through the bars, pull you down below.

But all that remains is strength. You have done what you have been told. As you gaze down into the abyss, you finally hear it. The Grate. It speaks to you.

But you do not hear it. You can tell it has spoken, you heard it speak, but it only existed in your mind, fleetingly. It is gone. It spoke the words to you, but its voice is not present, you cannot even  begin to think of what it sounded like. All you remember is what it said.

"Drink of Iron, and it shall be you."

You turn your gaze up. The ram holds a small vial in her hands, the cork removed. The vial is full of a writhing, silvery liquid, squirming as if it were alive. She lowers herself to one knee, grabbing your face with her other hand. Her thumb slips into your mouth, pulling it open as she raises the vial to your lips.

You cannot stop her. You shan't, it is what the Iron Grate ordered of you, but you simply sit there, clinging to the bars of the grate as the liquid is poured into your mouth, the woman holding your jaw agape to be sure you imbibe every last drop.

The liquid tastes cold. Any actual taste it has is obscured by unceasing chill as it slithers its way down your throat, settling in the pit of your stomach, filling your body with a frigid shudder, before it vanishes, and you are left with the now tame chill of the Grate beneath you.

The ram rises, pulling her thumb out of your mouth as she offers that hand to you, helping you to your feet. Your knees wobble and bow, your constitution not having returned to you fully, but the ram has an air of appreciation to her now. It almost seems like she's proud of you.

"You are one of us. You are iron." She takes your hand in both of hers, giving a sharp nod. 

"I am Heide. May you never know what lies beneath the Grate."

[raytorosaurus]

not to get into the philosophy of real person fandom over a random tweet but ngl the brian schechter thing is quite unsurprising to me considering how he has spoken about the music industry in the past and running bands as businesses - remember that 40 year old guys with money do not run in the same online circles as left-leaning teenagers/youth no matter how cool they are skdjfjd. it's probably a pretty logical jump for someone in that generation and wealth bracket to go from profiting off one kind of art to another in a new context, even if we know it's ethically unsound on multiple levels.

the part i don't get is the perhaps overblown emotional response to this news tbh. it's interesting how fandom will fixate so heavily on certain specific non-public figures in the mcr sphere to the point of including them in the band's "narrative" while entirely ignoring others who are presumably equally or more significant. it's based entirely on fandom characterisations i think - i don't just mean in fic but also in the general fandom consciousness, though these two things definitely influence each other. when most people talk or write about brian they're basing like 90% of their information on him off about 15 minutes of screentime in lotms and a vague knowledge of his career trajectory, or off what other fans have said and written about him first.

this isn't me saying "we should stop talking about brian until we know more about him" or "we should learn more about the other people close to the band, not just brian" - more the opposite. i honestly think this is a timely reminder that, although i'd say we can all pretty safely bet that the four guys in mcr are solid dudes worthy of our respect and support, we really truly do not know anything about their personal lives outside the band besides the very little they show us. even within the context of the band we see very little. as a quick and obvious example, can you name four people on mcr's current crew off the top of your head? no? cool, that's totally normal and you absolutely don't have to. just keep it in mind that you can't. no matter how many interviews they do, we see so little of their lives - and they very clearly want it that way. real people aren't fictional characters - like honestly imo if you really want fictional characters, go and read fanfiction about them and consciously create a solid boundary in your mind between those fictional constructs and the real people you don't know and aren't entitled to know. don't let it influence the way you think of the real people, but instead use it as a way to get the narrativising and over-familiarity out of your system if you must. just don't fall into the trap of thinking you really know or understand these guys - it's doing you and them a disservice and can only lead to disappointment. save the sense of connection with the real guys to the music and the live shows in the context of their art and the community they've inspired with it.

i guess my point is i totally understand that we're all emotionally invested in these guys and care about them and feel like we can trust them - i absolutely do too - but i think it's healthier all round to actively remind ourselves how little we know about them every now and then. things like Brian Schechter NFT Boss Reveal are good opportunities to do so. try to avoid that nasty pang of cognitive dissonance when these 40+yo people do something that doesn't match up with the simplified and idealised version of them in your head <3

[erenvs3000f24]

Blog #3: The Role of Privilege in Nature Interpretation

Privilege is something that impacts everyone in different ways every single day. I would define privilege as undeserved advantages that some people or groups have based on their background, like their socioeconomic status, race, gender, or other social identities. Having open discussions about privilege is a vital step toward creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves. I’ve noticed others addressing this, and I want to do the same. As a straight, white, middle-class woman, I recognize that I’ve had various privileges throughout my life. While this acknowledgement can sometimes feel uncomfortable, it is a necessary part of the conversation. This week’s chapter allowed me to learn more about my privilege, and prompted me to think about ways we can make nature interpretation more accessible to diverse audiences.

