#these are the people defining the education of our children god help us

[mottemotte]

sometimes i find goodreads reviews to be really helpful and informative and they play a crucial role in my decision to check out a book, and then other times i trudge through this shit and wonder how in the FUCK has someone read 1400+ books and still manage to be this fucking illiterate

also, 2 more absolutely hilarious(?) quotes from the same review:

"Since this is one kid's experience, he comes in contact with people as the story progresses that use racist language against ethnic groups, though the protagonist doesn't agree with this...he also doesn't always fight back against this, either. He tries to walk the narrow path, especially since he has Mexican blood in him..." (i have reread this a million times and i still dont know what "mexican blood" was meant to add. what does it mean. what is this the point here. he doesnt like racism because hes mexican?? he doesnt fight racism because hes mexican????)

"There are mounting pressures for his life to get better, but unfortunately he keeps making bad decisions. Which leads to what we have seen in Industrial England and Pre-Revolutionary Russia, that once you are down, you really cannot get back up. Dickens and Dostoyevsky wrote a LOT about this in their works." (AH YES. 1800S ENGLAND AND RUSSIA, PRE-REVOLUTION. THE TWO PLACES ON EARTH WHERE LIFE IS HARD FOR THE MARGINALISED, BECAUSE THE KEEP MAKING BAD DECISIONS. AS PROVEN BY 2 FAMOUS AUTHORS AND THEM ALONE)

[sonicenvy]

I think if there is something that I've learned this year having to deal with a lot of healthcare nonsense it's that many patients (myself included) need to learn our rights, and that there ARE options that we can take when we can't afford payment for drugs or care and when we get rejected by insurance for coverage for something. I wish to god we had a better healthcare system in this country; I do, but for now we have to live with the bullshit we have, and I think people would be served better by getting educated about their options and rights in the now to reduce harm in the now, while we fight for a better system. For now, here are some things that are of interest:

If you do not have health insurance at this time, you can get it through healthcare.gov. It doesn't matter where in the country you live, what your previous claims payment history is or what your current medical conditions are. You can pay for and get ANY plan that is offered on this site. This is defined through ACA Subtitle D, Part I.

When you look at the plans not signed in, they look SUPER expensive. They are not. Create an account and submit your tax information. Once your previous year's tax information is submitted, the site will tell you what your tax-credit reduction is for your monthly premiums. This is the amount of $ that the government will subsidize your premiums for. The less money you make, the more this amount will be. If your income was greater last year than it is this year, when you file your taxes you will get money back that you should have received in reductions on your premiums. If your income is greater, you owe. They give you the choice of how much of the credit to take in the now. If you choose not to use all of it, you get the unused amount back on your taxes.

If you have marketplace plan questions, call the healthcare dot gov help line (1-800-318-2596) and someone will help you. They will answer any questions you have, no matter how dumb they are. You can ask them simple stuff like "What is a premium?" and they helpfully explain it.

No insurance company can raise your premiums based on your claims payment history, your health conditions, your health history or any other form of "evidence of insurability". They cannot deny you a plan for any of these reasons or deny you renewal of a plan for them. You have rights, if your insurance is trying to do this, you can report them to the government. It is illegal for them to discriminate against YOU for any of these reasons. This is all defined either under ACA Subpart I: General Reform, sect 2702, sec 2703, and section 2705.

If you are over 65, you are eligible for medicare, and you should get it. If you have a serious disability, you can get medicare earlier. This will significantly reduce your healthcare costs. You have already paid into it if you have been paying taxes on a W2.

If you are poor, you may qualify for medicaid. If you are unemployed you probably qualify for medicaid. Eligibility requirements vary by state, but if you are below the federal poverty line and under 65, you are almost certainly eligible. Medicaid is low cost and covers most services. If you have children and are poor, you can get CHIP.

Certain services are considered "Essential Health Benefits" under the ACA and ALL plans are required to cover them. These EHBs include items and services in the following ten benefit categories: (1) ambulatory patient services; (2) emergency services; (3) hospitalization; (4) maternity and newborn care; (5) mental health and substance use disorder services including behavioral health treatment; (6) prescription drugs; (7) rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; (8) laboratory services; (9) preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management; and (10) pediatric services, including oral and vision care. If you plan refuses to provide ANY coverage for items and services under these categories, that is illegal and you can report them.

If you visit a non-for-profit hospital for emergency services, and are uninsured or poor, they must provide you with financial assistance, whether that is FREE care or significantly reduced care. This applies even for insured patients who are visiting an emergency room that is not in their network. Talk to their billing department and ask about financial assistance and charity care.

Under the No-Surprises Act, a subsection of the CAA 2021, a provider of emergency services cannot balance bill you (bill you money after you have paid your deductible, copay, coinsurance and your insurance pays out their obligation to make up for costs on the visit from their providers being not in your network). This is something new I didn't know about until my current situation lol.

Certain forms of medical debt CANNOT be reported on your credit report. Additionally, if you apply for an FHA mortgage to purchase a home, the FHA does not consider medical debt when assessing mortgage eligibility. For more information about new rules regarding medical debt as related to creditworthiness here is the general bulletin.

If you are denied coverage for a medically necessary drug or service, you have the right to appeal this. Call your insurance company and ask for an explanation for the denial of coverage. Sometimes, your doctor can provide a letter of medical necessity for the service to get you coverage. The same drugs and services can be billed under different classifications, which may affect coverage. Read through your plans benefits booklet to find if the service you are being denied is covered under a different billing classification (usually called a CPT #). If this is the case, you can work with your provider to reclassify the billing of the drug or service to get coverage. Arm yourself with all the right vocabulary and information by reading through your plan's benefits booklet and by requesting an extended EOB (explanation of benefits) for the claim in question. Note that you cannot get extended EOBs for medication claims, but you can for services. You may also want to enlist your provider in your fight against charges as there is certain information that they can more easily access than you can and that they can do on your behalf.

Many drugs have manufacturer coupons that you can use to reduce your copay. These coupons can be applied WITH your insurance. If a pharmacy employee tells you otherwise, they don't know what the fuck they're talking about. Ask to speak with the head pharmacist about this. You can find many kinds of drug coupons through sites like goodrx or the manufacturer of your drug's website. Sometimes your doctor may also have coupons; ask them. If you have an especially competent pharmacist, they can also help you find coupons or discounts.

Anyhow, I hope someone finds this helpful. Learn your rights and your terminology so that you can get the care you need and deserve!

[taryns-blog2023]

Reading Journal I

Afrofuturism is defined as a movement in art that features futuristic themes that incorporate elements of black culture. Some examples of afrofuturism include but are not limited to, Kanye West and his ideas, the recent TV show ‘LoveCraft Country’, the contemporary R&B artist Solange, and many more. Unlike afrofuturism, afrosurrealism is solely based on the now, in the current present. Some examples include the TV show ‘Atlanta’, the movie ‘Sorry to bother you’ and other elements of black culture that are occurring in today’s society. As talked about in class, surreal solely means something that is out of the ordinary or something that is unbelievable. This does not discredit the fact that they are actually happening in our society today, such as police brutality or spotting a homeless veteran. 

We discussed a reading in class titled ‘The Book of Martha’ about a woman named Martha who is visited by God and is given the task to improve society by making a change in humanity in attempts to improve it. The story is essentially an example of afrofuturism, just based off of events that have occurred. Martha was described as not the typical beauty standard with her being middle-aged and of a darker complexion, but yet having the chance to see and speak with God. I think the reading is a good example of afrofuturism because most of society looks at afrofuturism as black people in space or black people doing the impossible when in reality, they are ideas and actions that were just not thought of, or only may be relevant in the future.

We also took a look at a few music videos in class, that of ‘This is America’ by Childish Gambino and ‘Alright’ by Kendrick Lamar. In both videos we broke down the concept of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” which were relevant plots in both videos. The story, in short, discusses the effects of education and the lack thereof in nature. We talked about the imprisonment of the cave, the release of the chains, running out of the cave, and going back into the cave to help people like us. In both videos both artists become enlightened about the “outside world” that relates to black people in our current societies. They are no longer ignorant to the distractions and cover-ups that are thrown at us in the real world that are set out to harm the minds and destroy black people. Kendrick Lamar’s entire ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ album is merely based on Plato’s concept and in his music it is clear to see that he was willing to go back into the “cave” to save his people because he is now educated. In ‘This is America’, Childish Gambino’s video consists of chaos and real world situations such as mass shootings and black on black crime, yet he is seen dancing through it all. The children seen in the video can be looked at as the rest of society who is blind due to the distractions thrown at us that make us oblivious to what is happening in our communities. At the end of the video he is seen trying to run out of a dark tunnel(running out of the cave) because he is no longer imprisoned there mentally and sees things for what they are. Whether he goes back in to enlighten his people is unclear. Both examples given can be seen as afrosurrealism.

[megepstein]

What Characteristics Define a Philanthropist?

A person donates money or time to a cause, charity, or community effort. Numerous prominent philanthropists, such as Andrew Carnegie and Mother Teresa, have significantly contributed to society.

A person who donates money or time to charity has a strong sense of empathy and a strong desire to assist others. They offer their time, advocate for change, act as role models, and financially contribute to charity.

Education is a crucial instrument that enables us to attain our objectives and realize our aspirations. It can also help us protect our communities and create a more peaceful world.

As a result, many individuals opt to contribute their money and time to educational, charitable groups. These donors feel that education is one of the most effective global influence methods.

Education philanthropy's primary objective is to ensure every kid has access to a decent education. This involves ensuring every school has the necessary resources to teach its kids.

Some charities have established initiatives to subsidize educational opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach for some students. These initiatives include foreign education and private schools with affordable tuition.

Community service is a means of assisting those in need and enhancing the environment. It may involve assisting schools, contributing food, visiting an elderly facility, or volunteering at an animal shelter.

Usually, people perform community service in their spare time. However, it is sometimes compulsory by legislation or a class requirement. Several high schools, for instance, require students to perform hours of community service to graduate.

An effective community service experience requires a balance of learning and service. This can assist pupils in acquiring new abilities and enhancing their life experiences.

Also, it assists students in enhancing their resumes by demonstrating to prospective employers that they are involved in their communities and have solid references.

Excellent philanthropists learn about the causes and areas they wish to support and keep abreast of evolving concerns in their region. Afterward, they may build methods for producing enduring change.

Dedication is a tradition that permits Christians to pledge before God and their church community to nurture their children through the Bible and the Christian way of life. It varies from church to denomination, although it is normally a less formal ceremony than baptism and frequently involves the child's parents.

Dedication comes from the Latin dedication, which means to set apart and dedicate. It is used to describe a variety of rituals, such as the consecration and appropriation of artifacts, valuables, temples, and literature, to a patron.

There are various ways to become a philanthropist, but the key is choosing causes or organizations that are relevant to you and supporting them financially or via volunteer work. Establishing a target for the amount of money or time you wish to devote to your chosen cause is also crucial.

A philanthropist thinks that money can make a positive impact on the world. They give time and resources to causes in they believe, typically contributing a portion of their salary.

Several philanthropists utilize financial tactics to enhance their philanthropic gifts, such as donating long-term valued securities or establishing a donor-advised fund. These forms of contributions can cut taxes while also increasing their total impact.

Commitment to social concerns is an additional key criterion for identifying philanthropists. According to studies, those who donate their time and money to worthy causes are happier, healthier, and suffer less stress.

In truth, giving is one of the most crucial means of leading a more meaningful life. It can assist you in forming meaningful relationships, making new friends, and gaining a greater sense of purpose in life. It can also strengthen your relationship with your community.

[nothorses]

Interview With An Ex-Radfem

exradfem is an anonymous Tumblr user who identifies as transmasculine, and previously spent time in radical feminist communities. They have offered their insight into those communities using their own experiences and memories as a firsthand resource.

Background

I was raised in an incredibly fundamentalist religion, and so was predisposed to falling for cult rhetoric. Naturally, I was kicked out for being a lesbian. I was taken in by the queer community, particularly the trans community, and I got back on my feet- somehow. I had a large group of queer friends, and loved it. I fully went in on being the Best Trans Ally Possible, and constantly tried to be a part of activism and discourse.

Unfortunately, I was undersocialized, undereducated, and overenthusiastic. I didn't fully understand queer or gender theory. In my world, when my parents told me my sexuality was a choice and I wasn't born that way, they were absolutely being homophobic. I understood that no one should care if it's a choice or not, but it was still incredibly, vitally important to me that I was born that way.

On top of that, I already had an intense distrust of men bred by a lot of trauma. That distrust bred a lot of gender essentialism that I couldn't pull out of the gender binary. I felt like it was fundamentally true that men were the problem, and that women were inherently more trustworthy. And I really didn't know where nonbinary people fit in.

Then I got sucked down the ace exclusionist pipeline; the way the arguments were framed made sense to my really surface-level, liberal view of politics. This had me primed to exclude people –– to feel like only those that had been oppressed exactly like me were my community.

Then I realized I was attracted to my nonbinary friend. I immediately felt super guilty that I was seeing them as a woman. I started doing some googling (helped along by ace exclusionists on Tumblr) and found the lesfem community, which is basically radfem “lite”: lesbians who are "only same sex attracted". This made sense to me, and it made me feel so much less guilty for being attracted to my friend; it was packaged as "this is just our inherent, biological desire that is completely uncontrollable". It didn't challenge my status quo, it made me feel less guilty about being a lesbian, and it allowed me to have a "biological" reason for rejecting men.

I don't know how much dysphoria was playing into this, and it's something I will probably never know; all of this is just piecing together jumbled memories and trying to connect dots. I know at the time I couldn't connect to this trans narrative of "feeling like a woman". I couldn't understand what trans women were feeling. This briefly made me question whether I was nonbinary, but radfem ideas had already started seeping into my head and I'm sure I was using them to repress that dysphoria. That's all I can remember.

The lesfem community seeded gender critical ideas and larger radfem princples, including gender socialization, gender as completely meaningless, oppression as based on sex, and lesbian separatism. It made so much innate sense to me, and I didn't realize that was because I was conditioned by the far right from the moment of my birth. Of course women were just a biological class obligated to raise children: that is how I always saw myself, and I always wanted to escape it.

I tried to stay in the realms of TIRF (Trans-Inclusive Radical Feminist) and "gender critical" spaces, because I couldn't take the vitriol on so many TERF blogs. It took so long for me to get to the point where I began seeing open and unveiled transphobia, and I had already read so much and bought into so much of it that I thought that I could just ignore those parts.

In that sense, it was absolutely a pipeline for me. I thought I could find a "middle ground", where I could "center women" without being transphobic.

Slowly, I realized that the transphobia was just more and more disgustingly pervasive. Some of the trans men and butch women I looked up to left the groups, and it was mostly just a bunch of nasty people left. So I left.

After two years offline, I started to recognize I was never going to be a healthy person without dealing with my dysphoria, and I made my way back onto Tumblr over the pandemic. I have realized I'm trans, and so much of this makes so much more sense now. I now see how I was basically using gender essentialism to repress my identity and keep myself in the closet, how it was genuinely weaponized by TERFs to keep me there, and how the ace exclusionist movement primed me into accepting lesbian separatism- and, finally, radical feminism.

The Interview

You mentioned the lesfem community, gender criticals, and TIRFs, which I haven't heard about before- would you mind elaborating on what those are, and what kinds of beliefs they hold?

I think the lesfem community is recruitment for lesbians into the TERF community. Everything is very sanitized and "reasonable", and there's an effort not to say anything bad about trans women. The main focus was that lesbian = homosexual female, and you can't be attracted to gender, because you can't know someone's gender before knowing them; only their sex.

