Ike 池

I still remember the first date we had. She wore this black t with some jeans, that she looked great in. When went to this park down the street from her house. When we got I asked if I could give her a hug and she said yes. We walked around for a bit then sat down some where. I remember something about taking the easy or the hard road.

What makes memories fond is not that someone else also values them but that you do. And to me these were and are valuable memories. I unwillingly hold the memories of the only person I ever and will probably ever date. To have even dated once was one more than I ever thought I would have and that's good enough for me in this life.

Is fate real? Are we all bound to some kind of fate? I am unsure but I would lean to mostly no. I think most people are not caged into a certain fate but to some, yes they are. There are those who are born in unfortunate circumstances and those circumstances very dictate their life ahead. There are so many factors that can drastically affect a person's life. Did they grow up in a two parent household? What was the education level of those parents? Did they value education? Was the child held and loved? How many siblings did they have? Where did they live? Did they grow up in a good schooling system? Was there any trauma during childhood? Did they inherit any illnesses or mental disorders? The list can go on and on. And it isn't about any specific factor but the multitude of them can stack onto each other.

So it isn't about attacking those born into more fortunate circumstances or garnering pity but observing the harsh reality of life. There were and are some really gifted, intelligent people that never got a chance to bloom based on the circumstances they were born into. I think we can largely agree that we create are own circumstances and can dictate the direction of our life. But there is also a truth, that some very unfortunate circumstances are given to people who had no choice in the matter.

Even with that being said, I believe a person can still make a life for themselves. If they dedicate their self and work hard enough, it is possible that they can live a more meaningful life. But this isn't a absolute for every person, as sad and harsh as that sounds. If the door was open, a caged bird wouldn't know it could leave or even if it wants to.

Drew Afualo and Andrew Tate are two sides of the same coin

No matter which of these two you side with, you're actually supporting the same cause. They both seek to blame and cause further division in our society. I wonder if there is a similar instance we can draw upon from the past; as the old adage says "history repeats itself". It seems as though their mission is to agitate and further deepen the "wounds" of these social issues. With any issue this may happen before it gets better (agitation & deepening of wounds) but their end goal isn't to reach a better place but to reach their ideal place. And you have to ask, what is that ideal place? Is it a place that seeks to put aside harmful ideals, restrictive thinking, and looking deep inside to see the human in us all, rather than just a gender?

Surely they cannot be the only ones to go to with these issues. They both speak in majority generalizations and radical end points. Both are extreme when it comes to their *party. They both can radicalize but mostly gather those who already are. Drew proposes the idea that we're better off without men and Andrew, that women are second class citizens. Neither are ideal when it comes to prosperity amongst each other. Villainizing and dehumanizing each other but the thing is that it doesn't just affect them but men and women. Since they both make broad generalizations about either gender, its no longer about a specific person but people as a group. If you put it in the context of racism then it sounds ridiculous. The idea of attributing a whole race with negative connotations can only lead to more turmoil and division. So why do we continue to put up with either of these two people? They both profit off of these social issues and like all those who profit, they don't want it to end. But the sad truth is that people will continue to be divided and used as leverage of those who seek to profit of such social issues.

*[sides implies just two ways of thinking. Think this or that. Just two. Not the million and million of possible ways to address a issue. Party lets us know that this isn't the only thinking point, at least imo.]

*edit* 26/07/11

The original phrase implies that something is within sight but not obtainable. With "so far yet so close" it implies that something is so far yet felt so close, not looking to be obtained but felt.

For me, it was a person. The first and it seems only person so far in my life, to get as close as they did. Which really wasn't that close at all - just the closest I've ever felt. That's the only plausible reason I could come up with so far that would explain why I've held onto to her till this day. Sure she's beautiful, smart, interesting, silly ( I got that from the short time we spent together. One of the things I really liked) and so much more but could that in itself keep a person holding on for so long? Would that person not just look for those qualities elsewhere? And it's not like we got really close to each other. We only spent 2 months together and not in the "fall in love" kind of 2 months. Just 2 months. But yet, here I am thinking about her all the time. I honestly believe that just some people are just meant to suffer with a issue the rest of their lives. I can say for what reason but I believe it so.

And not to get too personal but the time and experience spent with me was probably pretty bad. A bunch of carping around me and terrible advice but at the end of the day I take all the blame.

It may seem trivial to most but to feel something reach your orbit as a lonely planet is something that isn't easily forgotten. I can be vulnerable to myself and admit these things. Maybe that's why I can feel it to my core. Like I said, most would probably laugh at me and my pain and trivialize it but I believe it's what makes me human. To feel pain.

Probably one of the most sought after aspirations in life, along side money, water, food, and shelter; Love. Or to be exact, to be loved by someone. The idea or desire to be loved has always been apart of our history - human history. Romeo - Juliet, Popocatepetl - Iztaccihuatl, Karem - Asli; to name a select few. So, to see such emphasis and value on being a recipient of it; is a person missing out on something that is detrimental to the human experience? Yes and no.

The human experience isn't one that is a definitive story to be shared by all but one that is the opposite to that. That is life: To be or not to be. Some die before the age of 20 - some live to be 100. Some marry - some remain single. Some attain wealth - some remain poor. Some experience war - some experience peace. That is the human experience. To miss many things, yet to still also experience a handful of wonders.

There doesn't need to be any "winners" at life, for life is not a competition but a experience. An experience in likes of a butterfly. Tragic, beautiful, and relatively short.

So does a person miss out if they have never been loved? Yes they do. But they also get to experience the many other beauties of life. So many that not even a library would be able to hold them all in one place. It's the small moments, the big moments, the forgettable moments, the unforgettable moments, the taken for granted moments, and the cherished moments.

So go on and experience all these moments.

I love engaging with thoughts and ideas, it makes life so much more fascinating that it already is.

So idea behind "catching print" is to make men uncomfortable in the way they have done to women. The first problem is that this solution seeks a wholistic approach to these issues amongst men and women. Targeting people who may have never been perpetrators of such harm. Second, perpetrating harm only seeks to cause more pain and further the distance of the cause - to have us all be united.

“You cannot spill a drop of American blood without spilling the blood of the whole world.... We are not a nation, so much as a world.” ― Herman Melville

When women hurt, men hurt also - when men hurt, women hurt also

There's such irony in the idea of shaming men who are average or below average in penis size. Whenever there is some heated conversation regarding women issues, someone always chimes in with an insult regarding penis size. As if men with "small" dicks can be the only perpetrators of harmful ideas and statements against women. We then ask ourselves why we are still suffering to find unity, love, and peace amongst each other.

So the whole idea is to make men feel uncomfortable, more specifically average or below average men. In return, this is supposed to have some kind of affect but... what kind? Do people actually want a better world or is it all a game? A game to claim to want better but in reality, they seek to hurt others. When will we as a society mature in handling issues that deeply affect all of us? We can we actually make headway on societal issues? We take 2 steps forward and 30 steps back it seems. Why can't we make meaningful change - positive change? Change that helps people and not hurts them.

So this might be controversial but talking about any meaningful issue can be that way. The problem is when people are controversial for the sake of it and don't care about the issue at hand; but that's a different conversation.

#youngho

Seen two Tiktok pages that really stood out to me. One a amateur with lost of fire and another that shadowboxes a lot, seemingly very experienced. The First, to me, seem to brute strength in what fights they shared on their page. Using their psychical stature and strength to not feel weak in the beginner stages of learning martial arts. I'll expound - Many people tend to skip steps when learning a martial art, at least those that are connected to a sport. Within 4 months of training they are already fighting.

"And I think many of us are going to rush to skip over these levels and get into the uh um into the fight for and why that is is perhaps a deeper a deeper uh issue than u I study Shaolin or I study Tai Chi or I study um uh arise. It's more like there's a fear of seeming weak and a fear of losing. Yes. And the greatest philosophies of of mankind tell us to to confront this fear and know it and not to deny it." ~ Roberto Sharpe

So even though the person mention above post articles or graphs that depict accurate knowledge a fighter should focus on, but their fights and training show otherwise. The hit the pads and fight with so much power, not realizing you can get x times the amount of reps in hitting soft, burning those techniques into your muscles. But this is also a focus on philosophy and how that person sees what is necessary to win a fight. Do they see it as "I'm a dog! Ima go in there and knock them out!!!" or do they say "Let's approach this fight & training in a intelligent manner." So does the person reinforce what they learn in the gym through drills, language, film study, philosophy, conversations etc. It's one thing to talk about it's another to drill it.

Onto the second person. They post many clips of them shadow boxing or teaching these "elaborate" techniques so to most they can seem like a "great" fighter. But Roberto Sharpe had a great quote:

"You can go to the a boxing gym and see a wonderful shadow boxer. But is he the champion of the gym?"

-Do not perceive yourself through the eyes of society-

Society places value on those who can integrate and meet its parameters of success within society. And those who cannot? Thrown to the wayside-to be forgotten, to be ostracized.

These are the most obvious attributes that come to mind: To be well-presented, socially competent, educated, income & even being in a relationship. All fit into society's criteria on whether or not you are to be accepted from a societal perspective. Not that these are bad attributes to have but the problem lies when those who do not possess these qualities are ostracized for it.

Those who are not in possession of these qualities are also painfully aware of their "inadequacies". On top of that even more negatively associated labels are tacked onto them. Lazy, unintelligent, & unambitious to name a few. How then, can these people who are outcasted, have any confidence at all? In this perpetual state of inadequacy because of a society that deems them unworthy of attention and care. Like in Woody's nightmare, where Andy throws him away for being broken.

Often people's solution to those who have this issue, is to tell them "Fake it to you make it" or "To put yourself out there like the rest of us". Not the worst advice but clearly lacking specific details to that person's circumstances and outlook. Do we as a society not care about those struggling mentally & emotionally? Also, this issue specifically regarding mental health and self-esteem, are seen as trivial. Whenever someone voices these concerns out loud there is someone there to quickly shoot it down as an unimportant issue. That they "need to get off social media and go touch grass" as if that way the only way for a person to have low self-esteem. As if the center of this issue is comparing your life to others. Not the years of neglect, bullying, & out casting that happens at home or in public.

People who are unaffected by severe low self-esteem and confidence are often being reinforced with positive outcomes and affirmations. People applaud them for meeting standards, and they have the confidence to put themselves in situations that will have a favorable outcome. So, there is a positive feedback loop. On the other hand, there is a negative feedback loop and often a sense of a lack of progression with those not as confident and with low self-esteem. If I were to put it in figurative terms it would be like if a person only worked out their strongest limbs and neglected the weakest ones. Society does the same with those that fit within its criteria of who is worthy. And this isn't in a way to create division amongst those who are fortunate to have a healthy self-esteem and those who aren't but to show the underlying issues within our society.

Studies

-Characteristics Associated with Low Self-esteem among U.S. Adolescents - PMC

-Low self-esteem and the formation of global self-performance estimates in emerging adulthood - PMC

-The Pygmalion Effect:

-The Golem Effect: