#they also change color per disassociation

[nekojaf]

.ೃ࿐Partial*ೃ༄

[harleythealter]

I totally hear you… I find it so hard to believe the things I say to other people. But when it’s my speaking through one character to another character-who is apart of my soul, it’s much easier to actually hear the words because they’re indirectly being spoken to me through my OC.

Honestly, writing used to be… less healthy for me. I misused it as a coping mechanism. By which I mean that the way I used it was wrong for me and actually did as much damage as I was trying to heal from. It did protect me but the way it protected me was damaging. It let me hide. But it grew into something beautiful where now I can heal myself through it. The amount of counseling sessions I need per month vary. But it used to be weekly and almost twice a week during heavy seasons. Now I’m down to twice a month.

Additionally, as a person who is afraid of having a journal and always hits a block when I attempt to journal, writing is a great way to express(journal) out my feelings and hear myself. Again… my OCs are birthed from me. Listening to their feelings is the same as listening to my own. They’re the safest journal, one that I don’t need to share the exact details of what happened-that’s hard and somewhat triggering to me from time to time.

Also… it’s a place where I can control something without negatively affecting others or myself(at least I hope). I can change what I don’t like in my written world. I can play with all my thoughts in a place where there’s no shame. I don’t restrict myself to a timeline or plot because that doesn’t work for me. Instead I make somebody seven then in the next paragraph they’re fifty-eight and holding grandbabies. My writing gives me freedom. It’s hard to express the shift of mentality. I’m still technically escaping from the real world… but the goal isn’t only to escape now. It’s to play and express.

I acknowledge it sounds very cupcakes and sunshiny. Really my writing is rather sad and… concerning. But that’s okay because I can listen to myself and use it more as a tool rather than a way to escape. ??And disassociate?? I’m still trying to figure that part out.

Writing started as something that was destructive just as much as it was protective and turned into a healing form of my identity. It’s slightly unsettling to see how much it had changed and grown since then. I’ve even gained confidence to share two of my finished/somewhat finished pieces and I’m proud of that. I’m proud of me. It’s a great milestone to have turned writings impact on my life so positive.

I can’t forget to mention it’s the perfect mood tracker. No weird colored rings over here! XP i prefer to track how many torture scenes I fit in a day lol and how seriously I consider giving David redemption and forgiveness…

so, tonight got me thinking, then talking to a friend, and i realized that fic for me has totally been better than therapy in so many ways in dealing with my past trauma from abuse, not to say therapy hasn't helped some, but idk, fic is weird but in a good way, because when you write a character getting emotionally comforted, I think you're also doing a few things you might not realize, or at least i didn't until thinking about it tonight

for instance, the character doing the comforting, the acts of comfort and dialogue, them saying things like "it's not your fault" that isn't coming from some other person outside your head, obviously, but i think it's easy to forget that is coming from somewhere inside you

which means, you are tapping into that part of yourself that knows those things to be true, and so the more that you write those moments--one character comforting the other through their trauma and recovery--the more you allow that quiet part inside you to have a voice, to grow louder and be heard, not just by the character, but by the part of you that doesn't quite believe it yet

so every time you hash things out in stories, having a character say what the other needs to hear, helping them to believe that it's true, then the more you take that on as truth, too, and you start to believe these comforting characters and the things they say, the things coming from inside yourself, and you start to heal too

[fairymint-archive]

So now I know the range of emotions Felix goes through from beginning to end in Legends Arceus-!

Soft wonder at a new world. Everything is mysterious, including his own self. If anything, he ponders the cosmos, not even having a clue to his own origin.

Mild delight, as he’s getting used to everyone, he’s working hard and taking down nobles.

Once the sky changes color, Felix is blindsided by the people of Jubilife, as the village mistrusts and casts him out. The worst part about this, is that they hadn’t even earned his trust yet- they were almost there, as he might have figured it was time to settle down, after he’d solved their nobles problem. Despite the fact that he earns their trust, the favor isn’t returned.  He starts to disassociate from what little identity he had; they’re just people, and He’s a Hero. Thus starts an emptiness that comes from living so long under obligation with no thanks for it. Combined with Cogita calling him a lost child multiple times, and he’s feeling insistent to be a little more assertive, albeit he is not angry yet. Those who have hope in him, but decline to help, such as Akari, Laventon, Cyllene, Adaman, Iridia, and Mai are appreciated, but he is disappointed.

Once his spirit has been lifted by Shinx, Volo, and Cogita pique his curiosity. It seems there are those who know of this world, after all. He wants to know more, and the mild rush is some of the first truly intense emotions he’s felt in current memory.  He’s decided he likes them, but is concerned about the small quarters and where he will rest. Is this home? Cyllene, Iridia, and Adaman also gain a shred of trust back, for their help following him back to this place. His heart begins to truly open up for the first time, to a select few.

Surprise. Heartening. It’s a wide world. Life is complicated.