In nature interpretation, we can see privilege in ways that impact who feels welcome and included in these spaces. These advantages may not be obvious, but they are present. Firstly, access to these natural interpretive areas can be a privilege. Some may take the ability to get to these sites for granted, but those that come from low income backgrounds may lack the resources to participate in the outdoor activities, or even travel to these places to begin with. Additionally, economic status can also influence the educational opportunities some may have compared to others. Those from higher socioeconomic standings typically have better access to environmental education and outdoor experiences, making them feel more comfortable and connected to nature. From the chapter, I love the idea of providing transportation for lower-income communities, or bringing interpretation directly to them to try and reduce economic barriers. Implementing these ideas would take some planning, but it could significantly enhance the inclusivity in interpretation.

Next, representation is a crucial aspect of privilege found in nature interpretation. If the media (ie. photos, promotional videos, etc.), literature, and interpretive programs mainly show individuals from specific backgrounds, it can alienate those from minority backgrounds, making them feel as though they don’t “fit the mould.” This lack of representation may also discourage them from engaging with nature and participating in outdoor activities. By having a variety of voices, experiences, and backgrounds, we can create a more relatable and welcoming environment that encourages everyone to connect with nature.

A final example of how privilege plays a role in nature interpretation is related to individuals with disabilities. For those without disabilities, accessing nature can be pretty easy and straightforward, but for people of all ages with sensory, mobility, or cognitive challenges, it may be difficult, and could lead them to feel excluded from the environment. For instance, many nature parks and trails lack accommodations such as wheelchair-friendly pathways, audio guides or printed text and closed captioning. Implementing these types of accessibility features can help them feel included and integrated into the community, boost their self- esteem, encourage independence, and feel respected throughout their interpretive journey.

As a nature interpreter, my goal is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable, excited, and inspired to connect with the natural world. I believe every individual, regardless of their background or abilities, deserves the equal opportunity to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings and explore the “Why?” and “How?” of these spaces. I think it’s essential to create a sense of wonder and responsibility, so everyone can engage deeply with nature to hopefully become environmental stewards and advocates for its preservation.

[orange-coloredsky-archive]

hi im still here and freaking out about. far harbor. here's my weird 10-going-on-21 year old autistic synth extraordinaire being a catalyst for me infodumping faraday headcanons

tw for a mention of suicide & just. general institute dehumanizing bullshit

"No way you're that old." Shaun laughed halfheartedly, tried to keep his demeanor light. He bit his tongue to prevent himself from completing his thought -- Synths like you don't last that long. Records of decommissions and suicides took up more disk space in the Institute's archive of first-batch synths than anything else. Piles of evidence showing the mass production of self-aware beings was far from sustainable. But after years of hardware review and cognitive recalibration software tests, the gain-to-loss ratio evened out. Shaun recalled the single designation-B synth that was always pacing up and down the hall across from his and Father's dormitory. She was a good worker, Father had said. A sweet girl of fifty-four. Residence maintenance, the best of her crew. Her occasional bouts of hysterics were well worth her steady hands with the plumbing.

The breathy chuckle that came from Faraday was equally grim. "Not the first-first-batch, no. I was a couple years down the line. Maybe early '30s? I don't remember." He tapped a pen on his chin in thought.

"Designation K. Robotics handled me. I tended to work with gen-ones and twos -- stuck fixing busted hydraulics, usually. If I was really lucky, one would come in with a unique software error for me to pick apart." "Some of the human scientists liked to watch me work. You know, back then, we were novelties. But others probably wished I would just mop the floors or something instead."

Electricity thrummed in the background. Terminal upon terminal filled with Institute-proprietary materials: memory and horribly simplified emotional data from a machine older than any being on the whole island, barring Shaun's own mother. The makeshift archive was puny by Institute standards, but a goddamn miracle to anyone else in a 500-mile radius. Acadia's knack for technological innovation started to make sense. "They let you touch software? That was unheard of by my time. I'd get my ass handed to me any time I touched a computer."

"Well, there wasn't much choice back then. The Institute wasn't particularly well staffed. All of the founders were long dead, as were most of their children. Their grandchildren were running out of... options, when it came to reproducing a replacement workforce."

Shaun listened raptly as Faraday spoke, pleasantly surprised by how easily this information was given. His parents had made it sound like all Acadians were some unsolvable enigma -- as guarded against outsiders as their neighbors at the Harbor. Yet here he sat in the private room of one of the colony's three figureheads; and the man was perfectly content to reminisce to a stranger.

To a child. Shaun saw his appearance in the faint reflection the observatory window offered. He took this opportunity to push further while he still could.