It seemed logical at the time, thinking about sex as something impermeable and gender as internal identity. The most talk about trans women I saw initially was just in reference to the cotton ceiling, how sexual orientation is a permanent and unchangeable reality. Otherwise, the focus was homophobia. This appealed to me, as I was really clinging to the "born this way" narrative.

This ended up being a gateway to two split camps - TIRFs and gender crits.

I definitely liked to read TIRF stuff, mostly because I didn't like the idea of radical feminism having to be transphobic. But TIRFs think that misogyny is all down to hatred of femininity, and they use that as a basis to be able to say trans women are "just as" oppressed.

Gender criticals really fought out against this, and pushed the idea that gender is fake, and misogyny is just sex-based oppression based on reproductive issues. They believe that the source of misogyny is the "male need to control the source of reproduction"- which is what finally made me think I had found the "source" of my confusion. That's why I ended up in gender critical circles instead of TIRF circles.

I'm glad, honestly, because the mask-off transphobia is what made me finally see the light. I wouldn't have seen that in TIRF communities.

I believed this in-between idea, that misogyny was "sex-based oppression" and that transphobia was also real and horrible, but only based on transition, and therefore a completely different thing. I felt that this was the "nuanced" position to take.

The lesfem community also used the fact that a lot of lesbians have partners who transition, still stay with their lesbian partners, and see themselves as lesbian- and that a lot of trans men still see themselves as lesbians. That idea is very taboo and talked down in liberal queer spaces, and I had some vague feelings about it that made me angry, too. I really appreciated the frank talk of what I felt were my own taboo experiences.

I think gender critical ideology also really exploited my own dysphoria. There was a lot of talk about how "almost all butches have dysphoria and just don't talk about it", and that made me feel so much less alone and was, genuinely, a big relief to me that I "didn't have to be trans".

Lesfeminism is essentially lesbian separatism dressed up as sex education. Lesfems believe that genitals exist in two separate categories, and that not being attracted to penises is what defines lesbians. This is used to tell cis lesbians, "dont feel bad as a lesbian if you're attracted to trans men", and that they shouldn’t feel "guilty" for not being attracted to trans women. They believe that lesbianism is not defined as being attracted to women, it is defined as not being attracted to men; which is a root idea in lesbian separatism as well.

Lesfems also believe that attraction to anything other than explicit genitals is a fetish: if you're attracted to flat chests, facial hair, low voices, etc., but don't care if that person has a penis or not, you're bisexual with a fetish for masculine attributes. Essentially, they believe the “-sexual” suffix refers to the “sex” that you are assigned at birth, rather than your attraction: “homosexual” refers to two people of the same sex, etc. This was part of their pushback to the ace community, too.

I think they exploited the issues of trans men and actively ignored trans women intentionally, as a way of avoiding the “TERF” label. Pronouns were respected, and they espoused a constant stream of "trans women are women, trans men are men (but biology still exists and dictates sexual orientation)" to maintain face.

They would only be openly transmisogynistic in more private, radfem-only spaces.

For a while, I didn’t think that TERFs were real. I had read and agreed with the ideology of these "reasonable" people who others labeled as TERFs, so I felt like maybe it really was a strawman that didn't exist. I think that really helped suck me in.

It sounds from what you said like radical feminism works as a kind of funnel system, with "lesfem" being one gateway leading in, and "TIRF" and "gender crit" being branches that lesfem specifically funnels into- with TERFs at the end of the funnel. Does that sound accurate?

I think that's a great description actually!

When I was growing up, I had to go to meetings to learn how to "best spread the word of god". It was brainwashing 101: start off by building a relationship, find a common ground. Do not tell them what you really believe. Use confusing language and cute innuendos to "draw them in". Prey on their emotions by having long exhausting sermons, using music and peer pressure to manipulate them into making a commitment to the church, then BAM- hit them with the weird shit.

Obviously I am paraphrasing, but this was framed as a necessary evil to not "freak out" the outsiders.

I started to see that same talk in gender critical circles: I remember seeing something to the effect of, "lesfem and gender crit spaces exist to cleanse you of the gender ideology so you can later understand the 'real' danger of it", which really freaked me out; I realized I was in a cult again.

I definitely think it's intentional. I think they got these ideas from evangelical Christianity, and they actively use it to spread it online and target young lesbians and transmascs. And I think gender critical butch spaces are there to draw in young transmascs who hate everything about femininity and womanhood, and lesfem spaces are there to spread the idea that trans women exist as a threat to lesbianism.

Do you know if they view TIRFs a similar way- as essentially prepping people for TERF indoctrination?

Yes and no.

I've seen lots of in-fighting about TIRFs; most TERFs see them as a detriment, worse than the "TRAs" themselves. I've also definitely seen it posed as "baby's first radfeminism". A lot of TIRFs are trans women, at least from what I've seen on Tumblr, and therefore are not accepted or liked by radfems. To be completely honest, I don't think they're liked by anyone. They just hate men.

TIRFs are almost another breed altogether; I don't know if they have ties to lesfems at all, but I do think they might've spearheaded the online ace exclusionist discourse. I think a lot of them also swallowed radfem ideology without knowing what it was, and parrot it without thinking too hard about how it contradicts with other ideas they have.

The difference is TIRFs exist. They're real people with a bizarre, contradictory ideology. The lesfem community, on the other hand, is a completely manufactured "community" of crypto-terfs designed specifically to indoctrinate people into TERF ideology.

Part of my interest in TIRFs here is that they seem to have a heavy hand in the way transmascs are treated by the trans community, and if you're right that they were a big part of ace exclusionism too they've had a huge impact on queer discourse as a whole for some time. It seems likely that Baeddels came out of that movement too.

Yes, there’s a lot of overlap. The more digging I did, the more I found that it's a smaller circle running the show than it seems. TIRFs really do a lot of legwork in peddling the ideology to outer queer community, who tend to see it as generic feminism.

TERFs joke a lot about how non-radfems will repost or reblog from TERFs, adding "op is a TERF”. They're very gleeful when people accept their ideology with the mask on. They think it means these people are close to fully learning the "truth", and they see it as further evidence they have the truth the world is hiding. I think it's important to speak out against radical feminism in general, because they’re right; their ideology does seep out into the queer community.

Do you think there's any "good" radical feminism?

No. It sees women as the ultimate victim, rather than seeing gender as a tool to oppress different people differently. Radical feminism will always see men as the problem, and it is always going to do harm to men of color, gay men, trans men, disabled men, etc.

Women aren't a coherent class, and radfems are very panicked about that fact; they think it's going to be the end of us all. But what's wrong with that? That's like freaking out that white isn't a coherent group. It reveals more about you.

It's kind of the root of all exclusionism, the more I think about it, isn't it? Just freaking out that some group isn't going to be exclusive anymore.

Radical feminists believe that women are inherently better than men.

For TIRFs, it's gender essentialism. For TERFs, its bio essentialism. Both systems are fundamentally broken, and will always hurt the groups most at risk. Centering women and misogyny above all else erases the root causes of bigotry and oppression, and it erases the intersections of race and class. The idea that women are always fundamentally less threatening is very white and privileged.

It also ignores how cis women benefit from gender norms just as cis men do, and how cis men suffer from gender roles as well. It’s a system of control where gender non-conformity is a punishable offense.

[lilithbaeastro]

Astrology portrait :)

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Your Astrology Portrait: This is where the idea of an Astrology Portrait comes up that would help you define your Aura, Silhouette, Broad Features & Fine Details just like a Portrait where the artist can help you look into the soul of the subject.��

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Your Aura – It is usually a vibe or a feeling & is determined by the actual degree of Moon that you were born in, defining the Instincts & the Vibe that you give out. Vedic Astrology & Hindu Mythology classify all living beings in the category of a Demi God (Deva), a Human (Manushya) & Demonic (Rakshasa). Each type is born with a value system that neither upbringing nor background can change. It is one of the most important aspects of your personality as well as a reason for what & who you are like in your lifetime. 

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Your Silhouette – This is how you look to people who don’t know you & judge you from a distance. It is determined by two factors: your Ascendant Nakshatra & the broad animal kind that your instincts are linked with just like the Chinese system of Astrology. Each of us is classified by an animal type like the Lion, Elephant, Horse, Snake, Mouse, Mongoose, etc. These are the instincts that are inborn and perhaps one of the reasons why we take an instant liking or dislike towards a person even without getting to know them well.

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The Broad Strokes & Outline – It is how you look to your colleagues & friends and marks the boundaries & limits that you would be able to achieve in this lifetime. The exact degree of your Ascendant, your Moon sign, the waxing or waning status of your Moon, & the degree of the mid-heaven at the time of your birth define this area. These aspects set your potential, the size of your horizon & how high you can soar. 

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The Fine Details –This is the level at which your soulmate, spouse, family & you yourself know you. It is a DNA defining level determined by:

 12 Houses – that influence status, family, wealth, name, ownerships, intellect, children, health, spouse, love, partners, age, luck, God & spirituality, career & profession, friends & enjoyment, sex, expenses & the unknown realm. The strength & relations of each house help determine those parts of our life where we excel, are contented, average, troubled or face difficulties. Certain portions of the Zodiac, if stronger, make for a self, family, spouse, career, sex, or spiritually oriented person.

 Nine Planets - that rule our destiny. We see that a strong Sun & Saturn help one to rule destiny while Mars can force its way through destiny. Jupiter & Venus help us make our destiny by education & wisdom while Rahu can help find the diplomatic way out & Ketu the intuitive or technical way. True greatness & progress depend on which planet is with you & which one against.

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Dasa - or your Dasa cycle determines when your promised destiny would fructify, since timing is everything in life.

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[ credits to rightful owner 《 none of them are on tumblr though 》 ]

[magespuddle]

The Muse of Hope analysis

Good day, the Mage of Blood here. This night is especially dark ... But I hope it won't stop you from relaxing. And the reflections of the fireplace create some kind of intimate and warm athmosphere with their crackling. Don't be afraid, I'll sit a little closer; it's uncomfortable to communicate across the table, isn't it? There are crispy biscuits and aromatic tea, help yourself. I would like you to allow yourself not to think about the burdens during our conversation, all problems will remain outside the door. And here you can let go of yourself and not be afraid to be vulnerable like a child. The heroine of our analysis, the Muse of Hope, is well aware of how each of us wants at least sometimes to plunge into the bliss of being accepted as we are.

Hope is the "light" aspect, paired with Rage. It is connected with our brightest and deepest aspirations and dreams. A child who trusted with the sincere naivette, who once felt the unconditional acceptance of his parents. This ideal, pleasant state of emotional connection with other people is celebrated in many cultures (the very image of paradise is essentially a metaphor of this state). It is acceptance, once separated and lost, that a person seeks in similar blissful states. Blinded by the passion for an object of their love, a believer praying in religious ecstasy, a drug-addict sailing away into dreams while high, comedians who make us smile and burst with laughter - all these people pay tribute to Hope.

Acceptance is impossible without the shadow personality traits, sometimes negative, so it would be wrong to exclude Rage as an important component of this state. However, if you still compare, then Hope is an idealized image, a concentrate of the beautiful and innocent traits that parents see in their child. But children are capable of terrible tantrums, so the Hopebound are just as impulsive as the Ragebound. It is the realm of strong, powerful emotions and states which make the impossible possible.

And without stubbornness in achieving their goals, the Hopebound would not be themselves. Since we are talking about achieving the ideal, very often they need to clearly know what is right and what is wrong, to follow the principles in order to live up to their dreams. For them life should be a party, where they won't regret spending their time filled with pleasure.

Muse is a passive class, together with the Lord it belongs to the Master classes. While I have talked of the Lord earlier as a class that defines the aspect according to their understanding, then for the Muse everything will be somewhat different. The Muse Contributes to the definition of the aspect, which means strengthening the symbol that prevails in the system in which the Muse appeared. For example, if we have a Muse of Light in a context where Light is literally the rays of the sun, await the white nights.

If information - academic performance and education of people around will begin to increase, etc. And the Muse appears when its aspect is exhausted to the max; there is so little of it that there is almost none. If we assume that Master Classes are inherent not only to cherubs, then the inclination to the role of the Muse among players depends on their title and submodel, and the aspect of the Muse depends on the aspect of the profile Seer.

Accordingly, the function of this Master class is to maximize the amount of aspect by combining the efforts of all participants in the system. This creates some codependency, because although the Muse nourishes others with the aspect, she does it so excessively that for the Muse herself there is almost nothing left. The Muse of Life feels lifeless, the Muse of Breath feels bound by her limbs.

The problem is solved by the fact that the environment should fill this Master class with an aspect anew. But such fate is the luck of the realized Muse, and the failed one, alas, remains "hungry". It is also worth noting that with the initial function of the "accumulator", Muse is far from being an altruist who is ready to rush to the aid of anyone she meets. Care, so active that sometimes imposed, and the need to be useful to others are more characteristic of Sylphs. The Muse differs from the latter in motivation and approach: she acts exclusively in the interests of the aspect, trying to preserve it, because the reflection of her emptiness in others is unbearable for her. In other words: by the example of the Muse of Life, she is surrounded by people breathing with Doom. And the Muse feels the same inevitability, this heavy aspect in herself. She rejects it, does not want to accept, so everything that will remind her of this, she would like to get out of sight.

And unlike the Lord of Doom's methods, this escape takes the form of helping: I am helping others because I don't know how to help myself. And the environment, in case of successful overcoming of the crisis, answers her: we will help you to learn how to help yourself, because we have learned from you how to help ourselves. Reflection of such a painful aspect for the Muse is also a part of this help. The inversion, but not in the usual sense, for the heroine of our analysis will be the Lord of Rage. The Lord of Hope is the opposite in function. Since the Muse of Hope is a close to my Master class on the aforementioned theory of inclinations, I will include in the analysis some phrases which help to imbue the spirit of this role which I have heard from unfortunate people. So that you would understand whom the Hopes of this Muse are addressed to.

"Even though I am a murderer, I wouldn't hurt you even in anger."

The Muse of Hope has learned from the early age that the world is filled with cruelty. Everything that is wrong in it catches the eye, screams in its agony. This is not the world that Muse would like to build. Not the one she sees in her dreams. The Muse of Hope believes and hopes that even in the darkest place there is a spark of light, there is always a thread of salvation. And very often it becomes the thread for others.

The Muse of Hope sees children exhausted in the struggle against the cruelty of the world in the repulsed, immoral individuals. Who are angry just to survive. Any perversion is just a perversion of good intentions, because they were not accepted in time. Pain is a consequence of the accumulation of negativity, because suffering was not accepted and shared. Aggression is an outburst of excess pain because the person cannot stand it. The Muse of Hope embodies all these axioms in behavior that allows anyone to relax next to her. The feeling that they see you again as a person and not a monster is captivating. And again I want to show my humanity in response. Even the hottest of heads instantly cool down.

"Frankness in exchange for frankness, but this is a secret nobody knows of me"

Therefore, the Muse of Hope will surely get sincerity in the words of other people. They open to her easily and freely, and many innermost secrets will be discussed with her. The Muse does not need to realize that she is an excellent listener and empathizer, but intuitively she succeeds in this. The person nearby will feel that they are being heard and listened to. And that in this conversation there is a place for their sorrows, and their joys, everything that they would like to entrust to their interviewer. And the Muse of Hope herself will almost never drive away a person in the need of support.

"Sorry for the strange request, but ... Can you poke me with a needle? I have no one else to ask, this is my only joy, I beg of you ..."