As the lake trio acknowledge him, He starts to feel less alone and burdened, and more Special.

As for Volo...ever since He’d followed him up to the Temple of Sinnoh the first time, he knew they were going to be....something, but unsure what. This man was following him to the ends of the earth. Friends, probably. But as they inspect Celestica Ruins... oh, they are so much the same. After speaking of Giratina, Felix is smitten with him and his excitement for the world, and the almighty Sinnoh.

He might have helped him. Everything made sense, until it became a threat... I don’t want to disappear, this isn’t right. The situation feels so familiar, but alas he’s bereft of context. At any rate he fights as per usual, although it still rings way too easy. But, he doesn’t want Volo to disappear, either.

As a bit of time passes, and he hunts down the last few pokémon, for his pokedex, and his directive...he can’t help but feel an intense anger.  If only he could hunt down and befriend Volo. There’s so many questions left unanswered, he just wants to understand.

Meeting with Arceus is exciting. From his first glance into the heavens, he feels happy. The deity itself is a wonderful experience; finally a challenge. With being found worthy, to bring the God joy, comes happiness. Felix wears the face of a brave adventurer, content that everything feels worth it. It’s almost a sort of maturity, mixed with blissfulness.

[lunerbean]

Witch Tips 19

Here are my latest #10tips tips from my witch tips series! If you want to see the previous posts, check out the #10tips tag on my blog. If you'd like to see future posts, please follow for more!

1. Here's a grounding meditation

Grounding is a very important practice in witchcraft. And not only that, it can help relieve stress, calm anxiety, and help you stop disassociating. This can be done on its own, or with the aid of crystals. It can be done anywhere, at any time, or you can cast a circle first. Here's what you do:

Find a place to sit down. It doesn't have to be a quite place, in fact it's better if theres a little noise when you do this. Sit on the ground with your back against a wall, a boulder, a tree, etc. Just something that will give you support. Close your eyes and practice deep, slow breaths. Inhale and exhale. As you do so, feel the air going into your lungs, and out of your nose. Focus on how it tickles or how cold it is. Feel it fill up your lungs and then escape them. Next, focus on the noises you hear. Take note of the wind, or the cars, or the voices. Maybe there are animals nearby, or maybe it's raining outside. Take note of them, but do not fear them. A witch is more powerful than the things around them. Feel your back, pressed up again whatever you may be leaning on. Feel your bottom on the ground. Your hands, wherever they may be. Take another deep breath and open your eyes. You are grounded. You are connected.

2. Name succulents after your desires to nurture them.

This is a sweet little bit of green witchcraft. Simply get some succulents, or really any potted plants will do, and name them after things you want to nurture in your life. Happiness, love, prosperity, etc are some great options. Everytime you care for the plant, you're caring for that piece of your life.

3. Customize spells to better connect with them

Now, you really must be careful with this one. Changing certain ingredients can change the result of a spell. For example, you probably shouldn't use a banishing candle when trying to invoke something. However, every spell can be altered to better fit the witches needs. You may feel that a shower spell would be better for you in the rain than in the shower. That's perfectly fine! Or perhaps you'd rather not use a certain ingredient because you're vegan or you're allergic to it. By all means, find alternatives! You can even swap out certain crystals with similar properties if you connect better with one over the other (or if you don't have any of the first type) don't be afraid to change it up!

4. A simple spell for when you feel an anxiety attack coming on

Spells like this have to be simple. You don't have time to grab candles or crystals or even cast a circle. Simply sit where you are, and follow these steps.

Inhale slowly before each line, exhale as you say the words:

"I am full of peace, I am relaxed.

I am impervious to anxiety attacks.

Everything is going just fine.

I am in control, my mood is mine.

My mind is still,

This is my will."

Repeat as necessary.

Don't worry if you get the words out before you finish exhaling, you can simple finish the line and then let the rest of the air flow out slowly before inhaling again.

Sidenote: this is technically a montra, not a spell per say, but I prefer to call it a spell. Idk that's just me.

5. You can make your own incense burners

Store bought is fine, but why not be thrifty? Plus, you can make one out of damn near anything. Here's a cute and simple way to make your own:

Start with some sort of open container. It can be a bowl, a Mason jar, a soap dish, an old butter container, anything works. It's best to figure out which type of incense you prefer to use, cones or sticks? That will determine the depth and length needed for your holder. Make sure it's deep enough for a stick to stand up in and long enough to catch the ashes.

Next, choose your filling. You can use coarse salt, rice, river rocks, aquarium rocks, anything you want that's small and plentiful.

Customize the container with paints or Clay or anything you can imagine.

And you're done! That's it. Let's get creative!

6. You can use pill containers to store herbs and other things

You know those 7 day pill organizers? Yeah, those. You can use those to store small amounts of herbs. Whether you're running low on one and want to use the bigger container for something else, or you just want to have more storage space, pill containers are great. Take them on trips when you don't want to bring your own cabinet, but you still want to do witchcraft.