"So then you left. Why?"

A despondent exhale. "Why did any of us leave?"

[sweatertheman]

ive been thinking more about the stupid homestuck thing, and it occurs to me that in homestuck, SBURB's narrative kind of blows. the story setup and mechanisms are complex, but the actual series of events is uncomplicated. on a "normal" playthrough, the heroes will progress through a planet, solving puzzles, fighting monsters, and eventually entering a gateway to take them to the next planet to do it again, getting stronger until they can take on the black queen and win the day. SBURB does not have interesting characters with real history or legitimate motivations. prospitians are the "good guys" and dersites are the "bad guys" and they must fight because its the catalyst for a quest. its mechanical.

maybe i could do something with that? SBURB doesn't have an actual narrative, anything of value is produced by the players interacting with each other, or through a series of obstructions, convolutions, and general tomfuckery produced by a series of asshole acting for equally mechanical reasons in the grand scheme of things. being a part of SBURB means being a non-person, means being a cog in a machine, only being able to do what you are designed to do. Jack Noir is only meant to attack, to kill, and to be hateful. he greets people by stabbing them, he kills even when it is actively detrimental to him. when he merges with bec, he finds himself in an irreconcilable state of cognitive dissonance. he can't understand the feeling of love, because it wasn't something he was ever meant to experience. becoming a sprite is a horrifying idea, because it means forfeiting your free will, halting your development, becoming a thing.

while i think not giving sburb a more complex story than some NES game is a bit of a missed opportunity (though im glad there's one less variable in the actual comic) i dont want to lose this idea that SBURB assimilates everything into its clockwork reality to justify its video game mechanics and storyline.

man, deltatune really is the anti-homestuck, huh?

[testwhale]

🌟 Explore the Strength of Skill Assessment Tests with TestWhale! 🐋

Are you feeling worn out by traditional resume screening methods that often result in wasted time and biased judgments? It's time for a change in your hiring strategy with TestWhale's innovative skill assessment tests.

💡 Simplify Candidate Evaluation: Say goodbye to the never-ending cycle of reviewing resumes. With TestWhale, you can assess candidates based on their actual skills, saving valuable time and reducing bias in your hiring process. Our platform offers a wide range of assessments, including:

87 Job-Specific Tests

16 Tests for Mental Abilities

11 Assessments for Software Skills

That's a total of 117 skill assessment tests ready for you!

📈 Embrace Data-Driven Decision Making: Our platform empowers you to hire based on potential, not just promises. With objective data from skill assessments, you can expedite and enhance your recruitment process, fostering a culture of data-driven HR practices with TestWhale.

🎯 Moving Beyond Resumes, Beyond Bias: Embrace a fairer future with TestWhale's skill-based screening approach. By prioritizing objective data over subjective impressions, you can ensure equal opportunities for all candidates while creating a positive candidate experience.

📊 Key Metrics:

Over 111 skill assessments tailored to job roles, software proficiencies, and cognitive abilities.

Assessments covering more than 53 different job roles, ensuring precision in recruitment strategies.

A robust database containing over 10,000 questions, refreshed quarterly to maintain the relevance and accuracy of assessments.

🔍 Start Your First Skill Assessment Test Today! Don't hesitate to refine your hiring process and unlock the untapped potential of your candidates. Sign up for TestWhale now and embark on a journey toward the future of talent acquisition. Let's build your dream team together! 🌟

Join TestWhale today and reimagine your hiring process! #SkillEvaluation #DataDrivenRecruitment #TestWhale 🚀🐋

[mariacallous]

Despite many advances in our understanding of how out-of-school factors relate to test scores, there is still much to understand about what is driving differences in student achievement across geographical areas. This question is particularly salient for explaining differences among students in their early elementary years, who have experienced comparably less exposure to formal schooling but arrive at elementary school with systemic gaps in test score performance. One under-explored area for examining early differences in achievement is children’s local health environments, such as the local presence of physicians trained in pediatric care.

Physicians trained in pediatric care play an important role in early childhood. Not only do these providers protect the health and well-being of young children, but they also play a critical role in catching and treating early developmental delays and other conditions that can affect learning, such as impaired hearing and eyesight. Despite their important role in child development and early childhood learning, we do not have much understanding of the role that pediatric physicians play in academic achievement, nor of how accessible they are from one community to another.

We do know that poor access to pediatric care is bad for kids. In areas with low physician supply, families may be more likely to miss well-child visits and other non-emergency care, especially when the drive is long and parents cannot miss work. Researchers have linked the local supply of primary care physicians to numerous health outcomes for children, including overall access to care, prevalence of unnecessary hospitalizations, and local rates of infant mortality and low birth weight. These health outcomes are linked to educational success in both direct and indirect ways. For example, lower birth weight has been directly linked to reduced cognitive performance, and preventable hospitalizations for conditions like asthma have been linked to reduced academic achievement due to increased school absences.

