Saturday, March 23, 2024

Let things go. It's okay. Capturing and remembering everything isn't necessary. You aren't your possessions, your experiences, or your memories. You don't have to "know who you are" in order to be fantastic and worthwhile. Just be.

Friday, March 1, 2024

You don't gotta. When you think about your obligations, remind yourself that for the most part, no, you actually don't gotta.

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Almost twenty years ago, someone I trusted- and shouldn't have- accused me of being a narcissist. I know now that it was a reflection of their feelings, and not of who I actually was, or am. Anything I liked, including myself, was a threat to that person's perception of their importance in my life, so they spent a lot of time kicking their competition (which included me). But I'll be damned if that accusation hasn't resided, rent-free in my head, ever since. The lingering doubt that maybe there was something wrong, is something wrong, with me. And that's why they weren't happy. So many years on and part of me still believes I had any influence over the outcome of that situation, as if I could have changed something about myself and fixed it all. Be careful who you let into your life, and for how long.

Thursday, November 16, 2023

When I slow down and think about my motivations for the actions I take, I sometimes realize that I am responding to external stimuli, in other words, being manipulated into a response that suits someone else's purpose. Sometimes this is okay, especially when their purpose and mine are aligned. But we are often led to behave in ways that are contrary to our own best interest, and we're discouraged from noticing, considering, or examining what is happening. Some things can't be un-noticed.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Not long ago I noticed I was spending a lot of time looking at my smart phone. My first action to correct this was to purchase a feature phone with fewer capabilities as a way of curtailing the behavior. Only very recently did I realize that I had never truly considered modifying my own behavior, rather than modifying an aspect of my environment. Couldn't I just... not look at my smart phone as often? Why didn't I think of that course of action?

Thursday, November 2, 2023

The problem with a society driven by ever-expanding communications technology is the inability to escape the message that to the majority of the world, each of us is simply a data point. It's one thing to know it and another to be bombarded with constant reminders of that fact.

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Aging is a funny thing. The "kids these days" mindset seems to be an indicator of a certain type of person's realization that they are no longer in charge of shaping the future. Control is an illusion, and for the wise the illusion fizzles with age. For the unwise, the illusion of control shifts into tyranny as they try increasingly dangerous tactics to maintain influence that is no longer theirs.