7. You can also use single pill containers in place of sachets

I've seen some super cute one-dose pill containers out there. You can use them in place of sachets! Simply get tiny crystals, a small amount of herbs, and whatever else you need, and put them in the container. Then you can stick the container anywhere! Great for broom closet witches or anyone who just likes to use spell bags that are a bit more hardy.

8. Make spell ornaments for your tree

I know it's 11 months away from the holiday season when I'm writing this, but listen. This post will very likely still exist next December and I want you to be prepared, okay? Plus, there is literally no law in the world preventing you from putting ornaments on trees in your yard or potted plants in your house all year around. It's not illegal and it's super cute.

Get one of those clear bobbles that they sell around the holiday season that are meant for you to fill them with things. Then fill it with herbs, crystals if they'll fit, some drops of essential oils, ribbons with colors corresponding to your intent. Anything you want. Seal it with magick and then seal the bobble. Stick it on a tree and you're good to go!

9. A miniature cauldron can have many uses

These tiny little cauldrons can be found in witch shops, in Spencer's Gifts, and even in Target (around halloween) and I'm sure there are loads of other places as well, so keep an eye out. It should be made from a good material, iron, pewter, some kind of metal.

You can place these on your altar or in your workspace. They can be used for incense cones, single dose potions, herb mixing, as candle holders, for hiding items, storage for matches, and endless other things you may want to use them for!

10. Your energy may not be compatible with another witches, and that's okay!

This is something that used to really worry me. I've met many witches since I began the practice, and a few times I've gotten weird feelings from them. They weren't necessarily bad feelings, but my anxiety would interpret it that way. I would get worried that they had bad intentions or that they hated me. In reality, our energies just didn't connect well. It's pretty normal. In fact, it can happen with anyone, not just witches. You may feel it more strongly around those who are more in tune with their own energies, which is why you may feel weird around other witches sometimes. Don't worry. For every witch you don't connect with, there are probably dozens that you will feel great around! Don't pressure yourself to hang out with people you don't vibe with, just because you have similar interests or beliefs. It's going to be fine.

Thanks so much for reading my latest witch tips! I appreciate it so much! If you have any questions or just want to say hi, please feel free to send an ask my way anytime.

Have a magickal day!

[michael-radi-the-glamorous-life]

There Must Be More

“…than this Provincial life!”

Sorry, I just needed to have my Belle moment. That’s totally not what this post is about. I just adore that score.

Onward!

Over the past week I saw 3 shows - 2 Broadway and 1 Off-Broadway.

These shows were (in the order I saw them):

Scotland, PA

The Inheritance Part 1

Tootsie

Now, regardless of how I felt about each of these shows, or how much I did or did not enjoy them individually, they all had something in common per my experience in watching them.

At one point (at least) in every one of these shows I had the thought: “…But must we? This again? Isn’t there more out there? There must be more.”

Allow me to explain.

Enjoyment vs Analysis

Just a quick side note before I dive in.

I think it’s important here to know that I do not think that enjoyment and criticism are mutually exclusive. In fact, I personally believe they go hand in hand.

When someone asks why you didn’t enjoy something, most people are ready with their criticisms handy to defend their positions. But when someone asks me why I did enjoy something, I feel the same way. I like to know why I enjoyed it and be able to explain that to people.

And nothing is perfect. Nor is it a requirement to explain your likes and dislikes. But for me, enjoying something - or even loving something - does not mean that I find it to be perfect or above criticism.

I adore Back To The Future. One of my favorites growing up. But the movie’s got issues, both artistically and socially issues (ie soooo, we’re saying a white man invented rock’n’roll???).

Anywho. Onward!

Blindingly White

Okay. I know. I’m aware.

Most of the writing spaces and head artistic positions for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows are occupied by men. Generally white men. Generally cis, white men. Often even straight, cis, white men.

But in the world we are living in today, does that fact need to translate directly into the stories being told on the stage? At the very least, does it need to feature as prominently across the shows listed in the back of the Playbill as it currently does?

All three shows I just saw focused on cis, white men. And for two of them it was straight, cis, white men.

Now, is this necessarily a problem? No, not necessaaaaarily. But it says something. Actually, it says a lot of things.

Especially considering that the 2 shows featuring straight men were specifically about under-achieving straight, cis, white men who learned relatively shallow lessons and didn’t really end up changing - a genre that has filled our canons of literature, theatre, film, and TV for a very very long time.

Let’s be more specific.

Scotland, PA

A musical parody adapted from a movie parody of Macbeth.

Main character - Straight, cis, white man.

The guy is an under-achiever according to his wife, even though he’s happy with the life they have and it’s also clear he has aspirations for more, if the opportunity were to present itself.

The wife is played by a black woman and, similar to the Shakespeare play, she exists mostly to prop up the ambitions (or lack thereof) of her husband - even though she is the one who actually wants more and has the stomach to chase after it.

And then she’s scapegoated.

And goes insane. And regrets everything, but isn’t given the capacity to fulfill that character arc. So she must die instead. Of course.

“Classic women, am I right?!”

No. You are not.

So, as this man rises and takes more we are meant to root for him, even though we know he’s doing terrible things. But why? Why this story? Why this story again? Why this story again now without some sizable changes for more relevance? Is it really that interesting today?

It’s not a bad story - it wouldn’t endure otherwise - but there must be more.

The Inheritance Part 1

Full disclaimer: I loved it. I wept. I think it’s doing great work for this generation.

Main characters - All gay, cis, white men. And there are up to 6 main characters in this first part, depending on how you classify the term main character, and all of them fall into this category.

Now, this show is really about interpersonal struggles and relationships, and how that echoes across generations - particularly for the marginalized group that is gay men. It’s also a story about growth, change, hardship, and love. I really do think this play is doing beautiful work.

The remainder of the non-main character cast is mostly non-white, which is really awesome to see. However, so far in this play, the conversation amongst all of these people and characters is about the lives, stories, and struggles of the gay community as seen through white gay male eyes and experiences.

There are black and Latino characters on that stage, but we aren’t even touching their extra layers of struggle and experience. Meanwhile, the play is discussing the future of gay men and where they are potentially headed, as a group with its own vibrant culture. A culture that they even acknowledge to come from appropriations from the drag community, which appropriated from the ballroom community, which consists almost entirely of queer men of color.

This seems like a pretty sizable issue.

The play is focused on worries of continued and intensified marginalization, but it simultaneously has left out a gigantic piece of the conversation about marginalization by leaving out the additional layers of struggle for non-white gay men.

And this is not even to mention that - although other letter of the LGBTQ+ world are mentioned - the focus is entirely on gay men. What about the rest of the community? Isn’t it all the same history? The same inheritance?

Gay men can claim Stonewall all they want (and they do), but transwomen of color threw those bricks.

Gay men can claim the AIDS epidemic, but the affects of that disease were highly striated amongst sub-groups and especially men of color.

I loved this play. I cannot wait for Part 2. But I just kept thinking, “there’s more here.”

There must be more.

Tootsie

Okay, let’s do it. Let’s talk Tootsie.

I’m not going to go too in-depth here, mostly because there is a lot about this show that is well-crafted and plenty of people are enjoying it. And perhaps, for some people in these audiences, this show really does push the envelop in their minds. But we do have to say it…

This show probably should not exist. Not today, anyway.

Main character - Straight, cis, white man who pretends to be a straight, cis, white woman to book a job.

This man is apparently (objectively) talented too, which means he has many a leg-up in the world in comparison to the majority of people around him.

So, what’s keeping him from getting work?

He’s an angry and uncontrolled human who acts out and gets fired, which means he doesn’t retain contacts from his jobs since he burns bridges. And…

He’s getting older. (Like, 40? Is this one really a problem for men in the business? I remain unconvinced.)

Now, here are some merits about this story (stick with me):

A story of a straight, cis, white man who ruins his own chances at a steady and productive life because of his anger…this is relevant. This is extremely relevant. And if the show were about that particular person, their growth, and their personal journey to leave that toxicity behind, well, then we might have a good story here that is relevant to today.

His alter ego - for she does seem to be a character unto herself and completely disassociated from her male counterpart - Dorothy is actually quite a badass woman. She fights against sexism and ageism in a world rampant with it. And if this were a story about an actual woman fighting for these things in this world, this would be an excellent and relevant story.

But alas, this show is ultimately neither of these things.

Here’s what it actually contains:

The man learns lessons - but not enough.

He changes - but does he?

His alter ego is wonderful - but she doesn’t exist.

There’s a fight for and positive messages for women and feminism - but it’s led entirely by a man in a dress.

There’s a fight against ageism - but led by a man, and men don’t seem affected by this in the capacity that women are.

And not to mention the fact that there are some really cringy moments in this show that parade as feminism, ageism, and trans-positive moments, which really aren’t any of those things. Instead, they are part of a plot for this out-of-work man to get - and then retain - his job.

Is this show moving us backward? I don’t think it is. It could have become that, but it didn’t. And for that fact - adapting from a source material “of a different time” - I will tip my hat.

But is it moving us forward? Nope. Not at all. Not in the least.

So, I again ask: “Why this story? Why now? Is there really not more???”

There must be more.

There Is More

Okay, there is. So much more.

But it’s not being put out there into the commercial consciousness. And when it is, it’s not happening fast enough or as prevalently as it needs to.

And I don’t mean to rail against these particular shows - they had the bad luck of being the 3 newer shows that I happened to see within the same 4 days.

There are plenty of positives for them as well:

Scotland, PA had some awesome music.

The Inheritance Part 1 is beautiful and saying some very important things.