New research on students’ access to pediatricians

To learn more about this potential relationship, I recently published a study in Health Services Research with my co-author, Benjamin Domingue, that maps every practicing pediatric physician in the country to their local school districts. We use data from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile to construct the district-level measure of physician supply, which we then use to explore some basic questions: How are pediatricians and family physicians distributed across school districts? Are they equally accessible to all students, or do some students have better access than others?

Our secondary aim was to describe the relationship between the national distribution of these physicians and local levels of early academic achievement to better understand how these two factors might be related (albeit without necessarily identifying the causal effects of physicians on student test scores). To do this, we use nationally normed third grade test scores from the Stanford Education Data Archive.

Our analysis produced several key findings.

First, pediatric physicians are highly unequally distributed across school districts. Nearly 30% of 12,297 districts have no pediatric physician, which includes 49% of rural districts (Figure 1).

Since only about 15% of visits to family physicians are from children, we did an additional analysis focusing exclusively on pediatricians. The inequality in access to pediatricians is even more extreme: 65% of all school districts have no pediatrician within their boundaries, including 89% of rural school districts.

We were also concerned about differences in access to health care by different racial groups even within the same geographic category, and we found that rural children of color in particular have very little access to pediatric care. In Figure 2 below, we plot the white student share along the x-axis and access to pediatric physicians on the y-axis. Rural districts (red dots) have systematically lower access to pediatric care compared to non-rural districts. In both rural and non-rural settings, districts with the least access are disproportionately in communities with low shares of white students (on the left side of the figure).

Second, districts that have more physicians per child tend to have higher academic test scores in third grade. Determining the causal effects of physicians on student test scores is difficult with the data currently available. However, at minimum, we can get a sense of the correlation between the local supply of pediatric physicians and test scores.

To do this, we organized school districts into thirds: the top third represents districts with the highest supply of pediatric physicians, and the bottom third represents districts with the lowest supply of physicians. Table 1 below shows that the bottom third of districts have, on average, only 0.05 pediatric physicians per 1,000 children. The top third of districts have over 100 times that amount.

Looking at achievement levels, average third grade test scores in high-supply districts are 0.12 standard deviations above average third grade test scores in low-supply districts. (Note that these test scores represent the average gain across math and ELA.) This difference in test scores is especially notable since the average socioeconomic status (SES, an index measure based on average household income and other measures) in high-supply districts is actually a bit lower, on average, than in low-supply districts.

Third, we analyzed the national relationship between physician supply and test scores and found that the association is most pronounced for districts with low supply. In low-supply districts, an additional physician is associated with a 0.16 SD increase in average third grade test scores. Though mapping changes in standard deviations onto months or grades of learning is an imprecise, ballpark exercise, we can think of 0.16 SDs as being roughly equivalent to 90 added days of learning, or an additional half of a grade level of achievement in the average 180-day school year. For comparison, in high-supply districts, an additional physician is associated with a 0.004 SD increase in average test scores.

What does this really tell us?

Our data show that not only are pediatric physicians very unequally distributed across student populations, but also that students with low levels of access to nearby pediatric care tend to be the same students that have lower levels of early academic achievement, even when controlling for socioeconomic status.

To address the disparity in access to pediatric care, we make two main recommendations. First, policymakers should continue expanding opportunities for districts to establish school-based health centers. Expanding access to pediatric care through schools, including school-based vision, hearing, and dental care, can be effective, since the vast majority of U.S. children are legally compelled to attend school. Accessing care at school eliminates many traditional barriers to health care access, including the cost of transportation and the inability of many parents to take time off work. Additionally, families who mistrust, fear, or do not know how to participate in the U.S. health care system may be more likely to participate in early childhood health services through a trusted conduit such as their local school.

Second, since physician training is publicly funded, policymakers and practitioners should improve policies and practices aimed at distributing pediatric physicians in a more equitable way, especially if communities are reaping uneven benefits from taxpayers’ contributions to the U.S. medical workforce. Expanding medical student loan forgiveness may be an effective way to achieve this redistribution, since research has demonstrated that physicians with more education debt are less likely to serve in health professional shortage areas. Medical schools should focus more attention on recruiting students from the communities that need better access to care since students from medically underserved communities are more likely to practice in those communities. Additionally, medical schools must work to expand rural training opportunities, since students in the health care profession who are exposed to underserved populations during education and training are more likely to care for this same population once in practice.

We would like to emphasize that regardless of whether the observed association is causal, it is of grave concern that children throughout the U.S. systemically face barriers to access and success in two sectors—health care and education—that are deeply intertwined with child well-being and outcomes across the life course. It is imperative that researchers, practitioners, and policymakers engage in cross-sector collaboration to remove these barriers and create more equitable access to opportunities for all children.

[bwhitex]

What if we could distill the essence of our collective human journey into a single, elegant equation—could it reveal the secrets to navigating the complex seas of our existence?

Well, I was contemplate life, this afternoon working out, and I tried to summarize with an equation, a metaphorical expression of the ebb and flow of our existence. My proposed equation captures this sentiment:

[Life] = Infinite Possibilities (Continuous Growth + Emotional Dynamics) / Adaptability x Unpredictable Patterns

This equation literally reads, Infinite possibilities maximized by continuous growth and emotional dynamics distributed across adaptability maximized by unpredictable patterns, equals life. This representation, while not exhaustive, attempts to distill the essence of life's journey. It recognizes the vast opportunities that beckon, the importance of lifelong personal development, the deep impact of our emotions, and the necessity of adapting to the unforeseen twists of fate. As we venture through this discussion, we gain a framework to understand and savor the complexities and wonders of life. The essence of life is a harmonious blend of limitless potential, enduring personal development, the pivotal role of emotions, and the indispensable ability to adapt to its unpredictable nature.

Infinite Possibilities

Life is replete with infinite possibilities, each moment a crossroad with countless paths to choose from. Philosophers and scientists alike acknowledge the unfathomable scope of human potential, where every decision can lead to diverse and unforeseen outcomes (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). This aspect of life propels us to seek out novel experiences and forge our unique paths. The notion of boundless opportunities is what drives innovation and personal fulfillment, encouraging us to envision and pursue a myriad of futures.

Continuous Growth

Growth is a fundamental characteristic of life, encapsulating physical, intellectual, and emotional development. Renowned developmental psychologists, such as Piaget and Erikson, have long established the stages of cognitive and emotional growth that span the human lifespan (Piaget, 1954; Erikson, 1963). This growth is not just a biological imperative but also a personal quest for knowledge, skills, and wisdom. It is a continuous journey, with each experience contributing to our evolving sense of self and purpose.

Emotional Dynamics

Our emotional life is a crucial element of our existence, influencing how we perceive the world and interact with others. Psychologists and neuroscientists have demonstrated the significant role that emotions play in shaping our decisions, behaviors, and relationships (Damasio, 1994). The rich tapestry of human emotions adds depth to our daily experiences, making them poignant and memorable. It is through this emotional dynamism that we connect with others and navigate the complexities of social life.

Conclusion

The metaphorical equation _[Life] = Infinite Possibilities (Continuous Growth + Emotional Dynamics) / Adaptability x Unpredictable Patterns_ offers a lens through which we can view the intricate nature of our existence. It reminds us to cherish the vast opportunities before us, to continuously seek growth, to understand the power of our emotions, and to remain flexible in the face of life's unpredictability. While no formula can capture the full spectrum of the human experience, this one highlights the key elements that make our journey through life profound and meaningful.

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. Basic Books.

Piaget, J. (1954). The Construction of Reality in the Child. New York: Basic Books.

Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and Society (2nd ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York: Putnam.

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: Hi, I am an INXJ 21F (unclear about own type) with an INFP acquaintance. She is very vocal and firm about her position and thoughts, she also finds it very easy to share her darker/messier self to others and to ask for help and advice. I am utterly torn about this person and wonder if my negative reactions are a reflection of my own insecurities as she herself seems like a well-integrated and self-aware person. I admire her ability to share so openly because it initiates an opportunity for others to be vulnerable with her as well. I know that it is not something I could do myself with my perfectionism and dislike of burdening others. But I find it frustrating and embarrassing that she is the only one on the group chat being vocal about her stress and everyone else coddling her up, when hypothetically this should go both ways. I’d appreciate your insight on what this says about me or about her!

----------------

1) What does it say about you? It looks like you've got some idea already because you mention how it may be reflective of your issues like perfectionism. The way in which you are unnecessarily getting entangled with her is probably an indication of projection. Projection is the (unconscious) tendency to see your own unacceptable desires in other people.

On one hand, you deem it "unacceptable" to be authentically yourself in public. Why? As you've alluded to, it's likely due in part to self-loathing. You yourself don't want to see your negative aspects, let alone expose them to others. Perhaps you fear that others will judge you just as negatively as you judge yourself. Hence, the perfectionism.

On the other hand, authentic self-expression is a real and legitimate human need, and you cannot deny a universal psychological need no matter how hard you try. Thus, when you see someone being so effortlessly authentically themselves, it serves as proof that it's quite possible, and it reminds you of how terrible it feels to deny yourself the opportunity.

