#human dignity

Firing squads negatively impact the mental and spiritual health of all that are involved in them -- both the inmate and those carrying the guns. Lethal gas has been shown to be torturous, depriving a person of oxygen until they die. It is extreme cruelty.

I want to take a moment to gently reset the conversation around Sam Heughan — not to defend, explain, or justify anything, but to bring the focus back to what too often gets overlooked: his humanity.

What’s happening isn’t criticism.

It isn’t accountability.

And it isn’t concern.

It’s judgment — created when a false narrative didn’t unfold the way some people expected it to.

Somewhere along the way, expectations quietly turned into entitlement. And when those expectations weren’t met, disappointment hardened into assumptions about a human being who never owed anyone a storyline in the first place.

That’s the part that needs to stop.

A Human Being Is Not a Storyline

No one exists to satisfy curiosity, fulfill projections, or live according to someone else’s imagined version of their life. When people decide how a person should behave, should respond, or should explain themselves, they stop seeing a human and start seeing a character they feel entitled to rewrite.

When reality doesn’t match that imagined version, the response shouldn’t be judgment — but too often, it is.

When It Comes to His Career, Perspective Matters

When it comes to Sam Heughan’s career, it’s important to remember that this is not an easy job. What people see on the outside is only a fraction of what the work actually demands. Long hours, constant pressure, public scrutiny, physical exhaustion, emotional weight — all of it adds up in ways most people never experience.

It’s easy to judge from a distance.

It’s much harder to understand what that kind of responsibility requires when you’re not walking in his shoes every single day.

That perspective alone should invite more compassion, not judgment.

Silence Is Not a Failure

Privacy is not a betrayal.

Boundaries are not avoidance.

Choosing to live quietly, move carefully, or protect one’s emotional and mental space does not mean someone has done something wrong. It simply means they are human — navigating life in a way that feels right for them, not for an audience.

Consistency, Kindness, and Character

One of the most consistent things about Sam is his dedication — to his craft, to his work, and to the people he collaborates with. That level of commitment doesn’t come from ego. It comes from discipline, values, and respect.

There is also a kindness that doesn’t seek attention. Support that doesn’t demand recognition. Encouragement offered without performance. Those things may not trend, but they matter.

So does emotional intelligence. So does the courage to remain grounded and emotionally present in a world that constantly pulls in every direction.

We Don’t Own Other People

Admiration does not grant access.

Interest does not grant authority.

And disappointment does not justify judgment.

We don’t get to decide what someone else’s life should look like — or punish them when it doesn’t align with a narrative we created in our own minds.

Final Thought

This isn’t about putting anyone on a pedestal.

It’s about choosing fairness over projection.

Humanity over entitlement.

And compassion over noise.

Before judging a person for not meeting expectations they never agreed to, it’s worth asking a simpler question:

Am I responding to who they actually are — or to who I wanted them to be?

You don’t need to register a nonprofit to feed your neighbors.

You don’t need permission to plant vegetables.

You don’t need a government program to ensure that someone gets their meds.

Anarchism isn’t about waiting for collapse. It’s about acting like the state has already failed us, because it has, and we’re still here.

So what happens when we move on and stop expecting change at the government level?

Mutual aid networks form.

Community fridges pop up.

Childcare co-ops, free breast cancer clinics, and prison letter-writing nights become part of the weekly rhythm.

This isn’t utopia. It’s Tuesday.

People already live this way, especially in communities the state abandoned or targeted.

Especially among the poor, the undocumented, the trans, the disabled, the criminalized.

When the system doesn’t care if you live or die, you find people who do.

The humble, mean cradle of Bethlehem, by its wonderful charm, focuses the attention of all believers. Deep into the hearts of those in darkness, affliction and depression there sinks and pervades a great flood of light and joy.

Heads that were bowed lift again serenely, for Christmas is the feast of human dignity, “the wonderful exchange by which the Creator of the human race, taking a living body, deigned to be born of a virgin, and by His coming bestowed on us His divinity” (first antiphon of first vesper for the feast of the Circumcision).

the UN says that israeli authorities have rejected 107 requests for the entry of crucial aid into Gaza since October 10.

“ our partners report that since the ceasefire, the israeli authorities have rejected 107 requests for the entry of relief materials including blankets, winter clothes, and tools and materials to maintain & operate water, sanitation and hygiene services, ” – UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

what's so threatening about blankets or winter clothes ?

“ almost 90% of these rejected requests were from over 330 local and international NGOs, of which more than half of the requests were denied on the grounds that the organizations were not authorized to bring relief items into Gaza. ”

the “ ceasefire ” dosen't mean an end to the suffering, the winter only amplifies it. this is true for Ahmed ( @mazen-fmaily ), who is still solely responsible for his father's medical care.

as mentioned in this post, Ahmed's father has multiple health issues – like hepatitis, heart disease, & kidney disease – he needs daily treatment and life support.

this treatment includes daily dialysis treatments and oxygen. at the moment, Ahmed tells me he needs $85 as soon as possible.

donate via the chuffed link.

donate via PayPal ( please specify that the money is for Ahmed ).

vetting information – ( this fundraiser also has an incentive )