Tootsie made me laugh more than most musicals ever do.

But there is still more.

And we need to find it and put it out there. We need to continue moving forward and stop treading water. Let’s celebrate more people - other people.

There are countless good stories to tell, so let’s find them and tell them to the world with the prevalence that has been given to white men. We can, we should, and we will.

[lets-talk-about-politics]

The Case Against American Exceptionalism

I didn’t feel it like I did last time. I don’t think most people did either. There’s the initial news report, the sense that somebody really bad happened, then the casualty reports start coming in, 20 killed, 200 injured, 50 killed, 400 injured, 59 killed, over 500 injured.

It was the number 400 that made me pause, made me think “wow, this is serious”, and then it made me feel shame, because even one injury is a tragedy. Have I disassociated from the reality of gun violence to the point where numbers are what make me feel? When the next one happens, and it will, will it take 600 injured, or 800 injured, to make me feel? Will it take 100 killed, 150 killed? Will it take more children being killed? 20 were killed at Sandy Hook, will it take 50 dead kids to make me feel now?

But what do I even feel? Shock, for a time. But now it’s just a sick malaise, a sense of resignation. This shit happens again and again and fucking again. Virginia Tech, Umpqua, even Columbine just feels quaint now. 13 killed? We’ve topped that repeatedly over the last couple decades. This shooting, the brutality seen in Las Vegas this past weekend, just goes to show that America will never fail to find a way to top itself. We’re exceptional, all right.

But within the resignation, we need to remember the unbelievable extremes that become normalized in America, not only for the sake of charting where we are on the course to becoming a failed state, but also to chart a course forward towards a future that we’d like to see, even if it won’t happen.

And part of charting a course forward is putting an end to the idea of American exceptionalism.

The Myth of Supremacy

The term “American exceptionalism” itself can be traced back to inquiries in the early 1900s concerning America as the exception to the norm. Socialists wondered why it was that America, being the highly-developed nation that it was, did not lead to a conversion from capitalism to socialism.

But the notion of American exceptionalism, the idea itself, is something that we in America have internalized, that we’re exempt from the trends and norms that come with the histories of other countries, that we’ve inherited this special quality that makes us different, unique. We cannot fail like other countries have because we’ve figured out some code that made us better. After all, we declared our independence and forced out the British. We’ve declared ourselves the heroes of the Second World War. We’re the defender of democracy and liberalism, the one that leads all other countries to a prosperous future.

But history is no static narrative. We change it, warping it to meet our beliefs. Were our country’s founding members heroic and godlike or opportunistic in their own way? Were we the heroes of the Second World War, or did we struggle with our own strain of demagoguery during that time, imprisoning Japanese-Americans out of fear and cowardice, waiting years to enter the war while millions suffered? Are we the defender of democracy and liberalism, or have we undermined it throughout the years, especially during the horrors of the Iraq War? The reality of our history is likely somewhere between these competing narratives, the optimistic and the pessimistic, but it’s a lot more painful to think about the pessimistic, making it even more essential to address.

This idea of exceptionalism can easily be traced back to the founding of our country. We landed here and wiped out the Native Americans. We slaughtered them by the thousands and stole their land because we believed we deserved it. Manifest Destiny. It’s the same reason we enslaved black people, brought them to act as the labor force on our plantations. As America slowly integrated, tribalism making its long, winding way towards multiculturalism, this notion of American exceptionalism has always intermingled with white supremacy. The two are inseparable.

That’s why patriotism and nationalism always has a white supremacist edge. The NFL protests against police brutality are seen as an affront to those in our military, a disrespectful act against our country. The Iraq War, which was professed as an American, God-given mission to spread democracy, ended up killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. Black people are told to shut up. Brown people are murdered. All in the name of country.

It’s why white people are the ones pointing the fingers at people of color, asking them whether they love America. It’s why Donald Trump fabricated the birther lie about Barack Obama, why the Republican Party shrugged at it, didn’t bother to repudiate any of it. Because how could somebody like Barack Obama, a black president so dedicated to our country, exist? He had to be from somewhere else because for a black man to come from America is to be a black in a country built on slavery, Jim Crow, and the massacre and slaughter of black people. The very existence of people of color within American society is an indictment of the exceptionalism that is an essential part of the American identity.

And so today, in this age of visible, powerful white supremacy, we see American exceptionalism appearing in all of its might and vigor. And we see it threatening to destroy America.

A Country Unraveling

Yascha Mounk, a lecturer at Harvard, notes in his piece The Danger of Deconsolidation that “Even in the some of the richest and most politically stable regions of the world, it seems as though democracy is in a state of serious disrepair.” While we’ve seen democracy shatter in places such as Turkey, with their referendum in April consolidating power in the executive, and we’ve seen it nearly stumble, with AfD in Germany receiving enough support to give it a voice in the national parliament, we seem to think that it can’t happen here. America is special. It is exceptional.