This contradiction of denigrating yet desiring authenticity creates cognitive dissonance for you: Are you right to deny your authenticity or is she right to express hers?

Projection is a defense mechanism. Instead of confronting one's own wrongs, it's easier to point out the wrongs of others. By judging her authenticity as "unacceptable", you can continue believing that you're in the right to deny your own need for authenticity. Unfortunately, defense mechanisms are unhealthy because they separate you from the reality of yourself, but you can't escape reality forever. The reality is that you keep denying yourself of authentic self-expression and it's immensely painful and that's why this issue pops up for you. You use perfectionism to blunt the pain. You use martyrdom to blunt the pain. But these strategies can never eliminate the pain because they never confront the true extent of the pain and its root cause. (FWIW, this issue is prevalent in INFJs.)

You also say you're frustrated and embarrassed when she's so open and gets all the attention because it should hypothetically "go both ways". I don't disagree with equality in relationships, but your negative reaction raises an important question: Why would people "coddle" you when you never allow yourself to express the need for it? After all, you don't show off those darker aspects of yourself, right? The fact that you use the word "coddle" in reference to emotional needs belies a very negative attitude about emotional life on your part.

I can't speak for the others in the group who aren't here to speak for themselves, but the inequality you witness in your relationship to her isn't because of her, it's because of YOU and your unwillingness to treat your emotional needs as important and deserving of "coddling". Just like above, it is also projection to judge/blame her for hogging attention just because you deem it "unacceptable" to ask for so much attention for yourself. It wouldn't be fair to want her to feel apologetic or in the wrong for doing what you can't do.

Now, if you explicitly asked her to reciprocate (to attend to your emotional needs the same way you attended to hers) but she flatly refused, then you'd have a right to feel resentful. That would serve as concrete proof that she doesn't care about your needs as much as her own. However, even then, it's not very useful to get lost in blame or judgmentalness - what would it achieve? It would turn you into a cold and dark version of you, thus giving you even more to dislike about yourself. When someone proves to be a bad friend to you, you could choose not to dwell on it and simply move on to find a better friend.

2) What does her behavior say about her? Does this question presuppose that everyone should have some kind of judgment about her behavior? Being judgmental is an indication that you lack proper interpersonal boundaries, which is, in part, what makes projection so easy to deploy. Lack of boundaries means you don't know where you end and others begin. You don't see the world as it is but as you are.

Reflect: Why do you get so invested in how others behave? If someone isn't being grossly unethical, on what basis do you feel justified to make judgments about them and their character? After all, the way they choose to live is really none of your business, is it? Do you believe that people should be free to be themselves? If not, you're going to have a lot of relationship problems. If you want the freedom to live as you please, you should grant the freedom to others. But if you don't take advantage of the freedom, are you going to begrudge others for doing so? It wouldn't be fair of you.

I have nothing to say about her because how she behaves is her business. It has nothing to do with me, so why should I have any judgment about it? It affects you, though. You fixate on her because she is bringing your unconscious issues to light. She is an image you've created for the purpose of self-scrutiny. You can use this as a golden opportunity to address your underlying struggles with authenticity, or you can indulge judgmentalness and continue to get triggered by these brazenly authentic people for the rest of your life.

[styxnbones]

34 and 24 for Minerva, and/or 7 and 21 for Kellen :3

34. how would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are

This is,, a very interesting question for Minerva. Because the thing is, right, his experience of the malkavian bane is that he perceives three, sometimes Very Different, versions of reality simultaneously- and that extends to his perception of himself and who he is. I, in writing them, typically categorize these three versions by which Path of Enlightenment they're on, since that is one of the things that stays relatively free from bleed-through and is subsequently one of the features that Minerva himself moors his interpretation of what is going on around him to. In the reality that *everyone else* experiences, Minerva is functionally follower of the Path of Self-Focus- their mind adjusted to the kind of cognitive dissonance required to process everything they see- and in that reality he'd probably describe himself as "cute :3 don't worry abt it." In another, as a scholar on the Path of Caine, they'd call themself "a wolf in sheep's clothing," and in the world where they fell in with the Albigensians he'd say, cliche as it is, that he's a "nightmare dressed like a daydream."

24. do they have any creative hobbies? (art, writing, music, etc)

Hmmm. I think not really, no. I could see them idly doodling from time to time but It's not really a hobby or even much of a skill. It's like stickfigures and cartoon cats and shit.

7. favorite animal? why?

Kellen would insist that they love all beetles equally, but they did name their blog after dermestid beetles for a reason. Fundamentally, Kellen loves all beetles bc that's what the 'Tism latched on to. But, dermestids specifically weren't always their favourite- as a kid they actually had a big snake phase, and they still love snakes and reptiles in general a lot- but since dying they've felt a much closer connection with the decomposers of the world. It also helps that their job at the museum gave them the opportunity to actually care for a living colony, and they feel a sort of duty to the little guys to give back to them since they aren't able to fill the typical role that a corpse would in relation to them. Somewhere down the line, if they can dip their toes into Obfuscate, I think Kellen would get the Unliving Hive power so they could be a more direct host :)

21. their favorite place to be?

Anywhere in the presence of either their Collection, or their Regnant. The part they keep in their haven, or just about anywhere in the museum- but especially their own workshop, or Bernadette's office- are all places that are fundamentally Good to them.

[perceptionshifter]

AM I BEING AUTHENTIC?

Every time I ask myself if I’m expressing authentically in a specific situation, I find aspects that respond positively, but others that I feel are still suppressed, or being expressed in a distorted way.

Life can be seen as a quest to find our suppressed aspects due to neglect (or self-abandonment). Sometimes we know they are there, hidden and peeking from the shadows, but in the majority of cases, we don’t even know they are there.

They are left unrecognized until we become aware of what they really are. Then, we have the opportunity to heal the organic part of us into our compassionate understanding, and let the illusion dissolve. We learn to let go.

When the neglected and unwanted aspect of ourselves hits us in the face from all angles, we cannot continue to suppress it, avoid it, run away from it, deny it, or project it anymore. There’s nowhere else to hide it, and nobody else is coming to save us from the agony of experiencing it.

So, what if we think we are not ready to face it? If we are not ready to listen to it, our bodies start to scream at us to get our attention (pain is the language of the body). If we become a stranger to ourselves, disconnected from our true Source of boundless energy and inspiration, then we turn outwards to seek that which we think we lack/need.

Overvaluing external information over effortless knowing (cellular mind, non-cognitive, clear from programming), allows misleading information to be the one running our bodies, minds, hearts, and ultimately, our lives.

We need to come to terms with the fact that we’ve been lied to. Over, and over, and over. We are so used to giving credit to anybody that portrays they know better than us. Governments, organizations, institutions, industries, the so-called “experts”, authorities, family, friends, bosses, gurus, etc.

Yes, it’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s true we take external information at face value while disregarding our authentic source of inspiration. Why? Because we’re a stranger to the voice of the Infinite, which is the voice of Inner Guidance, and True Authentic Inspiration.

We don’t listen to it, because we don’t really know how it feels like, how it ripples through us, how it resonates with our core. All we know is that someone else’s titles, studies, experience, and expertise have more value than our aware experience at the moment. For most people, our surrendered trust in ourselves and the Infinite + our inner guidance and intuition are unreliable.

The fear of the unknown, the fear of our vastness is too strong. and it’s unimaginable to really feel that life is benevolent. How can it be benevolent when XYZ happened in the world, and ABC happened to me. Right? Well, no. We are our environment as much as we are our bodies. Our experiences are shaped by what we express in authenticity, and by what we suppress in illusion/distortion.

Many people hold their authentic expressions back, which dampens the immense power of the voice. The idea that our life experiences can diminish our self-worth is fraudulent. Our worth has nothing to do with how much we’ve studied, our titles, and our expertise.

Feeling you are worthy, that you are good enough… that should be a given. No matter what is that you do, where you are, who you are. All are equally valuable, worthy, and unconditionally loved by the Infinite. You are worthy because you exist.

We’ve been conditioned to question ourselves. Due to trauma, belief systems, traditions, habits, indoctrination, programming, and social conditioning… all of this (and more) creates the prison walls of our minds and the self-imposed limitations of our expression in life. This creates incredible amounts of density and blockages that generate illusions and distortions in our lives. Authenticity cannot be expressed in these conditions.

When we are in that stage, the dark night of the soul, we come to the conclusion that it’s either giving up or allowing ourselves to see behind appearances, raise our eyes above the storm, and surrender to the Infinite Being. When we give ourselves permission to alter our perception, change comes immediately. We realize we need to take responsibility for the state of our bodies, mind, emotions, and our environment. To become, one step at a time, self-sovereign in all aspects of life.

How can a change in perception alter life to such an extent? We start looking inwards, as we realize that we are the cause and not an effect of external circumstances. We stop listening to our reflections. The ones we forgot we generated in the first place.

In physicality, we have the ability to listen to our bodies. If we are in silence and aware of our inner nuances, we become receptive. We cultivate the desire to assimilate the subtle inner whisperings. We see our environment as extensions of ourselves. We slow the pace of life, we pay attention to the symbols, and we see life through a poetic perspective. Nothing is personal, nothing is literal. We focus on the details and see beyond appearances.