Such responsiveness will undoubtedly attract the most marginal groups of society. Those who were forgotten by the family, who are alone, who are on the sidelines. Anyone who is hungry for acceptance. Wherever the Muse of Hope goes, these people will find her. And the point is not even that she builds her context from such people, but that sometimes they can approach her just like that, on the streets. Because they feel that they can turn to the Muse of Hope, because she inspires confidence and does not look threatening.

"This is not really a speaking club: you see, we want to talk about our church. By the way, can you translate our speech?"

It is possible that the Muse of Hope will be associated with religion. But the communes, in which she will get, are unlikely to resemble the sanctuaries of God, where everyone loves each other and fights for peace in the world. Rather, they would be totalitarian sects, militant communities, where "whoever is not with us is against us!". Where "the Bible is built on metaphors, but they have only one interpretation, and you misunderstood them." Where "only our priest speaks of truth, and other communes only have false prophets". I even imagine a certain image of a "holy virgin" who is worshiped in a cult as an idol, but who feels more as a weapon for waging war than as a symbol of something holy.

"Please do not leave, I have no friends"

Alas, communication with such representatives of society does not pass without a trace. Sharing their pain, the Muse of Hope feels a hundredfold what it is like to be rejected and to be alone. What it feels like to be full of anger that you can't put away. And those who are suffering, wanting to share their burden and lighten their burden, will only come more. They are everywhere, hundreds, thousands of "hungry" for acceptance. They will never get enough, because not everyone is ready to change something, but they are always ready to take away from another. And therefore, when the Muse of Hope remembers her reciprocal desire to be heard, it turns out that these people have too much of their own burden to accept hers. They use her love, but do not love her in return.

"Before, I was afraid to get intimate with a girl, who I like, but I'm not afraid anymore. I don't need you anymore, we need to break up."

Bringing back hope to the desperate, the Muse of Hope longs most of all for someone, at least one person, to answer her in return. Not to be driven away, having learned that she is not cute, and not kind, and not kind-hearted.

So that she could open her heart in front of another person in the same way, expose the blackness of her soul openly and hear: "This is allowed. This is also a part of you. An important part." This hopelessness to be seen and to be understood, through the example of others how to accept oneself, is able to remain hidden behind willpower and dreams for a long time. After all, we can find out that we have never been able to do something only at the very end of the path, right? Until then, hope pushes us to search and to achieve. And if you still can't find it? If not ...

"Tell me, can you cure the paranoia that arises from taking drugs?"

The Muse of Hope has seen many ways of escapism from reality which help other people. Some are more destructive, some are less. Someone uses substances, someone watches movies, someone sleeps around. She has seen it all. But for the most part, for herself, she would rather choose dreaming. Living in fictional universes, fairy tales and legends which inspire the actions of brave heroes - and her fantasy is very productive. Many of her stories will be intended for others to share the magic with them and to take them away from worldly problems at least for a while.

In terms of abilities, everything will depend on which symbol of the Hope prevails in the system. It is possible that the Muse of Hope will see prophetic visions from her dreams and tell players how to make them come true. Moreover, the more miraculous the dream, the greater the likelihood of its fulfillment. And the players themselves will suddenly find that their goals and dreams are closer than they have seemed before.

Magic and wizardry are no longer fiction. Or is it just a game of imagination, a hallucination? It is impossible to make out, the world of your fantasies will merge with reality in an unimaginable mixture. And as long as there is a flame of passion and motivation in your soul, nothing can stop you. However, it is worth mentioning that it depends on faith whether the magic will hold up - if there is even a little doubt, be prepared for problems. Fears, like acid, will rot away at your chances of success. But, given that the forces of all members of the team will speak the same language, the language of wish fulfillment, everything should be fine. As long as you clearly know what you want with all your soul.

[woman-loving]

Policing Lesbians in 1950s-70s Sydney

Selection from Unnamed Desires: A Sydney Lesbian History, Rebecca Jennings, 2015.

This section describes how lesbianism could be subject to policing even in the absence of explicit criminalization, and how public silence around the issue of lesbianism contributed to confusion over the legal status of lesbian behaviors in a way that aided repression.

Cultural attitudes toward homosexuality in mid-twentieth century Australia were shaped in part by the strong legal stance on the issue. Male homosexual activity was legally proscribed under the Crimes (Amendment) Act 1924, but lesbianism was never explicitly criminalised in New South Wales. Official concern over female same-sex desire appears to have been extremely limited and there is no evidence that the question of legislating against lesbianism was even debated in government circles. Some cultural commentators were critical of this apparent oversight. Dr McGeorge, member of a special committee appointed by the NSW government in 1955 to examine problems associated with homosexuality, complained: ‘No investigation into the lesbianism aspect of it has been suggested. It should have been. The investigation is overdue.’[7] Claiming that ‘ordinarily normal and healthy’ young girls were being seduced into the practice by subtle, older lesbians, McGeorge argued: ‘The authorities, unfortunately, seem to regard this as too delicate a question to be tackled openly. Because of its increase, it must e brought into the open and fought in the open.[8] For McGeorge, lesbianism was a social evil which posed a threat to young women and needed to be both publicly debated and legally proscribed.[9] However, his views did not find support amongst legislators and the special committee of which he was a member was never to publish a report.[10]

While the political will to tackle the issue at government level was limited, concern was apparently greater in the police force. In her autobiography, NSW’s first woman police officer, Lillian Armfield, suggests that female homosexuality was a matter of concern to the police. Referring to the case of Iris Webber, a notorious criminal and lesbian in interwar Sydney, Armfield commented:

“[Lesbianism] is a problem the authorities must face, and it is a difficult one. It will require the co-operation of the wisest and best of our medical specialists, police, clergy, and welfare workers, because it is on the increase. Those who practise it aren’t all as open about it as Iris Webber. They are furtive and subtle, and the leaders in the cult are shrewd and persistent in their eagerness to corrupt others ... Sooner or later, and the sooner the better, this menace will have to be faced by the authorities. It is a menace too serious to be ignored just because it is such an ugly and unpleasant issue to drag out into the open.”[11]

Members of the Vice Squad apparently shared Armfield’s view that lesbianism was a ‘cult which, unfortunately, has a much wider vogue than the average citizen suspects.’[12] Such attitudes helped to share the stance of the police toward lesbianism, and despite the absence of any specific legislation prohibiting sexual acts between women, the police utilised a range of minor, broadly defined offences to target lesbians, thereby rendering certain forms of lesbian practice or identity illegal.[13]

The strongly disapproving attitudes of some members of the police force, combined with the absence of a public discourse on lesbianism and the enforcement of laws against male homosexuality, produced considerable confusion about the precise state of the law relating to lesbianism. Margaret, who became aware of her own same-sex desires in the late 1950s, recalled having a general sense that lesbianism was prohibited. Having met a young woman at work to whom she was attracted, she was apprehensive about approaching the woman for fear of the consequences:

“Well, I felt that this was a big responsibility for me, seducing this young woman and putting her on this path to disaster or that I’d get into trouble, surely, because it wasn’t appropriate to do that--I don’t know if it was a criminal offence, but I suppose if somebody found out about it, it’d be pretty serious.”[14]

While Margaret was unsure of the exact consequences she might be faced with, the perception that lesbian sexual practice was, in fact, illegal, was relatively widespread before the 1970s and both the police and members of the public--including lesbians themselves--acted accordingly. When 15-year-old Sandra Willson attempted to put her arm around an older female friend in 1950s Sydney, the woman called the police and a female officer warned Sandra: ‘You do realise that your behaviour constitutes a criminal offence?’ She was told that if she contacted the woman again, she would be brought before the Children’s Court.[15] A few years later, her sexual practices brought her into contact with the police again. Now 17 and living with her girlfriend in a small Bondi flat, Sandra wrote to a friend describing her new domestic circumstances. The letter fell into the hands of the friend’s mother who, believing Sandra’s lesbian relationship to be illegal, contacted the police. That Sunday, Sandra and her girlfriend Barbara were at home in bed when the police arrived at the door. Referring to Sandra’s letter, an officer claimed: ‘New you can’t try to deny you are a homosexual because the letter states quite plainly that you are. And that you are living with this other girl as “man and wife.”‘[16] The police searched the flat, apparently commenting on any evidence that the two girls were sharing  bedroom, and Sandra recalled:

“They acted like a law unto themselves and I hated their bastard hides for it. I wanted to rush them to attack them, but their size alone showed this would be folly. But I was also cowed by the feeling that they were right, and I felt such shame. I knew it was a criminal offence to make love to anyone of one’s own sex Men over the age of eighteen could actually go to jail for up to three years for it. Not a public performance, but for an act done behind their own bedroom doors, in their own home and lodgings.

It was a criminal act. Against the laws of God and man!”[17]

The police took Sandra and Barbara down to Central Police Station on Liverpool Street where they were charged with ‘being exposed to moral danger’. Sandra, who, as the elder of the pair, was portrayed as the seducer, was sentenced to detention at the Girls Training School in Parramatta, while Barbara was released into the care of her parents.

Child welfare legislation was widely used in early and mid-twentieth century NSW to control socially unacceptable, but rarely criminal, behaviour by teenage girls. Kerry Carrington and Margaret Pereira have argued that ‘The blurring of delinquency and neglect led to the expansion of juvenile justice intervention into the lives of young people which allowed the Children’s Court the jurisdiction to punish children for non-criminal conduct.’[18] Girls were charged under the NSW Child Welfare Act 1939 as either ‘neglected’ or ‘uncontrollable’ and ‘exposed to moral danger’ for behaviours such as truancy, sexual activity or being the victims of sexual abuse. A broad range of agents, from the police to social workers, education professionals and psychologists, advised on and intervened in cases, basing their determinations as much on family and social background and current medical and psychiatric theory as on the specific details of the relevant offence or charge. Girls could be sentenced to an indeterminate period in a child welfare institution such as Parramatta Girls Training School, sometimes only ending when they turned 18, although girls charged with a criminal offence would usually only remain for between six and nine months. There was no formal system for distinguishing between girls convicted of a criminal offence and others, although a broad attempt was made to keep girls deemed ‘corrupt’ apart form the rest. Conditions in the home were tough and perceived misdemeanours were punished with solitary confinement or harsh and humiliating tasks such as the scrubbing of floors.[19]

For adult women, a range of other laws related to vagrancy and public decency were utilised by the police to express disapproval of lesbianism, in the absence of specific legislation against female same-sex activity. In the decades after the war, dress codes were employed to contain the activities of butch lesbians in the public sphere, although confusion was again widespread as to the precise state of the law in this regard. Sandra Willson, who regularly dressed in men’s clothes on the street in 1950s’ Sydney and occasionally wore men’s suits to work, made enquiries into the legality of this practice. She was informed by her parole officer that wearing men’s clothes was not in itself illegal, but masquerading as a man was: ‘There is nothing illegal about it’, she was told, ‘as long as you make no attempt to portray yourself as a male. You can’t, for instance, use a men’s urinal but will always have to use the women’s convenience.’[20] Laurie, however, recalling her experiences as a butch lesbian in Sydney in the 1960s and 1970s, maintained that laws did regulate women’s dress. ‘Some law,’ she said, required that, ‘With the butches, in those days, you had to wear, if you dressed butch--three piece suits and that--you had to wear a bit of women’s apparel, didn’t matter what.’[21] Rae agreed, claiming: ‘Back then the laws were quite strange. God help you if you didn’t wear a bra, for example, because, if you were picked up by the police, you had to be wearing three pieces of women’s apparel. Now I don’t wear a bra, if I’d been picked up, I’d have been really in trouble. No, you had to have three pieces of women’s apparel on.’[22] Vagrancy laws, which prohibited indecent and disorderly behaviour, had been used in NSW and elsewhere in Australia to target cross-dressing since the nineteenth century, although research has demonstrated that the penalties faced by those who came to notice of the police could vary widely.[23] However, it is unclear whether any law specifically defined male impersonation in terms of items of apparel and it is interesting that the apparently widespread belief in such legislation is also reflected in US butch lesbian communities of the postwar period. In their study of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York, in the mid-twentieth century, Elizabeth Kennedy and Madeline Davis note that ‘Many narrators mention the legal specification for proper dress, although some said it required three pieces of female clothes, [and some] two.’[24] Kennedy and Davis were unable to locate ‘a New York State law about what constitutes male or female impersonation, despite the unanimity of narrators on the subject’ and, drawing on the work of Nan Hunter, concluded that ‘a judge in a particular case made a ruling that two or three pieces of clothing of the “correct” sex negated male or female impersonation and that set a precedent used by law enforcement agencies.[25]

Laws against insulting or offensive behaviour were also interpreted broadly by police to include demonstrations of affection between women or visible manifestations of a lesbian identity. Addressing a seminar on ‘Female Homosexuality’ at Sydney University in 1975, Helen Coonan outlined a number of ways in which lesbians were discriminated against in law, and noted that ‘lesbian behaviour can be prosecuted and has been prosecuted under the catch all phrase of “offensive behaviour”.’[26] In 1978, the feminist and gay press reported that two women had been arrested and charged for hugging on the grass in a Sydney park.[27] Women in lesbian bars were also subject to police harassment. Jan Hillier, a Melbourne butch lesbian, recalled the ‘frightening times she and her friends experience don a trip to Sydney in the 1960s:

“I remember I once went to Sydney with Hank and Speedy and a few of the butch lesbians. We all got on the train and off we went and we got all dolled up and went to some gay bar in William Street. Well Bumper Farrell raided the place, scooped us all up and put us in the Darlinghurst cells for the weekend. We were only kids, 16 or 17. He locked us up for being drunk and disorderly and left us there for the whole weekend. No charges were ever laid. On the Monday we had to go back to Melbourne to work. I was terrified my mother was going to find out I’d been in jail ... I’ve never been that fond of Sydney.”[28]

Such police tactics continued into the 1970s and, in March 1978, lesbian and gay campaigning group CAMP NSW complained that clientele at the lesbian nightclub Ruby Reds had been arrested on charges of using offensive language.[29]

While no legislation explicitly targeted female homosexuality, therefore, the very absence of a public discourse around lesbianism and the law left women in considerable doubt as to which behaviours were legal and which, if any, were not. As a result, many women absorbed a general and ill-defined sense that desire between women--and any outward expression of it--was not only unacceptable but potentially punishable in some way.

[bryte-eyed-athena]

A New Earthseed Community

I used to imagine what life would be like in a dystopian society where everything has collapsed or is on the verge of collapse. This Earthseed community project has given me the opportunity to actually put some serious thought into how a community might survive in a world that has gone off the rails. However, I am going into this making a few assumptions. First, the world I am envisioning my community living in is very similar to the one depicted in Parable of the Sower. I was considering writing journal entries like Lauren did, but then I thought that was too much like fanfiction. Instead I am going to simply respond to the questions. Second, this is an established community that has already done the hard work of gathering trusted people, escaping to a safe area, and building the community. I’m trying to think about how to make this community survive, as well as thrive, long term after it has already been established. Third, the community has decided to give their settlement a name so I will refer to them as “The Dandelion Community”. Hopefully trying to envision this ideal community can help me with thinking of solutions to solve our real world problems.

Explain two real-life issues that make it necessary to create your Earthseed community. What are you seeking shelter from?

Climate change is wreaking havoc all over the world as it exacerbates natural disasters and displaces millions of people. In California the climate will get hotter and wildfires will cause more damage. Climate change also disproportionately impacts low income people of color who do not have a refuge to escape to once the environment becomes hostile. These are the groups of people that are going to be impacted the most negatively and they are the ones who require shelter and protection.