But it is happening here, and we’re not doing a thing about it.

We can look to the inconsistencies in our democracy, how gerrymandering is used to warp the value of votes, how we get two Senators per state regardless of state population, how the Electoral College weighs some votes over others. But while those features of our system are important to analyze, I see it as more important to look at how those in power are destroying the guardrails on American democracy, how norms and values that keep America from tearing itself apart are coming undone.

We can look at how the Senate is plagued by obstructionism, how the process has completely broken down to the point where a plethora of extreme health care bills nearly passed. It is unfathomable how a bill as disastrous as Graham-Cassidy, which was haphazardly thrown together and was opposed by a wide majority of the country, could automatically see 48 votes in support simply based on party loyalty. Not to mention that process in the legislative branch is crumbling into absurdity. The Republican Party complained about the process through which the Affordable Care Act was passed was stealthy and wrong, but when they grasped the reins, they committed every one of those sins, only to a far, far greater extreme. Policy doesn’t drive legislation anymore. America has been hijacked by a zealot-like devotion to party and ideology.

We can look at how negative partisanship has split the country into factions that increasingly feel as if the other party is a danger to the country. Half of Republicans say that they Democratic Party makes them feel afraid. More than half of Democrats think the same way about the Republican Party. This splits people into warring tribes, giving support to people that otherwise wouldn’t receive it. In 2011, only 30% of white evangelicals said that an elected official who commits an immoral act in their personal life can behave ethically in office. In 2016, that number was a staggering 72%.

Tribalism has spiraled to the point where those on our side can do anything and receive our support; this is clearly worse on the Republican side, as we can see with the election of Trump, but Democrats still give a great deal of support to a socialist without credible ideas for governance. Much of this is because those in power shrugged as those tribes formed, assuming that those tribes would instill a more feverish sense of support in their base. Of course, we’ve seen the failure in that plan, as the GOP establishment is essentially in thrall to Trumpism.

And that’s just a small slice of the dysfunction. We have an executive branch that has accumulated a great deal of power. We have a Supreme Court that is becoming a partisan tool for those in power who want to modify our laws. We have an active attempt to create disinformation and propaganda within our media ecosystem. We have one party that has become exponentially more extreme, even if you just look at the past 15 years. The list goes on and on.

It’s important to remember this because it’s important to look at the big picture. America is slowly sinking, its institutions failing, no end in sight to the dysfunction. American exceptionalism tends to keep us in a haze of delusion, to make us think that nothing can tear down the beautiful country that we love and revere.

But it’s already coming down around us, and nowhere is this more evident than in the reaction to mass shootings.

Putting an End to American Exceptionalism

I wrote a few months back on how Americans, in the face of mass shootings, are completely deluded into maintaining the status quo. When faced with a crisis that inevitably becomes existential, we retreat into our tribes, one side suggesting one fragment of a solution, the other side completely deluded and unable to cope with the facts. Vegas is two weeks out now, barely a memory in the news, and we’ve moved on to the next thing.

But Vegas isn’t something to gloss over. It calls into question the very social compact we exist under. A government is supposed to impose a sense or order and justice on a society. That order and justice has to comply with the principles we agree upon as a country. And when our government is unable to protect us from mass slaughter, when we have to worry about whether we’ll be killed when we leave our home, then we call into question whether our government is functional.

That extends further than Vegas. When we have to worry that we will end up obliterated in nuclear wear, or when we have to worry that our government isn’t protecting us from climate change, or when we have to worry that our government is actively attempting to oppress, harm, and kill us, then of what use is the government? Do we need a new government? That question is becoming more and more valid for an increasing number of Americans, and unless we find a way to deal with it, there will only be more violence, more oppression, more death.

American exceptionalism keeps us from realizing the extent of the damage. We don’t worry about our democracy collapsing, our political system descending into chaos, because we are the invincible ones, we are the shining city on a hill. We cannot be broken. But we can. We are being broken. We’re seeing our political system unraveling, our Congress unable to act, our executive branch corrupted beyond belief, our judicial court fought over so it can be infected with partisanship. We’re seeing mass shootings becaome so commonplace that we’ve already largely forgotten about Vegas. It is happening to us, and we refuse to acknowledge the full extent of it, even now, even while a reality show television star who knows nothing about policy, who has admitted to sexual assault, is inhabiting the White House.

As long as we believe that we are special, that America is better than the rest of the world, we will continue to delude ourselves into believing that it will all turn out okay. It’s this delusion that allows fake news to prosper, that tells people that since we live in America, we have the freedom and the liberty to believe whatever the fuck we want. There are no consequences to this freedom and liberty, because freedom and liberty are the ultimate goals. In fact, they’re upheld as ultimate goals to the point that it’s easy to delude people into believe that they’re free when they’re not. You’re free to believe whatever you want, but you’re being twisted by shitty memes and YouTube videos and deeply partisan blogs, so you’re likely not free even when you think you are.