Sometimes, awakening an aspect of ourselves that was deep in stasis feels like dying. Because we need to let go of the security of our comfort zone, there is a tremendous amount of fear that needs to be let go of first to be able to see what is truly going on within/without.

We know people are exhausted, and so are we. All of us are doing the best we can, but still, it feels as if it’s never enough. It feels like a never-ending treadmill of rules and responsibilities, expectations, and promises that need to be fulfilled. How could we have the time and clarity to process all these things? To realize we’ve been tricked for so long? That we’ve tricked ourselves in unimaginable ways?

Yes, taking responsibility for our actions requires “energy”. If we are always in survival mode, how can we comprehend that we’ve been living in an illusory reality within an elaborate control system? It’s almost impossible to detect unless we are making unfathomable efforts to be courageous enough to free ourselves from the massive amount of mind programming, parasites, and infiltration we’ve been subjected to.

Silence is required to achieve this. How can we be comfortable in silence, if we are constantly being bombarded left and right with distractions, and noise? Struggling with emotional pain, trying to avoid being present in the moment, by using addictions and distractions to just cope.

We think that emotions include frustration, depression, anxiety, disappointment, anger, sadness, emotional pain, guilt, shame, blame, joylessness, hopelessness, etc. But those are not pure emotions, they are distorted emotions.

Distorted emotions are felt because of blocked meridians (there are 12 ordinary ones). We don’t fully understand what that entails, yet we attribute them to an outside source. We’ve been accumulating them, over the years, and eons of time, without ever really processing them, or letting them go.

The reservoir of darkness within/without is so uncomfortable to look at, to feel, that try our absolute best to suppress it temporarily with all sorts of gimmicks, only to watch it surface again the next moment. We run away from it and pretend it’s not there. We get ourselves busy to distract ourselves from the inevitable. We use food, drinks, and drugs to suppress the darkness rising until we temporarily can’t feel it anymore. We avoid people, places, and situations that unconsciously remind us of our darkness because we cannot deal with being triggered and the resistance to life it creates.

That darkness has nothing to do with the devil. The unwanted, unbearable, unforgivable, dreaded, shameful, disappointing, unlovable aspects of ourselves we know exist within us, but even more, the aspects of ourselves we don’t even know exist. Those parts of ourselves that we cannot accept, are what create the spaces in between where even etheric parasites can dwell to create even more chaos.

We were forced to accept, consciously and unconsciously, a reality ruled by a complex control system that resulted in mass insanity from the disconnection from the One and the Only One, our true organic nature and source, our organic habitat. We forgot an undeniable truth. The indivisibility and interconnectedness of life.

Identifying with the tribe, the masses – social structures – only suppresses our authentic expression of a being as vast as the cosmos having a human experience. It’s understandable to feel one is like “losing their mind”, due to the standards that only know how to divide and manipulate for the sake of the few.

Social conditioning systems projected by massive inorganic artificial intelligence systems do not support true health, wellness, joy, passion, creativity, cooperation, communication, assimilation, satisfaction, growth, peace, inspiration, love, trust, etc. The masses overlook, ridicule, and reject the undeniable truth that we are each unique, and that we are diverse, but we still are within Unity. Understanding we’ve all been subjected to this hijacking of our organic nature is key.

In such a passive-aggressive environment, “the powers behind the power” know that someone who expresses his/her true authentic self is dangerous. Their goal is population control and domination. They have been launching their operations to support their hidden agendas left and right, for ages. To make mankind fearful, sick, powerless, confused, enslaved to be drained of their energy, and ignorant enough to be eager to give their consent to them to withstand and even promote such infiltration.

Being authentic, strong, fearless, confident, having trust in the Infinite Being, and loving is the most rebellious act we can do to dissolve and dismantle such mind-controlling games. It’s the key to reclaim our true sovereignty, to live masterfully, as a clear conduit of Infinite’s Intent.

It all starts to change when we grasp a little bit more of the concept of self-sovereignty. My being is my sustenance. Taking full responsibility means really letting go of all the constructs of our minds and truly, with humility, embracing that which we couldn’t embrace before. Our darkness is the unknown parts of ourselves that beg for inclusiveness in our compassionate understanding.

When we express the bold Song of the Self (our own authentic symphony), that is unique to each of us, without questioning it, without doubting it, we are expressing in authenticity. When we listen to our true inspiration and express it unapologetically, we are being authentic. When we say NO, when things don’t resonate with us, we are being authentic. When we command our space and put healthy boundaries physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically, we are being authentic. When decide to put ourselves first, we are not being selfish, we are being authentic.

© Perception Shifter "Illusions shatter as perception shifts." Art by VALMARK Writings by Nathalie Markoch