Police brutality has impacted communities of color and immigrant communities the harshest due to the influence of systemic racism and capitalism. It has created a culture of fear and violence which harms us physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is a system that must be entirely abolished in order for all marginalized people to feel safe. If it cannot be abolished then we must seek refuge in areas where the police don’t exist and have no power.

Quote two Earthseed verses from Parable of the Sower and show how you will apply them to your community. You may be creative in your interpretation.

“All successful life is Adaptable, Opportunistic, Tenacious, Interconnected, and Fecund. Understand this. Use it. Shape God.”

The Dandelion community understands that there will be numerous challenges for them to face if they want to survive. But life is not just about survival it is also about being able to live well. This verse will inspire the community to see their existence as more than just a fight for survival. It will motivate them to seek success defined in these terms. They will internalize this message and learn to be adaptable to new challenges. They will either seek opportunities or turn their dire circumstances into one. They will tenaciously fight for themselves and for their fellow members. They will feel connected with the community and other people they meet on the outside. They will also try to make sure that all their endeavors are fertile in order to produce more good to balance all the bad in the world. With this verse in their hearts they will be able to Shape God.

“Embrace diversity. Unite— Or be divided, robbed, ruled, killed By those who see you as prey. Embrace diversity Or be destroyed.”

Out of all of the Earthseed verses, this is the one that defines the human story. Centuries of conflict and horror could have been avoided if we sought to embrace diversity and unite with our fellow man. Instead, this planet has been divided and conquered over and over. The Dandelion community will refuse to be divided, robbed, ruled, or killed by any one. Their strength will be in unity and the bonds they form with each other will heal them internally. The diversity of body ability, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, faith and so on will give the community a unique advantage to respond to change. The diversity of opinion and experience would be a useful tool and not seen as a hindrance.

Explain where you will create your Earthseed community to be safe.

Safety comes from being in a defendable area surrounded by people with the skills and tools to survive. The Channel Islands National Park is a chain of four islands off the coast of Santa Barbara. It is too far away to swim to and there is enough land to support a large community if they are spread across all the islands. The Dandelion can reserve certain areas for small villages that contain homes, libraries, and facilities to create goods. The rest of the land can be used for farming sustainably as well as a training/play area for children. Once the community is able to build boats they can start to fish farther out into the ocean to provide more variety in their diets. These islands would be easy to defend since they are isolated and far away from the coast. Swimmers wouldn’t be able to get there and the community could devise ways to sabotage the waters so boats wouldn't be able to get through. The islands are also large enough that a stable and thriving community could be built there so people can live peacefully.

Who can join your community and why? Who can’t join? Why not?

Anyone can join as long as they are willing to learn skills and be ready to contribute. They are expected to be understanding of others and respectful of diversity. They also must dedicate themselves to protecting all members of the community from external threats. It is also important that they understand that joining a community means truly becoming an engaged member of the community. This means that they make the effort to be a part of people’s lives and make positive contributions no matter how small. They must want peace and understand that it takes hard work to create the conditions for peace and love to flourish.

What will your leadership model be for your community?

The Dandelion community is very mutual aid based so it is important that every member has a voice and opportunity to exercise power. There will not be a single leader since teamwork and communication are valued highly here. Instead there will be a group of around ten people who gather and discuss the problems of the community no matter how big or small. The community will also gather in weekly town halls to address any grievances or solutions they have directly to the group of leaders. During that meeting they will try to create solutions that take into account the needs and wants of the community. After a month this group of ten people will be replaced with a different set of ten people. Anyone can volunteer to be a member of the group and it's basically first come first serve. Eventually as the group rotated members monthly every person in the community who wanted to be a leader would have been a leader at least once. This way the burden of leadership is shared equally across the community. This also means that no one person can hold total power and become a tyrant. It also means that there will always be someone in charge and someone the group can defer to in order to make a final decision.

Create a future technology (one on the horizon, not something like teleportation or time travel) to help improve life at your Earthseed community.

A water filtration device will be necessary to support the community. It would be non polluting and powered by solar energy. Once water is filtered from the ocean the community members can all go and get as much as they need. There will not be a plumbing system so people will have clay jugs to transport their clean water.

A series of solar powered radios set all around the island chain will help make communication easier and faster. If an urgent warning needs to be sent out people will be able to hear it on their radio. It will also make internal communication easier so people could just ask for things without having to travel.

Long range portable telescopes will help the defenders of the island see any oncoming threats. They will also be a good educational tool for the children when they want to see the stars.

Most importantly would be a submarine that can be used to travel to the mainland safely. The island won't be able to provide for every need and there will be times where trash needs to be disposed of. A submarine with a renewable energy source would be a good way to travel and maybe explore other places that could be safe as well.

Explain/show how your Earthseed community will SURVIVE.

The Dandelion community will survive by using knowledge collected in books and by forging strong community bonds that will encourage mental health. Books on indegenous and sustainable farming practices will help the community create a replenishable food source that feeds everyone. If there are surpluses, scouts could travel to the mainland and give it away. Books about fishing and the ocean would help the community fish safely and prevent overfishing. Books on natural medicine and surviving in wilderness environments can help the community treat and prevent illnesses as well as be attentive to their surroundings. Other books on math and literature and technology can help with basic education and entertainment which will help the community feed their minds and souls. All of this knowledge will help the community become self reliant and understand the world better which will help them Shape God.

Explain/show what TWO steps your Earthseed community will make to build a better future, i.e. education, housing, conservation, farming, etc.

The Dandelion community recognizes the importance of education and that learning can happen at any point in life. All members of the community will be educated equally and on the same topics. They will learn the basics like reading, writing, and math. They will also learn survival skills, how to cook and clean, how to swim, and how to use tools and weapons. They will also learn how to be sustainable and not harm the environment. As they grow older and develop their own interest they can divert into different fields. Some may wish to become teachers, potters, weavers, fishers, farmers, writers, etc. New members that come from the mainland will also be educated in the same way and if they have certain skills then they will be asked to contribute their knowledge as well. Innovation and creativity are encouraged, but above all the survival of the whole must be put first.

Hopefully the environment of peace and love will encourage the community to want to share their resources with others. One of the reasons Lauren’s original community fell was because outsiders thought that they were rich. In reality, that wasn’t the case, but Lauren’s family was still better off than most. If the Dandelion community found a way to share their resources and beliefs with those on the mainland they would be able to create more stable communities. The best defense against criminality and violence would be to remove the factors that cause it, in this case poverty. By sharing their technology and knowledge the Dandelion community would be able to lift people out of poverty and create stable communities across the coast line. Once those communities are stable enough they would also be able to create stability even further inland. This will ensure the longevity and survival of the Dandelion community.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #459

“i wanted you to know that i love the way you laugh  /  i wanna hold you high and steal your pain away”

Does the person you like have any flaws? He's never seemed very expressive of what he feels. Has anyone ever given you a ring? Why? Yes. Because it was our anniversary and he wanted to, ig. If you ruled your own country, what type of government would it have? I'm not educated enough to answer this. Creation theory, Evolution or the Big Bang theory? I really don't know what I believe about the origins of the universe, but I do believe in evolution. Describe one of your most emotional farewells. The last time I saw Jason and we talked for a long time, and I finally got my closure. It was all so heavy. It started so stiffly, but it ended with us just chatting and smiling and, to my absolute shock, a hug from him. I'm getting emotional so NEXT QUESTION. What was your last serious conversation about? I was reassuring and comforting Sara about some stuff. Is there a city that you have a particular fondness for? If so, what city is it and why? No. Are there any gnomes in your yard? No. When was the last time you were stung by a bee? What kind was it? Years ago. A bumblebee. Are you gonna buy lottery tickets when you’re old enough? I am old enough, and no. The odds are way, way too small, and I don't really dabble in addictive behavior. Have you ever been into a real cave? No. :( That's a life goal, though. Have you ever posted mean comments on YouTube? I know I did once as a kid. It was regarding Meerkat Manor and I thought it was really disrespectful to Flower just because of the music chosen lmao. The drama. What color is your digital camera, if you have one? Black. If you had to spend one day in any movie storyline, which one would it be? Alice in Wonderland, I suppose? Name the strangest game you’ve ever played (video game or real game): Oh man, I've played waaaaay too many video games. I suppose Silent Hill with how confused it left me at first. Its concept is definitely wild. Parasite Eve is high on the list, too. In your opinion, what is the saddest movie you’ve ever seen? Boy in the Striped Pajamas destroys me. What is the best song to make out to? I could answer this but I'm not gonna lmfao Is there anyone right now that you are simply/overly infatuated with? story of my life ayyyyeeeee Who was the last person to play with your hair? Are they cute? Not a clue. Who was the last person close to you that died? Did you cry? Jason's mom. I sobbed on-and-off for days. Do you consider yourself a healthy person? Physically and mentally? No, in either way. Do you know anyone who owns a boat? My dad does. I'm sure others, too, with how popular fishing out on a boat is here. Do you know anyone who uses medical marijuana? I don't know. Even for medicinal purposes, it's not legal here. Do you know anyone who’s died in childbirth? No. What did you do for your 21st birthday? I was in the psych hospital, so... lmao. Therapy, reading, and coloring. Lots of reading and coloring. Because they did NOT fill your schedule enough there. We only had two group therapy sessions a day, and the rest was just... blankness. If dinosaurs could be tamed, would you want one as a pet? I know I'd be one of the dumb ones that absolutely wanted a tiny raptor, lol. Do you own more than one copy or edition of a book? No. If you could see any musical on Broadway right now, what would it be? Not interested. Do you eat soup when you’re sick? I don't like soup. If you read, which book or series did you enjoy most as a child? My first real series that I read religiously was Hank the Cowdog. Then it was Warriors. Do you buy Halloween candy when it’s on sale after the holiday? No. I really don't need candy available to me. Do you agree with the “they’re just being kids” excuse? It depends on what they're doing. In a lot of cases, no. Do you ever watch talk shows? No. Do you have a/any hero(s)? Mark Fischbach, Steve Irwin, my mom... Have you told your parents all of your secrets from when you were a teen? No. Though Mom has playfully once told me that she knows a lot of things I don't think she does, and that's terrifying lmao. You’re getting married. Who’s your maid of honor and best man? M.o.H.: Mom or Sara. Best man isn't my choice. Would you rather get highlights or dye your whole head? DYE IT ALLLLLLL. Are you wearing anything of any sentimental value? Describe? My friendship ring w/ Sara. It has a heart carved on the outside and "bitch" engraved inside so no one can see when you have it on, lol. She has one that says "jerk." It's a Supernatural reference. Who challenges you the most? In what way? My therapist and psychiatrist. They just help ensure I pursue my goals and give me little nudges forward to reassure me. Who seems to hold you back? In what way? PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT ME. I listen to my anxiety WAY too much. What was the last opportunity that you passed up, and why? Going up to Lake Gaston w/ Mom to visit Ash and her fam. They go there all the time, and it's a real nice place. I just didn't want to go because of the heat. Should there be an application process for having children? Hunny, that would not stop people from fuckin lmfao Name one thing that you think defines you as a person? m e e r k a t s What is a fear you have about living on your own? That depression would get the better of me and I'd neglect taking good care of my house. One of the many reasons I'll never live alone. Not at all saying I'd leave the responsibilities to my partner, but they'd be motivation for me to get stuff done. What’s the worst name your mom has ever called you? I don't know. Nothing that bad. What’s your stance on spooning? It helps me feel safe and loved and alsdkfjalwe I just love cuddling in all sorts lmao What’s your most recent obsession? Violet Orlandi & Melodicka Bros' cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know." Have you ever been scammed? Ha ha, yes. I once wanted to get Jason a Joker and Harley Quinn pillow from deviantART; talked to the artist, paid 'em, never got it. :^) Have you ever fostered an animal? No. I would get WAY too attached to foster. I wouldn't be able to give them up without breaking down, probs. Do you know anyone who acts way younger than what they are? I'm sure I do, but no one is coming to mind atm. Would you say you’re a pretty independent person? God no. Does the last song you listened to, remind you of someone? JASON. Do you currently want a new computer? Yes, actually. I want a desktop PC for better gaming quality, honestly. Also, the "escape" key doesn't work on this laptop, one key is missing so I have to hit the sensor JUST right, and it restarts randomly sometimes. I want a PC mainly because I want to get out of the habit of being on my laptop in bed all damn day. How would your parents react if you got a tattoo? I already have like six or seven, so they wouldn't be surprised. Is there anyone you can picture yourself being with forever right now? Maybe. Who is your truest friend? Sara. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever seen outside of your house? THIS house? Idk. Nothing that I'd consider odd. What bug frightens you most? STAG BEETLES lkadjslkfja;lwekjawl;kejrlawer Who is your oldest friend? That would be Sam, and he's in his mid-30s. How long have you known them? Many years. We met via WoW, which I've been playing since '14. I don't really remember how far into it we met, though. Where are they right now? lol I wouldn't know, he's all the way in Jersey. Plus we haven't talked in a while. Have you ever dated a friend of one of your siblings? God no, that would be so weird. What is the best gift someone can give you? An ear to listen without it feeling like a chore to them. Have you ever dated someone who had a child? No. I don't think I could do it. What is the last movie that made you cry? The The Lion King remake made me tear up. Have you ever played in a waterfall? No. Ugh, that sounds like a blast. In your life who has meant the most to you? Let's not get into this. What has been your biggest failure in life? Letting depression and my other conditions take away my identity, becoming my new identity. Do you trust yourself? No. I second-guess EVERYTHING and never know what I should listen to: my heart, my head, my gut... or which voice is what. Would you ever consider getting an abortion, under any circumstances? Yes. What was the last bug you killed? Some kind in the bathroom. Idk what it was. Just a little thing that sort of resembled an earwig, but not completely. Do you prefer profile pictures by yourself of with someone else? By myself, since it's my page. Do you know anyone who has written a book? I don't think so? Do you drink milk/juice from the carton if no one is around? Ew, no. I live with another person, and even if I didn't, what if I had guests? Has anyone ever told you they liked you in a realllly sweet way? Maybe? Has a member of the opposite sex ever given you jewlery? Jason has. Do you find sleeping in cars easy? NOOOOOOOOOO. I'm too scared to let my eyes close and not see what's going on on the road. Has a boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s parents ever gotten mad at you? Why? I don't believe so, no. What is the funniest thing a child has ever said to you. Definitely something my niece has said, but idr what it was. What’s been on your mind lately? Y'all know, lol. Do you feel like you need to get something off your chest? No. Sara was recently there for that. ♥ How would you react if someone told you they had feelings for you? Be very very excited if it was from a certain person.

[herrashmoo]

secondly, im not a tumblr teen. ive been on this website for god knows how long and ive been well versed in queer history. me calling them a pedophile, after a conversation with them resulted in them refusing to admit sexual imagery is not for children, them calling me a bootlicker and several other names, before getting wildly upset and blocking me, had nothing to do with their sexuality and everything to do with the fact that they couldnt tell me sexual imagery is not a thing for minors to consume period end of story. this is AFTER the fact i had been a bit more educated about pride and had ALREADY agreed where i went wrong. now about the sanitization of pride- thats wrong as well. dont get me wrong. but you cant seriously look me in the face and tell me that sexual imagery is not for minors. like- just that statement alone, right? so how is this such a controversy?

ugh okay I guess I’m gonna write A Thing. I’ll get into a proper response to your final questions but first, let’s do some context work.

first thing to make clear is that I know Jux irl, and I also want to make it pretty clear that they and I have pretty similar opinions here, I’m just slightly more likely to put my anger aside to reply to stuff. Do not get it twisted, rhetoric like the kind you were/are using is like, a big red flag for me, it’s the kind of shit reactionaries have been using for eons and like, were I in a less chill mood, I would’ve also likely written you off as a bootlicker troll. Their response was pretty aggressive but not completely misplaced, so I just want to make it clear that like, as another queer dude who is tired of seeing this shit every fucking May for the better part of a decade, I’m also exhausted and pissed off.

As for my claim of teenagerdom, I apologize if that offended, but you have to understand that, generally speaking, the loudest groups having this conversation on the regular are (1) right-wing reactionaries, TERFs, and their ilk trying to stir shit up (see: Operation Pridefall) and (2) young people who don’t have any context for Pride, often haven’t been, and only really have queer politic and history from tumblr and twitter threads featuring reactionary revisionism from the first group. When I see people engage in this conversation, I generally assume they’re in the latter group, as it helps me try to frame my responses in the best faith I can given how tired I am of this shit.

But that aside, sure. Kink isn’t for children. But provided there’s a parent accompanying this hypothetical child at Pride, their job is to explain and provide context for the things they can, and give a solid “you’ll learn more when you’re older” for the things they can’t. The Village People are all each in different kink gear, and as a kid I was told “they like to dress up, and there’s some costumes specifically for adults,” and I was good. I saw bare titties at festivals, smelled weed at concerts, saw bulge at the beach — these are normal human things that happen in the world, and having a responsible adult nearby to explain or provide context for them made them non-issues for me. I don’t think a kid seeing a pup hood is thinking anything more than “oh cool, that dude is dressed up as a dog.” Kids understand fantasy and make-believe. And especially as they age into their teenage years, withholding or sheltering them from knowledge about sex and sexuality can do real damage — hell, we’ve been having that conversation for over a century at least.

(Spring’s Awakening was first published in 1891 and was deeply censored in productions for the better part of a century, due to the content of the work, which is about how sheltering young teens (both straight and queer) from sexual content (and also mental health resources) leads them to try to figure shit out on their own and make catastrophic decisions that they don’t understand the consequences of until it’s too late. Great play, pretty great musical adaptation, wild that we keep rehashing its points like clockwork over a century after publication.)

But I am also of the opinion that Pride isn’t for children, as, while two decades of assimilationist politic would desperately try to argue otherwise, I am queer because I am sexually attracted to, and have sex with, other men. Pride is a response to the criminalization of queer sex acts, and so it is, in turn, a celebration of queer sex acts. So if someone wants to walk around in chaps and a jock, great! If someone wants to wear their pup gear or a harness or a rope tie or a vest, fuck yeah! It’s a space specially carved out for celebrating the queer experience — the original Pride flag (before it was simplified to make it easier to mass produce for profit, which, again, love seeing our culture made into product) had a pink stripe at the very top, specifically representing sexuality. It is, ostensibly, the thing that defines our community (at least the L G and B parts of it) as an outgroup against the mainstream society.

I think that, if you are uncomfortable with kink displays, or you’re uncomfortable with children seeing kink displays, then Pride is not for you or your children! Don’t go! There’s kid-friendly and sanitized versions of Pride in most major cities, do some research into your local/state Stonewall organizations and you can find more about them. But I’m already sick of having actual cops at Pride, I don’t need people who are uncomfortable with displays of sexuality also policing myself or any other queer person in a space they have spent decades carving out for themselves.

A final note — if you don’t understand why a queer person would blow up and completely write off your bullshit after calling them a pedophile, I urge you to do more reading, more listening. I know that in this brave new world of same-sex marriage equality and PrEP access that it’s hard to remember the collective trauma that the community has experienced, but this shit is inflammatory, you’re straight up spewing fightin’ words. The dude wearing a leather harness at Pride isn’t trying to corrupt any youth or fuck any kids, they’re just trying to live their shit, and I’m sorry that you and so many others have somehow decided that that’s an attack on a demographic of people who aren’t the audience for a celebration of sexuality. We’re not fucking pedophiles, and this “think about the kids” nonsense is some Reagan-era bullshit.

[most-rare]

YHVH

This a copy of an article I came across that would benefit all believers if you truly believe in ONE God, the ALMIGHTY, the Father of ALL SPIRITS, YHVH’ 

This is for education only. font size | A A A

YHVHs name The Name Series Protection In His Name by haRold Smith a citizen of the Commonwealth (Ephesians 2:19)

"Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My Name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation." Psalm 91:14-16

"And those who know Your Name put their trust in You, for You, YHVH, have not forsaken those who seek You.." Psalm 9:10

"IF you will diligently listen to and obey the Voice of YHVH, your Elohiem, and do that which is right in HIS eyes, and give ear to HIS commandments and keep all HIS statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am YHVH, your Healer." Exodus 15:26

It's what we all want - right? Most even expect it - the protection of "God" in their lives. However, few there are that realize it. That protection does not become a reality for most because, as we saw in the previous article, What's In A Name? (click on highlighted words to view content), they are calling out to the wrong deity. They are calling out to a "God" of worldliness. For most people, the God of the Bible is just a god. He is not first and foremost the God of Israel. Israel has been removed from the modifier of this god. His Last Name has been neutered so that He doesn't exist anymore. Now the god of the Bible has become transformed into that singular divine being of all - no longer uniquely associated with a particular people. That is the religious world we have today - a world without the God of Israel. Instead, we have the institutional god of the late Holy Roman Empire. True. Throughout scripture, this God of the Bible is referred to and declares Himself to be YaHoVeH, the Elohim of Israel. And it is this same YHVH of Israel Who says He is our Healer in Exodus 15:26 above IF we obey His Voice and keep His Words.

The Hebrew word in Psalm 91:14 translated as the English phrase "set him on high" or "protect" showing up in most of our modern bibles is sagav which actually means "to be (too) high (for capture)" - hence: "to be safe, to defend, to protect." So, if the way we become "protected" by YHVH is to "know Him" - how do we come to know this Elohim of Israel? How do we come to know His Name. We come to Him the same way Abraham came to Him 430 years before His Name was proclaimed at Sinai. The same way Moses came to know Him before going up on Mount Sinai - simply by desiring to know Him with all of our heart and start calling out for Truth to be revealed to us. In Exodus 33:18 Moses asked YHVH to "show me your Glory" - and He did!! In v19 it says, "I will make all My Goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the Name of YHVH before you." Here, we see the Name of YHVH IS His Glory (v22), they are interchangeable - to speak of one is to speak of the other. His Glory is His Goodness. His Name is Goodness. It is said of Yeshua in Acts 10:38 that He went about doing Good, manifesting YHVH's Glory. YHVH's Goodness is an indication that we are in His Presence, hence - a cloud of Glory. But a cloud is not something you can capture. It is only something, like the wind, that you can detect because of what its effects are. Scripture tells us that to be in His Presence with its untold blessings today "rests" among His people - among those who call upon His Name. To be in His Presence is to have rest and a joy that comes with that rest (Exodus 33:14, Psalm 16:11). The verses in Exodus 34:5-7 tell us what went before and was proclaimed to Moses, the Name of YHVH - "goodness, mercy, grace, long-suffering, forgiveness" and, most of all, "Truth". All of these attributes comprise His Name - all at the same time. This is His Glory - clearly defined. It is in the lifting up, the elevation of these attributes, the Essence of Who He Is that we call upon, or embrace in our life. This is how we manifest His Name and, thus, come into His Presence. It is through this embrace with our life of His Glory, His Name and all that it entails that His Presence envelopes us as a cloud - and gives us rest (Matthew 11:29).

From a moralistic viewpoint, hatred is identified primarily as an emotion - a blind rage, so to speak, where emotion overwhelms reason ultimately resulting in the taking of a human life and, thus, forming the basis for the necessity of imposed regulation. From the Hebrew perspective, however, hatred is not found to be an emotion. While there may be feelings associated with it, hatred like love, is primarily a choice of will (see what it means to be Gatekeepers). The hatred found in scripture, both in the Greek as well as the Hebrew is defined behaviorally through acts of hostility, disparagement and aversion. To despise something means having nothing to do with it - to separate from it. YHVH's view of hatred is expressed in the first of His Ten Words:

"You shall not worship or serve any other gods, for I, YHVH, your Elohiem am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me to keep My commandments." Exodus 20:5-6

Love is shown toward YHVH by keeping His Words. Hatred is shown toward YHVH by not keeping His Words. Yeshua's Words support, reinforce and echo YHVH's Words:

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words and the word that you hear is not Mine but the Fathers who sent Me." John 15:10, 14:24

The place to begin in knowing YHVH is simply to start reading the words on the page just for what they say and mean apart from any traditional theology of men. Words Mean Things and the words of Psalm 91 opening this article plainly state that the one who, "holds fast to Me in love" will be the one who is protected and delivered by YHVH. And we have just seen that to "love Him" is to keep His Ten Words.

The English word "Glory" used in Exodus 33:18 is translated from the Hebrew word kavode which has its origination in a similar word, kavad, both meaning to be heavy or weighty, to be honorable or glorious. Since the "weight" of this splendor comes from being in the Presence of His Glory - all anyone can do is to bow down, to bend the knee at the majesty of His Excellence and, thus, it becomes an acknowledgment of the nobility of His Essence. This is what immediately happened with Moses after YHVH passed before him - he bowed down and worshipped this Glory. He could not help himself, so weighty was the radiance, the brilliance of His Presence. The same thing happened when His Presence filled the tabernacle - the congregation had to bow down from the weight of the magnificence of what was before them. As seen in previous articles, Hebrew words sometimes carry a duality of meaning. Such is the case with this Hebrew word, kavad (2), which is also shown to mean "liver" - the heaviest organ in the body. The function of the liver in the body is to cleanse the blood of impurities. As we embrace His Name in receiving ruach hakodesh we are embracing the Essence of Truth. Here is a place where we need to embrace the Truth found in words. The Hebrew phrase ruach ha kodesh (reading right to left is Hebrew for "the holiness of spirit") has been used inadvertently as a substitute for the English "Holy Spirit" appearing in their bibles. This is incorrect as there is no capitalization in Hebrew; thus, there is no personification, no third person "Holy Spirit". What is the holiness of spirit? Holiness is the Nature abiding in Spirit, Who is YHVH. The holiness of spirit is something that is cultivated within an individual by that individual. Once we have seen that the term "Holy Spirit" is a convoluted translation of the Hebrew perspective of there being only One Spirit spoken of throughout scripture, then, simply put from a scriptural basis, His Essence comes to rest in, settles in, and revitalizes the liver. Through the embrace of the Life exampled by Yeshua, the Essence of the Source of Life becomes a part of our body to cleanse our blood. The liver is also the only organ in the body with the power to regenerate itself.

Yeshua said that He had glorified His Father on the earth because He "manifested His Name" to the twelve men the Father had given Him (John 17:4-12) and He "kept" them in His Name in that He didn't lose one of them (v12). He manifested the Life of the Glory of the Father before them. He kept them in the Glory of His Name by manifesting the Nature, the Character and the Essence of the Father in the Life He led before them that they could see. To embrace the Life Yeshua exampled is to manifest the attributes of the Father in the same manner as He manifested them by His Life. This is what He meant when He said when you see Him - you are seeing the Father (John 14:9). If we are to embrace Yeshua, it can only be in the Way He embraced the Father (John 12:26, see what it means To Believe). In our embrace of the Father, as Yeshua embraced the Father, we become as He is - He is "seen" in us the same way Yeshua said His Father was "seen" in Him (1John 4:17). The Life Yeshua led and entreated us to follow was not some esoteric, ethereal affair only realized after death - it is a down-to-earth, in this earth reality that, once attained, we carry with us (as He did) and our Purpose then becomes to bring that Life into this earthly realm (2Thessalonians 1:9-12). The Life of the Flesh is in His Blood (Leviticus 17:14, John 6:53-54). and the Virtue, the Glory of His Life, lived in the manner of the Flesh He lived, cleanses the Blood - it keeps it pure. As we embrace and appropriate the Virtue of His Life as our own, that Blood of His literally begins to course through our veins to make us clean and we are regenerated. (John 15:3, Romans 8:11).

ark of the covenant There was a difference between the temple of YHVH which was the structure itself and the sanctuary of YHVH which was the dwelling place of His Presence. When Yeshua was accusing the Pharisaical authorities He said, "You have made My Fathers house into a den of thieves." By saying "My Father" they knew He was claiming Messianic authority over the temple, and so they said, "What sign do you show us seeing that you do these things?" and notice what He said: "Yeshua answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' Then the Pharisees said, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?' But He was speaking of the temple of His body." (John 2:13-21). They were looking at the physical structure (Hebrew miqdash - from Exodus 25:8) of the temple; but when He said, "Destroy this temple" He used the Hebrew word mishkan which was the word used in Exodus 40:34 to describe the place within the Holy of Holies where the Glory of YHVH's Presence would manifest like a cloud on the mercy seat between the cherubim after the blood was sprinkled - that was the mishkan. Yeshua was saying "I am the temple (mishkan) of YHVH." That Presence was what Yeshua said dwelt within Him. And was the same thing Paul said about the Body of Yeshua, "Know you not that you are the temple (mishkan) of YHVH?" (1Corinthians 3:16). To become a member of the body of the Messiah means to have the same Presence dwelling within us as did Yeshua. YHVH doesn't dwell in buildings but within His People. When you believe on, rely upon, trust in, embrace the Life of YHVH to live as exampled by the Life of Yeshua, you become the mishkan of YHVH. YHVH's ultimate goal has always been to dwell within His people (Jeremiah 31:31-33) and to put His Spirit within us. When you embrace the Life of Yeshua to live as your own, you become the mishkan of YHVH. "So important is this mishkan (Hebrew for "place of residence") that we must constantly be building it - preparing it and making it fit for His rest. Anything that soils it or makes it inappropriate for His Presence must be jettisoned from our lives and repudiated as unbecoming a child of YHVH whose primary goal in life is to have on-going communion and friendship with the Creator" (Tim Hegg, Studies in Torah: Exodus, p. 158).

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Just looking at the wording of Exodus 34:5-7 used in describing YHVH's Name, His Glory, you find them listed again in Galatians 5:22-23 and described as the "fruit of the Spirit" - singular, meaning "one fruit" or "One Name". They are called the "fruit", singular, of YHVH's Spirit because they are like a singular diamond which has many facets but remains a single entity. Too often these attributes tend to be confused with feelings. When you look at the fruit of the Spirit described in the simplicity they are presented, the first three do have some associative feeling most of us can relate to. But, if you look at the rest, there is no feeling or emotion that can be associated with them whatsoever. I have never "felt" longsuffering. Longsuffering (or patience) is not something you "feel", it is something you "do" - suffering, or enduring for a long while. Faithfulness is just that - BEING faithful whilst in the middle of adverse circumstances that would strain the credibility of His Goodness. Self-control is something you just "exercise." If we realize that love, joy and peace are just as much "do" actions as the rest, we see that these all are simply choices we make in the middle of whatever circumstances are presented us - and they are not called "fruit" of the Spirit by happenstance, either. YHVH once asked me had I ever seen fruit trees eat their own fruit? A fruit tree does not grow fruit for its own benefit or consumption. It grows fruit for the benefit of others passing by to partake of and be blessed by. The scriptural definition of "love" is found in 1John 3:16. Love is what is given to another of the brethren (not the world) at cost to myself. Love is a choice we make in the middle of circumstances that exude hate or loneliness or despair in a brother. We don't "do" love in those instances because we are motivated by a feeling - we "do" love because that is the expression, the manifestation of His Name, of Who He Is we have embraced and now abides within us as a part of us. If a feeling comes around, that's wonderful - but our initial motivation should be from a standpoint of believing that if we call upon His Name by exercising His Attributes in the midst of whatever circumstances we are in, regardless of what we feel, His Presence will manifest. Yeshua said if we ask anything in His Name, it will be done for us. Too many times we ask because of our wants instead of BEing IN His Name, His Nature expressed by these attributes, and don't understand why it is not done as He promised (James 4:3. see Prayer and Healing).

The scripture from Romans 5:1-5 illustrates how all of this works. It says to "rejoice in our tribulation." So, how do you DO joy in the middle of un-joyful circumstances - of tribulation? You REjoice as an exercise, a manifestation, of your belief, your faith, that the Goodness of Who YHVH says He Is will overcome the fear and trepidation the circumstance facing you would try to cause you to believe in. You will believe in one or the other because Faith and Fear, like Light and darkness, cannot abide in the same space at the same time. You DO joy as a proclamation of the Truth of His Presence in the midst of the circumstances surrounding you. As we exercise our faith by the choice of our actions in the middle of the circumstance, we DO Glory - because that is Who He Is. Perfect Love casts out fear and as He is, so are we in this world. As we abide in Him through the trust in our heart of His Goodness and the confession of our mouth which reminds us of His Glory, we overcome the assault of fear mounted on our faith (Romans 10:8-10).

"Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? YHVH strong and mighty. YHVH mighty in battle." Psalm 24:7-8

King of Glory How is YHVH mighty in battle? 2Chronicles 20 gives us a glimpse into the type of warfare He engages in. It provides us with a different perspective on what we would normally consider Warfare to be. Here, the battleground was in Ziz, which comes from the Hebrew root word tsiyts (pronounced tsets) and is also the same Hebrew word given to the shining plate of gold the high priests wear on their foreheads. It was these priests and singers that were the warriors sent out before the army in verse 21. The English word translated as "praise" in the Hebrew is halal and means to shine forth brilliantly. This is how we engage in warfare - to simply believe that He is Good; no matter what we see, no matter what we hear, no matter what we feel, no matter what we think and then to manifest His Name, becoming Light in the circumstance. This is how we enter into His Presence. This is how we bring the force of His Glory into this earthly realm for others to see. If we are BEing "In His Name" we can ask whatever we will and it will be done for us because we are not asking to consume it upon ourselves. Our weapons are not physical and the battleground is in our mind - the warfare is over when we manifest the Goodness of YHVH in whatever particular circumstance confronts us. (2Corinthians 10:4-6). The battle is over when we exercise His Goodness, Who His Name Is, in the middle of overwhelming circumstance (see Authority). Were that assembly of Israelites in Chronicles to have picked up a sword and gone swinging into the middle of the enemy confronting them, they would have been conquered because they were outnumbered. Ephesians 5:8-10 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is IN all goodness and righteousness and truth AND it is associated with being "children of the Light".

So - Be Brilliant. Protection In His Name, a discussion What's In A Name? "...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them YHVH willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Yeshua in you, the Hope of Glory." Colossians 1:23-27

http://hethathasanear.com/video/Protection1.html

The Name Series Part One: What's In A Name? Part Two: Protection in His Name Part Three: Abiding In His Name Part Four: The Power In His Name

???Questions??? Please feel free to email me at harold@hethathasanear.com. While not claiming to have all the answers, it would be an honor to partake with you of what Spirit is uncovering.

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Morals And Manners: The Ethics of Decent Behavior in Islam (Adab-i Muasharat in Islam)

Before examining the ethics of decent behavior (adab al-muasharat) in depth, the concepts of adab and muasharat first should be examined separately.

THE WORD ADAB

The Arabic root “adb” means “feast or invitation”7; the word “adab,” which is derived from this root, carries the meanings of “decency,” “politeness,” “reverence,” and “high regard,”8 as well as “refined manners that have been socially adopted.”9

Adab, then, refers to all guidelines about words and deeds that are considered proper, mannerly, ethical, and morally correct in Islam. In this respect,adab indicates the minimum level of good or moral behavior that people should follow. In his book Al-Tarifat Sayyid Sharif writes that adab “is the knowledge that saves one from erring.” Ibn Hajar said that “Adab is to say and do that which is commendable and of merit; that is, to possess good moral character. In the same way that there are people who interpret adab as meaning ‘acting in good and appropriate ways,’ or ‘acting respectfully towards elders and treating the young with kindness and compassion’ there are also scholars who believe the word originated from madaba, a word that means banquet.’”10

There is no direct reference to the word adab or its derivatives in the Qur’an. However, the related word da’b, which means way, path, manner, orcustom, is used, for instance in the verse, “(Their way is) as the way of Pharaoh’s folk and those before them” (Anfal 8:54). Similarly, daab, which appears in the verse, “You shall sow for seven years as usual,” (Yusuf 12:47) means as usual. In yet another verse, the related word daibayn is used to mean constant: “And He has made the sun and the moon constant in their courses…” (Ibrahim 14:33). However, the word adab does appear in Prophetic traditions. In the hadith, “My Lord trained me and gave me adab and He gave me the best training,”11 adab is used to mean training or education.

When Junayd al-Baghdadi set out on his pilgrimage, he saw that the disciples of Abu Hafs in Baghdad were extremely mannerly and polite. He said to the scholar, “You have taught your followers adab that is befitting of courtiers.” Abu Hafs replied, “No, their inner adab is reflected in their outward actions,” implying that their behavior arose from their heart.12 This is striking, as it underlines the importance of maintaining good social relationships with everyone. In fact, some have said that adab is an outward sign that reveals the greatness of a person’s character. It is for this reason that one of the most important responsibilities of parents is to give their children adab and moral training. Adab is like a garment for the soul, or the inner strength of the spirit that saves one from erring or doing inappropriate things.

The term adab in Islamic jurisprudence refers to “behavior befitting the example of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.” Accordingly, the term adab implies “avoidance of anything that is contrary to the Sunna or the practice of the Prophet.” In a broader sense, adab is to act in accordance with the commands and admonitions of God and His Messenger. Religiously, adab falls into the category of sunna ghayr mu’akkada, that is, actions which the Prophet performed at times; therefore, the execution of such actions is to be rewarded, but the abandonment of them is not reproachable. Adab is also used interchangeably for recommended (mustahab) acts, supererogatory acts, or virtuous acts. Acts that are defined as part of adab are divinely rewarded, praiseworthy manners that were recommended and encouraged by the Prophet.

The best adab, the best morals, those which will never become outdated, are those taught in the Qur’an and applied in the life of Prophet Muhammad, the Best of Creation. God, Who created the universe in the most perfect order and the human “of the best stature as the perfect pattern of creation” (Tin 95:4), has created humankind to act as His vicegerents on earth. He has given humankind superiority over all other creatures and made them His representatives on earth. Through His Messengers God has shown humankind the path to felicity, and, by making His commandments known to us, He has taught us to discern good from bad and right from wrong. God has created all things perfectly, and has instructed humanity in the ways of goodness that we should follow. This is why the adab and morality which God taught us will always be the best and most correct. The person who has lived these morals the best is Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. In a Qur’anic verse God says of the Prophet, “You are surely of asublime character and do act by a sublime pattern of conduct” (68:4). God’s Messenger said of himself “I was sent to perfect good character.”13 He exhorted his community to apply the morality and ethics in the Qur’an which he put into practice.

As with everything, our example in good morals is Prophet Muhammad, the Best of Creation: “Assuredly you have in God’s Messenger an excellentexample to follow for whoever looks forward to God and the Last Day, and remembers and mentions God much” (Ahzab 33:21). God’s Messenger called on us to pursue morality, and he said, “Two qualities are never coupled in a believer: Stinginess and corrupt morality.”14 Another time, he said to Muadh ibn Jabal, “O Muadh, be of good morals toward people!”15

The Messenger of God taught that good morality will weigh heaviest in the scales for a believer on the Day of Judgment; those with an evil disposition will be condemned. He also told another Companion that people with good morality would be dealt with (rewarded) as if they had worshipped and fasted constantly.16

When Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was performing salat, after saying the opening takbir he would sometimes recite the prayer that has the following meaning: “My prayer, my worship, my living and my dying are for God, the Lord of the worlds. No associate has He, I have thus been commanded. And I am the first and foremost of those who submit to Him. O God, guide me to the best deeds and the best morality. There is none other than You who can lead me to the best. Save me from evil deeds and conduct; there is none other than You who can save us from immorality.”17

When the Prophet was asked what it was that caused most people to be sent to Hell, he replied, “The mouth and the genitals.” When they asked him what brought most people to Heaven, he said, “Taqwa (God-consciousness and fear of God) and good morals!”18

Here it may be helpful to go into detail about the term taqwa.

Generally, this word is used in one of two ways:

The first broad meaning is “to beware of and avoid everything which is harmful for the eternal life of one’s soul,” or, more importantly, “to eschew associating partners to God, which is the cause of spending eternity in Hell.” The highest point of taqwa is to keep oneself pure of anything that could put a distance between one’s soul and God, to turn to God with one’s entire being, and to take refuge in God with one’s whole spirit. A Qur’anic verse indicates this state: “O you who have attained faith! Be conscious of God with all the consciousness that is due to Him…” (Al Imran 3:102).

The second specific meaning is absolutely and unequivocally “to guard oneself against any sin which may be cause for the abandonment of good deeds or which may lead one away from salvation.” The verse, “Those who avoid the major sins and indecent, shameful deeds, only falling into small fault,—surely your Lord is of extensive forgiveness” (Najm 53:32), focuses on this meaning of taqwa—that is the avoidance of major sins.

Raghib al-Isfahani says, “Taqwa is to keep one’s soul from sin; this is begun by avoiding that which is forbidden, and completed by avoiding that which is questionable. According to the hadith, ‘The permissible is clear, and the forbidden is clear, but there are questionable things in between.’”19

Here we must briefly touch upon the subject of “small sins.” The aforementioned verse of Sura Najm does not mean that believers can be lax about “small sins.” Said ibn Jubayr reportedly said, “When the following Qur’anic verse was revealed: ‘They give

to the poor, orphans and slaves solely for God’s pleasure, even when they

themselves are in need’ (Insan 76:8), some Muslims thought that because they had given only a little they would not be rewarded; others thought, ‘God will reserve Hellfire for great sins,’ and they did not think that they would be punished for smaller sins, like lying, looking at forbidden things, or gossiping. For this reason, God sent down another verse, ‘And so, he who shall have done an at-

om’s weight of good, shall behold it; and he who shall have done an at-

om’s weight of evil, shall behold it’ (Zilzal 99:7–8). Through these verses God taught Muslims that ‘A little will soon bring more,’ thus encouraging them to give without thinking that small offerings do not count; on the other hand, they were given the idea that ‘small sins soon increase and lead to greater sins,’ thus helping them to avoid all sins.”20

According to Islamic teachings, a small sin can be as serious as a large one if the following errors occur:

Persistence in small sins.

Considering small sins lightly, attaching no importance to them.

Making oneself feel better about small sins by comparing them to bigger ones.

Boasting of one’s past sins in front of other people.

The commitment of small sins by a knowledgeable person who is acting as a guide for others; these must be counted as serious sins.

What should be kept in mind is that whatever God has forbidden should not be approached, refuge from both small and great sins should be sought in God, whatever is given as a sin in the Qur’an should be accepted as a sin, and if one commits a sin, it should not be persisted in. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When we repent and regret a ‘great sin,’ it is no longer ‘great,’ but when we persist in a ‘small sin’ it does not remain ‘small.’”21

To return to our main topic, let us examine the following hadith of the Prophet: “A believer who has good morals may surpass one who spends nights in prayer and days in fasting.”22 He also informed Abu Hurayra, in response to a question, that one may enter Heaven with fear of God and the possession of good morals. More than once the Prophet said that a person of good morals will be rewarded with a home in the upper levels of Heaven; such a person will be the closest to the Prophets on the Day of Resurrection and he will be the most loved by them.23

The sayings and personal actions of the Prophet regarding his guidelines for good adab and morals have been classified and collected into books likeThe Book of Adab and Bab al-Adab.24 In addition, Imam al-Bukhari compiled some deeds and sayings of the Prophet in his book Al-Adab al-Mufrad.

Adab means acting with good manners, ethics and morals in all interactions and dealings with people. The behavior that we find in the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, even actions in minor matters, like greeting people, smiling, and keeping nails trimmed, were also part of the lives of other Prophets before him.

The adab and moral code established by the hadiths of the Prophet are applicable to everyone. Therefore, every person who is involved in teaching or training others in adab must first put into practice these commands and prohibitions, then strive to impart the same good ethics to those under their care. God says in the Qur’an, “O you who believe! Guard yourselves and your families

(through the enabling discipline of Islamic faith and worship) against a Fire whose fuel is human beings and stones…” (Talaq 66:6). Here it is meant that God wants us to practice the morality He has prescribed, both by training our spirits and by training the children for whom we have a responsibility. This will at the same time be a protection for us from the fire of Hell.

Everyone has responsibility for those under their care and supervision with regard to their rights, education, and learning. God’s Messenger spoke of the importance of the education of children by their parents thus: “Every child is born in the natural state of innate predisposition for goodness and submission to One God. Afterward, the mother and father teach a child another religion. Indeed, even animal young are born complete (with all they need for life). Have you ever seen among these innocent newborn animals one with a cut-off arm, lip, leg, foot, nose?”25 Abu Hurayra, the transmitter of this hadith, then continued with this verse: “And so, set your face steadfastly toward the (one ever-true) faith, turning away from all that is false, in accordance with the natural disposition which God has instilled into man…” (Rum 30:30).

The verse and hadith above point to the fact that the natural state of the human being is pure and that the best and purest morality one can follow is Islam. But incorrect education can make a child become alienated from their inborn natural purity and grow into a disbeliever or someone with bad morals. This is why the enironment and parental influence on children is emphasized so strongly.26 God creates each individual with purity, and the mother and father of each child have the duty to bring out and preserve that nature by teaching adab. The best and most lasting gift parents can give their children is a good moral training. A child who receives this training and grows to be a good person will also become a source of continual reward for the parents; even after they are dead and can no longer perform good deeds, the child’s good deeds will be reflected on them and be recorded in their Book of Deeds by God.

THE WORD MUASHARAT (SOCIAL ETIQUETTE)

The word muasharat has several meanings: to mix or become involved, to be a friend, to live together.27 The religion of Islam puts great importance on positive social relations between human beings—spending time together and talking to one another—and their shared community. After this brief introduction to the adab al-muasharat (ethics of decent behavior in Islam) we will examine good character traits in the light of Qur’anic verses and hadith.

[thoughtofprincesslenna]

My Thought About Gender Equality

Let's talk about gender equality. Honestly, how do you define gender equality? When I view the world, I think most people think gender equality means women can also do what men do, and vice versa. In ancient times, men went hunting for food and women stayed at home to cook and doing house chores. That is perceived as human nature. Unfortunately, problem arises when women are getting suppressed and men treat women haphazardly. Women are not allowed to get education, they got domestics violence, as if their job is just to please a man's desire. Well, I was born in 1986,, so I just learned it from books and television. In reality, women in my neighborhood are mostly educated, have a job, and they raise their children wonderfully. But I can understand women's situation all over the world are not the same. As time goes by, there are many women in the world who are still suppressed and treated poorly. In the other hand, there are also women who treat men poorly, as if men just the bank of family. I thought, why is this happening? Is this where gender equality lead us to? I don't think so.        In the West, the concept of equality means women can do men's job and vice versa. So, in marriage, women can be a breadwinner, and men can stay at home caring for children. Correct me if I am wrong, but that is what I got from this concept. I am a Balinese woman. So, expect me as a conservative woman. To be honest, I still feel strange with this concept. However, I am not 100% against the concept of equality from West. That concept has led women to be educated, independent and intelligent. In my opinion, that is very crucial. However, this also leads to another problem. The nature of men and women becomes blurry. Women suddenly lose her true natures and so do men. Let me explain why.            Unlike in West, in Bali (where I come from), women are respected for carrying feminine traits, for being feminine. Biologically speaking, it is a woman's nature to have menstruation and giving birth to a child. Here is where people are misunderstood! A child cannot just be born! He/she needs care, foods, and nurturing. So, outside of biologically function, it is a woman's nature too to feed and nurture her/him with love. That is why in Hinduism, the aspect of food and nourishment are symbolized and venerated as Goddess of Annapurna. Meanwhile, the aspect of nurturing and wealth are venerated as Goddess of Laxmi or we call it Goddess of Sri in Bali. And for the aspect of education, we have Goddess of Sarasvati. The Goddess of Knowledge. Those symbols indicate that it is a woman's nature to cook, to nurture, and educate mankind.            So, what about men? What is men's nature? Men's nature are to give life, a provider, and a leader in family. A man has responsibility to protect, inherit good teachings, and changing bad thought and habit in the family. That is a job of a leader, isn't it? Again, in Hinduism, the aspect of protector is venerated as God of Vishnu, the aspect of creation or inheriting good teaching is venerated as God of Brahman. and the aspect of destroying and changing bad habit in the family is venerated as God of Shiva. So, it is a man's nature to provide for his family, to protect women and children, and create a conducive atmosphere in the world.                The world's reality now is totally different and changing. In the name of equality, many women neglecting her natures in family. Many of them are just fine not to able to cook, to spend money carelessly, and raise their children poorly! Meanwhile, a man who should be the first to protect woman and children becomes the suppressor of the family! Many of them do domestics violence, lazy to get a job, and think that women are the slave of family. It is completely messed up! So, in my opinion, the nature of feminine and masculine in family should be returned to their true function. I mean, men and women should be educated to respect their true nature. I know, some people think it is outdated and irrelevant. But it is actually not. We are created differently and we are suppose to respect and honor each other's nature. But how?                 Well, we can start by giving our children comprehension that as human being, we are created differently so we have different nature, and therefore we have different roles. None of these role are higher or lower from one another. They are equal. Just because a woman cook, doing house chores, and taking care of children, it does not mean their role is lower than man's. It does not give men any rights to insult, hurt, and suppress them. I am against any domestics violence, insult and disrespectful deeds to women. Meanwhile, just because a man is breadwinner, it does not give women any rights to feel they are less than men. It does not give a woman right to be a gold digger, and become a man's freak control. By giving this comprehension to a child, I think they can understand their role without disrespecting each other.                 As human being, in this world we liven in now, it is very important for us to be financially independent, to be able to cook and doing house chores, and to be able to defend ourselves. However, we need to understand, a man is born to provide, protect and lead, therefore he needs woman to sustain this role. Women is men's Shakti (power). Well, to be honest with you, I am not a crazy religious person. But, for all I know in Hinduism, it is said in Manava Dharmasastra that whenever women are honored and respected, there God will be pleased. Whenever women are disrespected, any sacred ceremony are meaningless. Now, how do you gentlemen respect women? In my humble opinion, you can start by talking honestly and politely to woman. I personally will be very honored when a man talking to me with a well - manner and honesty. It means that he respects me as a feminine manifestation. Then, if you have a son, please indoctrinate him that abusive manner and deeds to women and children is completely unacceptable, and they must get hard consequences if they do so. They are created with more strength and logic to protect, not to abuse. Therefore, a man should be taught what to fight for, and what to protect. Last thing, Gentlemen. You are the provider, and also head of family. So, as a leader, lead your family into loving and supportive circumstances, including the circumstances where a woman is respected for cooking and doing house chores for you.               For ladies out there, how do you respect men? For me, you do it by appreciating every good thing he does for you. Most men put their best effort to please you, so be appreciative. Even if there is something that you do not like, say it honestly with good manner. Secondly, in family, always understand his decision as the leader in the family. Do not feel you are a slave when you cook for family, doing house chores, and babysitting your children. You are never be a slave by doing all that. You have placed yourself as the heart of family when you manage to do all that. You have given a man something to respect. Last thing you have to know, Ladies. You are born as a sustainer of life. There are times when your husband lost in life, or may be in his career. It is your job to always stay by his side all the time. Be the power and strength that he needs to posses. So, it is against your nature and your dignity if you leave your man when he has difficult times.                 May be you think, "Wait! If the men and women's roles are so distinct, does it mean a man cannot cook and educate for his children? Does it mean a woman cannot have a job? Does it mean women cannot defend herself when a man harass or abuse her?". The answer to all that questions is, "Of course they can!". For the shake of survival, a man also should be taught to cook and doing house chores. But, when he has family, it is not obligatory for him to do that, it is his wife's obligation. However,  a man must help his mother or wife to do house chores and babysitting when he sees them overwhelmed. A woman can also have a job, be financially independent, and highly educated. But remember, in the family, it is a woman's job to serve her husband and children. No matter how highly paid and educated a woman is, her nature to nourish and nurture should come first. The purpose of woman having a job in the family is to help his man as a provider. We live in world where economy situation is difficult. Therefore, women need to step out and financially independent. Now, what if a man becomes disrespectful and abusive to women? This is where you woman must be able to defend yourself. So, for the shake of survival, you can learn self defense. But when you have a husband and a father, it is his job and nature to protect you from insult and harassments.                   Well, it is my thought about gender equality. Men and women are equal even though they have different role in life. Messing up the role of masculine and feminine will lead nothing good in life. It sounds naïve and conservative, but it is how nature and life works. It is all about balance, right?  

[a-woman-apart]

Separating the Boys from the Men

Yes, that title is click bait, and if you keep reading, you’ve been warned. I’ve got a lot to get off my chest, and it’s going to involve defending masculinity, femininity, and our right to BEHAVE LIKE CHILDREN FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES because in many ways, we already do. 

Let’s get straight to the point. As Millennials, regardless of our age, financial status, or level of “success” (air quotes 100% intentional) we have been accused of being lazy, entitled, and way too enthusiastic about avocado toast. At the same time, we have been described as having enough power to decimate the napkin industry, the diamond industry, and the concept of traditional marriage. We have been accused of a collective “Peter Pan” syndrome, because we “refuse” to cut off papa’s apron strings and get off the proverbial mama’s teats. 

Wonderful to know. 

Let’s unpack the “lazy” bit. Supposedly, this is tied to the fact that we have access to higher education, we [often, not always] have parents who financially support or house us well into adulthood. 

So now, my question is, Gen X (the entitled ones, ironically) and Salty Boomers, YOU DIDN’T? 

What do you call that “inheritance” you received? What do you call that education your parents paid for that was less than 1/3 what we have to pay? For Boomers, how do you explain the lavish weddings, cheap [and apparently nuke proof] home appliances, and “nights out on the town” that you were able to afford by working at whatever passed for a McDonald’s back in the day? Working on a farm, at a grocery store, or in retail used to ACTUALLY provide a livable wage; for us, those are a “side hustle” and we still have to get a “big boy job” that usually requires an education that can put us over $100,000 in debt by age 30. 

Hate to say it, but if you hadn’t made most of your income “during the War” or in  the absolute economic boom that followed it, you wouldn’t survive 24 hours in our shoes before having an emotional collapse.  

Despite the disastrous living conditions of the U.S. in the 21st Century, not much has changed in how men define their level of “manliness.” 

Financial gains (stocks, bonds, portfolio, bank account) 

Bro “gains” (a.k.a. “gym gains”, how “Gaston” they are, including whether they want to go for the Adonis, Apollo, or Brawny boi look, or just how far they can throw something or how “boyish” they look if strength isn’t an option and they suffer from femme-levels of body dysmorphia) 

Body count (since we’re in a time of peace and not literally war, this is LITERALLY a modern term describing how many people you’ve slept with, and I have never heard an adult man, regardless of sexual orientation, who isn’t a little concerned about putting those notches in the bed post, and if not that, VERY concerned about his bedroom performance: it’s quality vs. quantity) 

Kill death Ratio (I know this is a video game term now, but did you know that before video games, men in England used to regularly get on horseback, get a bunch of hounds together, and chase down tiny foxes and rabbits? FOR FUN?!?!? Did you know, that before modern sports ((including Esports)), men used to just fight to the death, regularly, even if an official war wasn’t going on? It was known as “dueling”, and in less socially developed societies, men still behave like this. So the next time you complain about “male rage” and how heartless it is to make live chickens fight, note that even though we’ve quelled male anger and hostility on some level, you will NEVER be able to take away man’s urge to destroy. Boys and men will always like knocking things over, building things from the rubble, and ruling shit. It’s what they do-- and we women can and do, too, but we have a LOT more risk-aversion and self-preservation, which is a blessing and a curse for our species-- but we just need to make sure humanity as a whole stays...chill)

So what, say ye, has changed about how WOMEN define themselves now vs. in the past. I would say that very little has changed, but the level of internalized misogyny, insecurity, and good-old fashioned denial has SKYROCKETED. 

Let’s look at some terms of how the majority of women value themselves. 

Financial Security (few women will admit to “wanting to be rich”, because that sounds kind of “Trump”, but plenty will talk about having minimum income requirements for their partner(s), wanting to retire at a young age so they can “travel the world”, wanting to eliminate their debts, etc. It’s different language but essentially it translates to: I want to work so hard or marry into so much wealth that I never want to worry about money after age 35. #Hustle) 

Looks (it doesn’t matter if you want a Kardashian butt, you’re in the body positivity movement, or you just want to “dress like a bawse” women are just as obsessed with clothes, image, and body weight/shape/size as they ever were, it is just that now that we’ve “slain the patriarchy” we have more fashion options than ever before, because “boy clothes” are just as “in” as femme ones)

Ability to attract a partner (some women, like me, “chase”, but thanks to biology, most women, regardless of sexual orientation, seem to enjoy being pursued more than being Artemis-style hunters. This is evidenced by the fact that when the feminist owner of Bumble changed the rules of the dating website to where women had to start conversations with men rather than vice versa ((a move that had ostensibly zero effect on lesbian matching)) 72% of women that she later surveyed stated that they liked it better when men were approaching them rather than the other way around. I am sure Bumble’s female CEO was shook ((as was I)), especially because she made the change to empower women, and apparently 72% of women didn’t want the power because it meant they now had the power to face rejection, and it made them uncomfortable. Big yikes. So much for #EndPatriarchy and #ChivalryisDead ?)

Playing house (this is probably going to get me some unfollows, but I’ll take my chances. Women, regardless of sexual orientation, often seem to be REALLY into having babies or just “playing house.” There’s also men like this, too, “Family men” as they’re aptly called, men in love with fatherhood ((or just being called “daddy”, and that will never not be weird)). So many women who never want to pop out a baby describe being taken by an OVERWHELMING urge to fuck during their “fertile window” ((or is that just me?)) and seeing every baby alive as the cutest human being ever once we pass the tender age of 25. The biological clock is REAL, and I learned the hard way that being bisexual and having immense fear of pregnancy and childbirth didn’t spare me from the awful truth of my biology. 

I really don’t want to keep making references to modern video games, but they seem to serve the dual purpose of being deeply satisfying and helping us to quell “problematic” urges, including that one to dominate and destroy the world. For a lot of women gamers, though, our choices ((on a broad scale, every #girlgamer is different)) deviate from men’s in some interesting ways. 

#1: We still love The Sims Franchise way more than guys do 

Not only do we love it, but while a lot of men (again, #notallmen) tend to build elaborate neighborhoods to extensively mod and destroy them in terrifying ways, I still see women gamers taking obscene amounts of time to design homes, raise happy little families, and cause TERRIFYING blood feuds by having Sims marry Sims from rival families ((I guess we’re more Shakespeare than we thought, eh ladies?))

#2: We make up most of mobile gaming

Most male gamers think mobile games “aren’t real” and I tend to agree, but a mobile game is invaluable for when I, a woman, have time to kill between the 3 jobs I hypothetically have and I and don’t want to whip out something like a Nintendo 2DS that is both unwieldly and attracts the eyes of every impoverished, thieving human being in a .5 mile radius. #RiskAversion. These games are often low-quality, mindless, and insanely easy, but that is WHY WE LIKE THEM. Our entire life is a job. #Hustle

#3 We also love farming sims and RPGs

While we-- and most male Millennials-- beg god to not have to birth calves, milk cows, or labor in the tomato fields under the hot sun, most of us have no objection to having our virtual avatars perform the same back-breaking tasks to the tune of cheerful chiptune music. Also, even though men definitely enjoy them, too, I have never met a woman gamer who didn’t enjoy a nice RPG; why do you think we’re such avid readers of fantasy/romance YA? 

We want to be transported to a different world, and if you won’t take us there, we’re happy to go there virtually ((because we probably can’t afford travel; we’re still millennials)). 

Ability to murder people who threaten our young or our partner(s) (Okay this one is a bit more complicated, but I’m just going to tell you a bit about female animals. DON’T MESS WITH THEIR BABIES IF YOU WANT TO LIVE. Human females, are, in that regard, just as savage, if not more so, than our male counterparts. 

I’ve never heard of any woman ((outside of prison, maybe)) who killed another woman for “looking at her weird” or saying “your mama” too many times. I’ve heard plenty of women threaten literal murder because another woman ((or man, we’re #progressive)) came too close to her romantic/sexual partner, or another human being threatened harm on our kids or our “squad.” 

I don’t know where the meme truly originated from, but “Don’t talk to me or my son ever again” is SUCH a Mom thing to say. So much misandry is wrapped up in the idea that men are predators, and that is true, but not in the excessively sexually deviant ways you think ((that’s only sometimes true)). They just like hunting things, including people, but if you give them a toy to play with ((I MEAN ACTUAL TOY OMG)) they seem alright. Let them go play with their cars, Xbox, [insert whatever] or something. They’re men, okay, they’re easily distracted/impressed/occupied. 

Women, on the other hand, have seemed to be having an EXTREME amount of trouble curbing that baby-making urge, or the Excessive Nurturing Urge, that one that makes you ask your grown husband if he’s remembered to pack lunch for work or if he remembered to pack money for his playdate with his bros, because he’s gonna need money at Six Flags and you aren’t going to bring it to him because he should’ve remembered, you reminded him 30093390 times. 

THAT’S NOT HIS FAULT. HE HAS MANAGED BY SOME MIRACLE TO STAY ALIVE FOR 33 YEARS. THAT’S YOU, SWEETIE. STOP BEING SUCH A MOM. GO BE A NURSE, DOCTOR, OR SOCIAL WORKER OR SOMETHING OMG. 

In summary...

What separates the “men from the boys” or the “women from the girls” isn’t the era that we were born in to, our economic status, or whether we’ve been able to “conquer” our biology. That’s definitely not possible yet, chiefly because transhumanism involves a lengthy, ethics-guided process, and even if we all turn into cyborgs, the goal is to become BETTER humans, not LESS humane. Societal advancements have done more in terms of making us healthier, less destructive citizens of planet earth than raw technology ever can and ever will. Rapid technological advancement, when not combined with respect for morality, ethical standards of living for humans and all other life forms, almost always leads to human slavery, widespread abuse of animals, sex trafficking, and environmental destruction, because the “rules of supply and demand”, when not governed by strong international trade laws, dictate that consumers should be supplied with whatever they demand, because the suppliers can profit, and their right to profit should be defended at any cost. 

So, in summary, I believe that “adulting” involves giving up on entitlement. What separates a truly childish human being-- regardless of their actual age-- from someone who is, in essence, “adulting” is experience, and how much those experiences serve to broaden that person’s perspective. It is an extremely childish, self-centered view, to think that you “deserve” anything for being “a good person” or, in the case of many a “woman child” or “man child” in media and in real life, just being “not so bad.” 

Grown-ups are able and willing to do something that is known as “delaying gratification” which is the simple ability to delay a temporary pleasure for a long-term gain. Grown-ups are also able to perform true “cost-benefit analyses” to determine if a course of action, business deal, or even relationship is worth their time and effort. Finally, grown-ups are able and willing and able to make an informed choice and stick to it; in essence, we don’t try to “have our cake and eat it too” we understand that once we’ve eaten that cake, the cake is gone, but we also realize that if we are willing to work hard and make sacrifices, we can earn the ingredients to make ourselves another cake to eat, even if we might need a lot of help from other adults in getting those ingredients (we call this teamwork and cooperation). 

Children, on the other hand (in literal and metaphorical terms), are very impatient. They get angry when things don’t go their way, and instead of taking the steps needed to improve their situation, they storm off and return home. It doesn’t matter if their home is with their parents, with their 3 roommates, or with their husband or wife, these people throw tantrums, refuse to communicate/cooperate, and stew in their displeasure until someone feels sorry for them and fixes their problem for them. They lack the ability to work through daily life problems and refuse to take any responsibility for how their actions or inaction contributed to their dilemma. 

There is one difference with an actual human child or teen, though, is that they have an excuse. Their brains are still developing, and they haven’t had the chance to live through these situations yet; these are new challenges to them. Even if they do have a “bad attitude”, with help from peers and patients, principled adult mentors and teachers, these cantankerous kids can grow into well-adjusted, able adults. The high levels of neuroplasticity in their brains actually make it so that it is easier for them to accept large amounts of sensory data and to learn from processing and practicing using it.

An “adult child” is someone who, more often than not, has been coddled instead of challenged. These people have often faced no significant hardships in life. There is a reason why, even after we have recognized the immense downsides of authoritarian parenting and have demonstrated psychological harms of corporal punishment for kids, we still call “bad kids” and “irresponsible adults” spoiled. 

Authoritarianism produces rigid, scared people who often struggle with critical thinking and self-esteem or end up being authoritarian parents themselves, but that last one is actually one of the less likely options. Children of authoritarian parents often develop Borderline Personality Disorder or become defiant against authority (shocker). Overly permissive or overly neglectful parenting, though, are parental styles most associated with producing narcissists, who often become authoritarian parents, because when their kids challenge them, they completely lack the patience or emotional capacity to deal with it and resort to “because I said so”, stonewalling and/or physical abuse as forms of “character-building.” 

The reason why overly permissive parents spoil their kids is because kids actually do need discipline and guidance, and so these kinds of parents produce kids who are outwardly capable and confident but completely lack any of the life skills to justify it, and when they ask their parents for advice they are just met with a bunch of hippie mumbo jumbo or told to just avoid the conflict rather than resolve it. These kids grow into adults who are still sad little kids inside, because they never grew up, but now they’re sad little kids who are articulate and well-spoken and now can-- and often have no choice-- but to con their way through adult life because they’ve maxed out Charisma and they have almost no points in Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Dexterity.

The only parenting style worse than Authoritarian and Neglectful/Permissive is Mixed, in which a child grows up in a COMPLETELY unpredictable environment where the rules of the game change from day to day, and parents either give their children no attention at all, or they practically lock them up and throw away the key. Being raised like this is associated with the worse outcomes for the child throughout life. 

So, why am I now talking about parenting styles? Because, for all that we love to trash Boomers and large swaths of Gen X on this page, we can’t forget where they came from, so we cannot allow them to forget WHO THEY MADE. It isn’t an accident that even though we live in the times of incredible economic hardship, WE are the generation (and Gen Z, to some extent) that got hooked on reality TV, video games, and social media in incredibly unhealthy ways. A lot of us 30+ millennials are growing out of it, and a lot of us have realized that it is an invaluable (and damn near unavoidable) way of marketing our products and talents. We’re often self-employed because that’s our only option in most cases. 

The issue with Gen Z (who, while we called “Zoomers” now just all themselves “Doomers” and I think we should be a bit concerned about that) is that unlike us, they have no memory of “Before the Internet.” We remember dial up, we remember before that when you played outside untl the sun went down. They don’t have the privilege of being linked to that history. 

Now, we have to be the Bigger Person. It’s our time to be Grown-Ups. Gen Z feels really fucking lost right now, and hearing us whine about our parents probably makes them pretty pissed off, when some of us older millennials are the parents, aunts/uncles, and older siblings to Gen Z kids. Even if we can’t be mentors, we have to lead by example, because we have a responsibility to these kids. A lot of them aren’t stupid, they see exactly what’s happening and they feel incredibly hopeless about it. Greta Thunberg is still 16 years old. She shouldn’t be out there doing that; I mean seriously, climate change is accelerating, but it isn’t even as bad as Al Gore said, it’s still reversible, but the fact that SHE FELT SHE HAD TO makes us shitty people. ALL OF US. 

So you know, we all need to stop being hypocrites. We need to stop being entitled. We need to stop thinking this is about us. It isn’t. Not even close. We’re not important, even if our videos go viral or if we’re swimming in cash next to hot models by a huge swimming pool. America’s fucked up. I hate to sound Republican, but it’s because of our values. We suck at valuing what’s important, and if we don’t change that soon, it’s really going to suck to live in America. 

It already does.  

[deranged-ink]

Dear editor in chief.

Yesterday I was reading a magazine -your magazine- while waiting for my coffee. I´ll admit that I was so into it that, to my embarrassment, I failed to notice the girl approaching until she left the coffee with some croissants on my table. That would be a big mistake if I were reading on the company time.

I was too involved in a single line of your last editorial:

What is your hobby? A simple and dull question, but not to my eyes. I can't help but wonder about what kind of person is asking. Is it someone intelligent? Someone with a really deep understanding of the human nature or just the typical dumb brick monkey behind a typewriter. I can assure you that one honest to god smile cameforth to your inquiry, simply because it is one of those easy-to-answer questions using a triviality, difficult to answer with The Truth.

I suppose that if you force me to answer with nothing but said Truth I would have to admit, with the proper amount of blush on my cheeks, that I like to look at the people, please take note that i am not a stalker, it's just that in order to be good at my job I have to describe myself as a rather avid observer.

I like to look at people, especially on my job. You have to understand, sitting on an uncomfortable chair for countless hours, drinking cheap coffe and killing cigars in some dirty ashtray, just waiting for the phone to ring to do my job... I would have turned crazy long, long ago if I wouldn't found a way to kill some time.

But from my hobby something really good came up.

I learned, no. I found something fascinating while observing these biological machines. Well first, I´ll confess, everything started with a game: Guess what it will do now?

From that game I discovered that all this elaborated, commercialized and consumed idea of freedom is -for most of these poor bastards- fundamentally, a lie . A lie that may or may not be true, that's the beauty of the whole subject. A liar's truth.

Before you burn your brains trying to imagine something like that, let me add something, whatever you imagine, it will be right.

If you think about it, it's a beautiful "oxymoron". Freedom is a useful farse (A dream for the most) where you must be aware of what you do and stop doing. You must fully understand each of your actions from its very root. Thats the really hard part.

Do not get me wrong, I have always said that true freedom is real, a primordial part of what reality is. The problem lies in the excuses that the lower minds uses to escape from the weight of freedom.

They fall for the supposed "unmeasurable plots" of some great powers and some others imaginary enemies (that for some not-even-god-knows reason will try to brainwash or enslave them).

They gave these plotters this divine attribute of being untouchable. And closing their eyes, they turned themselves into beings without a real opinion, without control over their lives. That's nothing short of stupidity. Themselves wrote the fairytale that they now fear, and did it in order of escaping the responsibility of knowing/taking control of their lives.

Themselves choose their imaginary chains and in the same thought, choose the more imaginary saviour that will come to brake them! Just look at those pocket warriors of the social networks, reading only what supports their ideals and burning the rest!

-Oh, traditional book burning! The irony!-

Thats how they define themselves acording their position on said system: left, right, pro-life, pro-choice, feminist, traditional, pro-system, anti-system, pious, atheist.

But what they call "the system" is just a playing field. Not some godwritten rules that will never change.

And there they meet failure without being able to realize that they act as the said system expects them to act. All the pieces on the board have a use. Even when trying to escape, when trying to think and act outside of the box, they only succeed -in a beautiful way if you ask me- to prove that they are wrong.

They do not realize that the system is not a box, but actually a box of many, each box is full of boxes and the fact that you can "get out" of the box only confirms this.

You can -with ease- point out all the poor bastards who buy a t-shirt with the face of Che Guevara (or someother communist symbol). Ironically, they are being part of a capitalist market with them as their target. The same can be said of those really patriotic friends, they really love America and they also really love their flag to be made in china. Sweet irony.

This is the same for freedom. To be free, you must be aware of what you are, truly aware, also accept what you can and can not do and that each of your actions has an effect on the great cosmic pool that is this life, each action is a small or a large stone that falls on water. You will imagine that with so many rocks that big pool is not calm at all. And thats life my friend, actions that modify our actions in one way or another. The real freedom lies in understanding this, accepting it and continuing to live.

Playing "Guess what it will do now?" I had an eureka moment some years ago. From an open window I was looking at the people on the street with my telescope, when I learned something that saddens me: "People" sold their freedom for a manual.

Life is not easy and that´s why most decide to live thinking it is. I honestly ignore the reason behind such a stupid decision. "People" gave away their freedom in exchange of beliefs, just to not question. Just to take the world as it was presented, without thinking, without asking. Only assimilating it and calling it true.

Name your manual however you want... Luck, Destiny, God, the almighty Horoscope, Reptilians or Super corporations that plan to dominate the world. It is in their hands that our world and our lives rest and not on us.

I bet that sounds better than the truth.

Everyone is free to believe in whatever they want, even when those beliefs take away their freedom.

Especially when they take away their freedom

The "manual" depends on many things, such as their upbringing, the books they had read, the books they didn't, their general education, but above all these things, of something greater, something with more force than those preconceived ideas of a man's life being the direct and ultimate result of those first twenty years of his life.

-Those who affirm that are the "intellectuals" who seek to justify mediocrity by blaming society.-

I discovered a truth, a sad truth, that goes beyond. Are you ready?  Our life depends on ourselves

-Surprising, right?-.

It depends on our decisions, our actions and how much we want to be ourselves. How much do we want to be free.

For the rest the world you have that manual that handles their lives or that simply points to the people or entities that will do it. Manuals that dictate the routine of each of them, from how, when and where they go to work, to what they stop to eat and why. What they believe in, how they think, how they feel.

So many "children" blame the manual and I can only feel sorry for them.

I can only look at them straight in the eye and say: Do not blame the manual, blame yourselves for accepting it. Blame your weakness for letting yourself be destroyed to that point.

To the point of acting... In automatic, each and every one of "them" lives like this, in automatic.

I say "them" because I do not know if "you", whoever reads these words, also do it. And no, do not let the fact that you are a reader of newspapers, books and intellectual publications make you think that you are beyond this fundamental flaw of the human being. Maybe you are also, a zombie, a computer that acts according to a list of things to do. That is why I refer to them as "It" or "them", maybe you are, or not, so I consider that these words can be one of two uses for you;

1: A call to wake up.

2: A lesson in what you should never do to yourself.

"They" are predictable, "they" are stupid. A person is a completely different topic, the problem is that there aren't many individuals left, individuals are now an endangered specie. But there are many "people". There were many individuals who decided to stop being individuals to become people.

Good people. Bad people. That doesn't matter. Cuz people is predictable. And it's something that in my line of work I've learned to do, it's a fundamental part of it.

For example; Look at this guy, for the last six days I've seen he it come and go, always in the same old beige suit and dull shoes, with its eyes on the ground, dragging its feet every morning. That's when I guess it goes to work. But not so surprisingly, it walks with the same vigor when it goes back in the afternoon. Two days ago was the day of "bring your son to work" but it didn't bring anyone. I got curious so during one impromptu walk to the donut shop I passed by it and could not help noticing that it doesn't have a single ring in its hand, nor a scar, much less any characteristic feature or mark added by life experiences. It was programmed that way, throughout his life it decided to accept what the rest thought of it, from its parents to its classmates, it let each and every one of their opinions form what it is today, unfortunately those opinions were everything but positive.

If forced to guess I would said that when It was a He, was one of those people with an artistic mind, a characteristic completely undervalued by his parents, repudiated by his peers and misinterpreted by his teachers who were unable to see beyond their own mediocrity.

If I have to bet: I would say that he did not grow up in the city, he was born and raised in a dying small town, one of those that somehow still linger in the 21th century. His parents decided that the life of an artist was not for him, that he deserved better, that he had to be someone "normal". He decided to listen to them. And being a person of unique thinking is not difficult to guess that he ended up in an office job that hates, earning a pittance to make his boss buy a new car every year. Thats how He became It.

But it's not the boss's fault, it's just that It is not good at what It does, it's almost like wanting to screw a chair using a rock. The wrong tool for the task. That is why this could be the best thing that ever happened to It, it may be the wake up call that leads It to recover its life. To become a He.

We can also see the perfect opposite; with a badly rolled joint in the mouth, practically finishing learning to smoke without coughing or looking like a complete idiot: A skinny boy in a leather jacket that barely fits him, too tight jeans, expensive but too big shoes, hair full of hairspray and tinted in three shades of pink that I do not have the slightest intention or desire to learn how to differentiate.

I always see him in the same place, the alley that is right beside the donuts shop, pretending to be the most badass punk of the block for hours. Actually, that doesn't seem to be the place he choose to spend every morning, I think that it's the place that was chosen for him.

He is never alone, always accompanied by others who dress just like him, the same spiky hair but of different colors. They skip school to spend their mornings laughing at the people passing by, provoking them, intimidating them, smoking, but until now they have never said anything to the police.

- Every time a cop walked in front of them they just kept quiet hiding their eyes in their expensive last generation smartphones. They even treat the "autority" with the utmost respect! It's funny but sad.-

This is fashion. Just a trend, fighting against the system, to rebel against their parents, against society, to paint walls with messages of anarchy and rebellion. With no actual desire to do so.

Just playing to be free without accepting consequences or duties, to be free to do what you want while keep on sucking from the old tits of your mother, a whole case for Freud to write two more books. Want me to guess? He never felt hungry. He must come from a boring and average middle-high class family. His parents gave him everything he ever wanted, but never a proper slap, must be the only child or at least the youngest of the siblings. And the only reason he plays the whole punk behavior is that he is bored

That's why he came up with this whole idea of rebelling against the system or rather, copied it, like his friends, without noticing the most comical aspect of all this, wanting to be different they all became the same. Acting the same, acting from a manual.

I bet that He will run, shout, beg to the police as soon as he sees the red rush. If he is smart, he will realize that he is wrong, that the system is not the enemy, is not the monster that makes this world the shit hole it is. The actual monster is the man with the rifle.