It’s time to put an end to American exceptionalism. Such a myth provides us an easy way to delude ourselves, to not put in the work to keep America the great country that it is. If America is exceptional, it requires no upkeep, no reason to worry about whether it will stand. But the reality is that it might not. It certainly won’t if we’re unwilling to defend it, if we’re unwilling to do away with delusions of grandeur.

So let’s do away with the myth. We’ll be better off if we do.

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

As you know The Prepper Journal usually doesn’t republish already published articles, but every so often we come across some that truly add value to our followers and warrant further exposure. And with the “internet” being like the universe, ever expanding in every direction, some valuable content can easily be missed. While the focus here is the United Kingdom, population 65,000,000 it is simple to project the statistics on the United States, population 327,000,000.

So, thanks to permission from the Team at Target Crazy, I am sharing their article on The Mental Health Benefits of High Concentration Sports herein. While it focuses on archery it can be applied to any of the shooting sports as well as others, golf and billiards come to mind, as does chess.

If there’s one topic which appears regularly in the media at the moment, it’s mental health. It might be celebrities coming clean about their previous hidden mental health problems, or journalists and pressure groups highlighting the chronic under-funding of our health services over the last few years.

I often think… is this epidemic a by-product of modern western living? 

Perhaps a result of economic wealth and the influence and interference of technology such as social media. Mental health issues seem less prevalent than say fifty years ago among previous generations. Are they even seen at all in the developing world?

Data reveals that mental health problems are definitely on the rise and here are some enlightening statistics:

1 in 6 have issues

NHS Digital reveal that at any given time, one sixth of the UK population between the ages of six and sixty-four have a mental health problem  

6,000 suicides / year

There are about six thousand suicides per year in the UK, the largest proportion of these people are male, accounting for three quarters of this figure.  And it is the biggest killer of men up to the age of forty-nine reveals the Office for National Statistics who have control of the data gathered from the registrations of deaths in the UK

1 in 5 Women, 1 in 8 Men

Women are more commonly affected than men with one in five women reporting a mental health issue compared to one in eight among the male population, these figures come from NHS Digital and their Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in 2014.

75% affected before age 24

The majority of mental health problems begin in childhood or early adulthood, with three quarters of problems established by the age of twenty-four, the Mental Health Taskforce revealed in 2016.  Young people do seem to be particularly susceptible.

Services are underfunded…

A whopping 23% of NHS activity is taken up with mental health issues but the corresponding funding is only 11%. (The Kings Fund 2015)

Medicine use is growing…

The number of medicines dispensed for mental health related conditions and illnesses such as depression and panic attacks, has more than doubled in the last ten years; this data comes from an NHS Prescription Survey over the decade 2006-2016. These statistics may be tempered somewhat by the growing evidence that anti-depressants are a more effective way to treat some of these conditions, therefore patients tend to be prescribed these drugs for a longer period of time.

How High Concentration Sports Can Help

The situation in the UK with regard to mental health is quite closely reflected in the US so apart from investing more money in diagnosis and treatment services, is there anything that individual people can do to help themselves? 

As Prince Harry said quite recently, “everyone no matter who they are has physical health and mental health“.

Physical activity and sport has a huge part to play in promoting and sustaining good mental health but surely it is not as simple as saying, ‘go for a run, it will take your mind off things’?  Sport in general is very much in vogue at the moment, not just for the evident physical health benefits but for the well documented effect that physical activity can have on the mind.  

This is because when we exercise, the brain releases certain chemicals which can help with mood and alleviate issues such as anxiety and depression, even if only for defined periods.  And of course collective sport, where we engage with other people whether as a group or in a team, also promotes our mental health as it offers interaction with others, fundamental for a healthy mind and outlook.

If sport is beneficial therefore to the state of our mind, surely high concentration sports must be the best elixir for those struggling with mental health issues? 

The four key mental factors in sport are considered to be:

Concentration

Confidence

Control

Commitment

The demand for concentration varies with the sport and is divided into three types:

Sustained concentration – relevant to sports with an endurance element such as long distance running, cycling marathons or tennis matches

Short burst concentration – evident in golf and cricket and short sprint field events

Intense concentration – sprinting, bobsleigh, target archery, darts, skeet or clay shooting

Negative emotions such as anxiety, anger or depression can affect the ability to concentrate so is this not a chicken and egg scenario?  

Learning techniques to concentrate intensely for short periods of time are fundamental to sporting success and can also have proven benefits for those who are struggling with mental health issues, ergo high concentration sports can be an excellent mechanism to help support mental health in a whole range of people. Whether it is supportive to existing conditions or to some degree preventative.  

This is because the amount of focus required trains the brain to concentrate on the here and now, to ignore negative self-talk and doubt by utilizing positive self-talk. Employing strategies such as ‘parking’ techniques to temporarily remove unhelpful thoughts and emotions and put them to one side for a defined period of time. 

