universoulreiki

[universoulreiki]

Turning away from empathy and curiosity makes the world into a grim, thin place populated by strangers, objects, and adversaries.

It's akin to demanding the biggest seat in the theater, even though it doesn't face the stage. It's trading a window for a mirror. It's a theft from others and the self.

[universoulreiki]

I think that Elon Musk is an object lesson in moral philosophy.

Like, he's the epitome of self-interest; the closest thing real life can produce to a Randian hero. And by any reasonable standard, he's won at life! He's the richest man ever to live, and he's getting richer; he controls the channels of information and communication; the government of what remains the world's only superpower waits on his command. If capitalism had a victory condition, he would surely have achieved it. And yet...

He's empty. He's an absolute sucking void of neediness. His own children hate his guts. He pays professional gamers to run up impossibly high scores in every game under the sun because the pale glow of being praised by epic bacon chuds online is the closest thing that he can feel to love.

Like. I can't tell you what a soul is, but I think you neglect it at your peril.

[universoulreiki]

on the validity of recognizing emotions

[universoulreiki]

They say that the way you should view disagreements in relationships is “us vs the problem” and not “me vs them” and I think that to a certain extent that mindset can also be helpful when engaging in political or ideological movements

[universoulreiki]

I believe we incarnate into this life to experience a pre-selected list of events, relationships, and lessons to go through. We are our own divinity as it were, but then we start experiencing what we chose to experience and pray to our higher selves to change the script. When WE are the ones who set it up.

My cats have this meow that means "please come with me to fix this" after which they'll lead me to the problem in question, usually a empty (or 'empty') food bowl or a closed door they want open. They look at the 'problem', they look back at me, clear message.

What fascinates me is how this illustrates what they percieve as being in the realm of my 'power.' I control the food, I control the door, sure, but my cats love to sit on the balcony in the sun, and it has happened plenty of times that on a rainy day they come get me, go to the balcony and show me... the rain. "Please fix this" they say. "Please get rid of the wet"

"Silly kitty," I say, "I can't control the rain." I then walk into the shower and turn on the rain.

[universoulreiki]

In the era of the heart, connection is more powerful than prohibition.

Nope now it’s at the point that i’m shocked that people off tt don’t know what’s going down. I have no reach but i’ll sum it up anyway.

SCOTUS is hearing on the constitutionality of the ban as tiktok and creators are arguing that it is a violation of our first amendment rights to free speech, freedom of the press and freedom to assemble.

SCOTUS: tiktok bad, big security concern because china bad!

Tiktok lawyers: if china is such a concern why are you singling us out? Why not SHEIN or temu which collect far more information and are less transparent with their users?

SCOTUS (out loud): well you see we don’t like how users are communicating with each other, it’s making them more anti-american and china could disseminate pro china propaganda (get it? They literally said they do not like how we Speak or how we Assemble. Independent journalists reach their audience on tt meaning they have Press they want to suppress)

Tiktok users: this is fucking bullshit i don’t want to lose this community what should we do? We don’t want to go to meta or x because they both lobbied congress to ban tiktok (free market capitalism amirite? Paying off your local congressmen to suppress the competition is totally what the free market is about) but nothing else is like TikTok

A few users: what about xiaohongshu? It’s the Chinese version of tiktok (not quite, douyin is the chinese tiktok but it’s primarily for younger users so xiaohongshu was chosen)

16 hours later:

Tiktok as a community has chosen to collectively migrate TO a chinese owned app that is purely in Chinese out of utter spite and contempt for meta/x and the gov that is backing them.

My fyp is a mix of “i would rather mail memes to my friends than ever return to instagram reels” and “i will xerox my data to xi jinping myself i do not care i share my ss# with 5 other people anyway” and “im just getting ready for my day with my chinese made coffee maker and my Chinese made blowdryer and my chinese made clothing and listening to a podcast on my chinese made phone and get in my car running on chinese manufactured microchips but logging into a chinese social media? Too much for our gov!” etc.

So the government was scared that tiktok was creating a sense of class consciousness and tried to kill it but by doing so they sent us all to xiaohongshu. And now? Oh it’s adorable seeing this gov-manufactured divide be crossed in such a way.

This is adorable and so not what they were expecting. Im sure they were expecting a reluctant return to reels and shorts to fill the void but tiktokers said fuck that, we will forge connections across the world. Who you tell me is my enemy i will make my friend. That’s pretty damn cool.

[universoulreiki]

In couple’s counseling we hit an unexpected iceberg at about 4:50. As we crept into our second hour eating into our therapist’s evening my wife made more and more references to keeping her late and apologizing. Finally she said, “honestly I’m an adult and can manage my own time. And did you think that maybe helping you makes MY community better? That the ripples you make in your social circles eventually reach me? That if I can help you, it makes my life better? My world a better place to live? Also that maybe this is a passion for me?”

We got so lucky finding this therapist.

[universoulreiki]

I think you can tell a lot about how rigorous and committed someone's belief in a human right is by how quickly they are able to name people who they think could or should have that right taken away.

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Photographs of musical notes vibrating in a bowl of water.

[universoulreiki]

If you have a goal to change this year, be sure to build your plan on a foundation of self-love, not self-criticism. You are worthy just as you are. If you hope to change, remember that each little step on that path is a tiny gift honoring your own sense of self-worth. Move forward in the name of care, not condemnation.

[universoulreiki]

- we are worth saving!!!!

unknown/ @rosesetonfire/ @transannecarson & @incrediblemath / @franzkafkagf/ @b0nkcreat/ @bloominghe11 on subreddit r/benignexistence/ ask answered by @stargirldotcom/ @soracities/ @eohiggins on twitter

[universoulreiki]

Omg Suzy you’re so crazy

[universoulreiki]

Here’s to 2023, a year of as many little courageous kindnesses as possible. ♥️

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[universoulreiki]