Focusing on the here and now and forgetting your negative emotions is key to sporting success

From this, it is easy to understand why all these techniques used by successful athletes in high concentration sports, can have a positive effect on almost anyone.

Archery and Other Target Sports

Archery as a target sport requires high levels of concentration and offers to the individual perhaps not such an obvious benefit and that is one of self-discovery and self-truth, in fact a road to mindfulness and inner peace.

Mindfulness is a heightened state of self-awareness, a way of slowing down the moment and focusing only on that point in time, developing deep levels of consciousness, of how the body feels rather than by being solely driven by the constant jumble of thoughts and emotions in our heads.  Becoming more aware of immediate physical sensations and our environment allows us to understand and process our mental traffic; it’s not about changing it but more the ability to disassociate ourselves from it and see it for what it is which is something that does not need to govern and define our lives.

The Japanese who have not picked up a bow in anger for centuries (Editors Note: I challenge this statement) use archery, the ‘Way of the Bow’ or Kyudo as a mechanism to provide focus and self-discipline.  Kyudo has strong links with the teachings of both Shinto and Zen, providing a whole body and holistic experience of focus and concentration – whole body control means that the mind is also completely focused; Kyudo is sometimes referred to as ‘standing Zen’ because of the total immersion that is required in the technique.

How You Benefit

Archery requires significant mental input from the archer but this high level of concentration also gives rise to and develops many other faculties and emotions and some among these include:

Focus and concentration – mindfulness

Motivation

Self-efficacy

Patience

This can lead onto the following, positive lifestyle developments:

Improved sleep

Reduced levels of stress and depression

Sharpening mind and mental faculties including memory

A lessening of anxiety

Increasing brain capacity and power including problem solving skills

Other benefits may include:

Enjoying the great outdoors

Aesthetic appreciation

New experiences

New friendships and social engagement with real people rather than the virtual world

Improved self-esteem

Prevention of depression – just one hour’s exercise a week can help manage existing depression and help guard against future bouts through the physical activity and engagement with others

Relaxation

Fun and enjoyment

Healthy competition

Equality of participation, a level playing field for those who may be marginalised for example, due to physical disability

Co-operation, teamwork and leadership skills

Improved social skills through changes in brain function due to mental training and focus

Inclusion

Target archery is an all inclusive sport so can be enjoyed by children, older people and the less than physically able.  There is a level and involvement for everyone.   But don’t let me wax lyrical about how inclusive a sport archer is, meet Martin Douglas who suffers from Asperges Syndrome and let him tell you how archery has helped him deal with this condition and how in fact, mild autism has made him a better archer.

Mel Clarke, originally from Norfolk and now living in Worcestershire, is just one example of how disability is no bar to participation in archery.  A former European Champion in 2002, Mel was the first disabled archer in Europe to make it onto the able bodied team a year later in 2003. Mel has since gone on to compete at the World Championships and the Olympics with considerable medal success of different colors.

Participation in archery is possible with all types of disabilities and impairments and perhaps the most difficult one can imagine, being blind, is also no bar to involvement as there is a thriving organisation called British Blind Sport which promotes archery among many other disciplines.  Visually impaired archers use what is described as a tactile sight to help them take aim in case you are wondering.  

Archery has a place for all age groups from the young to the elderly and embraces a whole range of archers in between including those with disabilities as well who compete on a level playing field with their fellow archers – it is one of the most inclusive sports.

More Than Just the Mind

So is target archery really a physical sport?  

If it is possible for the young, the old and the less physically able to participate in it, does target archery offer any physical benefit to the participant? 

Yes it does.  

The connection between mind and body welfare has already been discussed but target archery does offer many purely physical benefits including:

The development of upper body strength through the shoulders, chest and arms

Hand co-ordination and control

Balance and co-ordination

Flexibility

Core strength and endurance

Calorie burning

Weight loss and enhanced body shape and posture

Improved mood and well being from endorphin release

​Target archery is a year round sport which promotes the benefits of the great outdoors and the friendship and camaraderie of others before you even lift a bow to take a shot.

The average 35 year old female can burn 144 calories per hour target shooting and that is not within a hunting environment which clearly offers even more potential for calorie consumption with the hike to and from the target destination across varying and perhaps challenging terrain.  And don’t forget, the weight of your bow and pack and, the energy required for mental focus and concentration either when you take a shot.

Target archery and bow hunting is a sport that is hard to beat in terms of what it can offer the participant – stated mental health benefits, physical exercise and the companionship and friendship of other archers, with plenty of healthy competition to boot.  Inclusive to all types of people and set in the great outdoors, you will be hard pressed to find a sport that can offer as much to the individual, sustaining good mental health being just one among many of the key benefits.

Be sure to check out The Prepper Journal Store and follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook!

The post The Mental Health Benefits of High Concentration Sports appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag