At some point, you were a kid experiencing something for the last time, and you had no idea. The last time you played outside without worrying about time. The last time you laughed with a friend before life pulled you in different directions. The last time you felt like the world was simple. And the thing is, you’re still doing it. There are ‘last times’ happening right now—you just won’t realize until they’re gone.

Laws are not the commandments of justice, nor the sacred edicts of wisdom—they are, more often than not, the cold steel of control, forged by those who rule. They are the architecture of power, a framework designed not to serve truth, but to maintain dominion. A law does not become just by mere existence, nor does it inherit morality from the parchment upon which it is inscribed. It is a decree of the powerful, and power, that ruthless and self-preserving beast, has never been a disciple of righteousness. It concerns itself with order, with obedience, with the careful engineering of submission. The illusion is that law and justice are twins—when, in reality, law is often the leash fastened around the neck of justice, dragging it to the whims of those who seek to rule, not liberate.

History, if stripped of its ornamental justifications, is nothing more than a graveyard of those who obeyed. The world calls them good citizens. The obedient. The law-abiding. They followed decrees that sent men to die in wars for profit, upheld policies that starved the poor, enforced orders that erased entire peoples. Meanwhile, the rebels, the outcasts, the ones who dared to defy injustice—those who hid Anne Frank, those who smuggled slaves to freedom, those who broke unjust laws—were called criminals. They were hunted, tried, imprisoned, executed. They were condemned by the same laws that later generations would denounce as evil. The men who sent Anne Frank to die held stamped documents and followed procedures, their actions legitimized by official ink and rubber seals. They were not monsters in their own eyes. They were functionaries. They followed the rules, did their jobs, and tucked their children in at night—just as all enforcers of injustice have done throughout history.

This is the insidious nature of legality: It masks oppression as order, cloaks cruelty in ritual, and demands obedience in the name of stability. But no gavel can render the unjust moral, no uniform can bestow virtue upon the oppressor. The great crimes of humanity were not the work of lawbreakers, but of lawmakers. Apartheid was legal. Slavery was legal. Genocide has been carried out with the full blessing of courts and parliaments. To equate legality with morality is to surrender to the dictates of the powerful without question. If a law does not serve human dignity—if it is written to entrench suffering, to shield corruption, to legitimize exploitation—then it is not a law to be followed. It is a law to be broken. Obedience, in the face of injustice, is not virtue. It is complicity. And when the law demands submission to evil, the only righteous path is rebellion.

I realize this is long but hear me out...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the corporations and politicians who hold so much influence over our lives despite being billionaires and living in a completely different reality than the vast majority of us. Isn’t the whole point of the government to fight for the greater good of ALL its people? Think about the basic things you want in life for a minute. 

For me:

• I want a safe and affordable space for my family and friends to live.  
• I want a work life balance where I make enough money to afford a comfortable lifestyle, while also having the time to enjoy it.  
• I want access to healthcare in a fair and affordable way 
• I want a job that treats me with respect and compensates me fairly so I can afford the cost of living.  
• Okay, I don’t actually want a job, but I have also been unemployed for the past few months and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. (I have been so bored that between job searching, I used my son’s train tracks to invent an interactive board game that I have yet to convince anyone to play with me. I swear it’s really fun.. you move around the track collecting quarters and the winner gets to keep all 200 of them.) 

I truly believe people are happier when they’re part of a community and are able to contribute in some way. We all deserve to feel like the work we do is appreciated and this should be reflected by us having our basic needs met.  Regardless of your job, so long as you are contributing in some way, you should be able to live comfortably within our society. People naturally search for a purpose, but unfortunately many workplaces value money over the wellbeing of their people, making us feel useless and disposable. Why should massive corporations rake in billions of dollars while the people doing all the work can barely afford to live and enjoy life? Well, there is a reason, but it only benefits the super wealthy. 

When you have money, like a lot of money, you reach a certain level of influence where you’ve accumulated a network of followers who work together to reach their goals - goals that only benefit them. The big guy at the top is the coach, and his network is his team. Once the ultra wealthy have a big enough team and a desire for more power, their game goes live. While the majority of us are just trying to survive, the billionaires of the world are competing in a twisted interactive game where their teams fight eachother in a battle whose only goal it to bring them closer to the finish line. We are pieces in the puzzle they need to solve in order to gain the most control and “win.” This game they are playing completely ignores all other human beings as individual people, and instead uses us as pons while they race to the top in a real life version of monopoly. 

We are not enemies

Let’s focus on surrounding ourselves with a community of people who share our values and interests and accept that other communities might not feel the same, and that’s okay. Isn’t there a happy middle ground we can find where we are not part of the ultra wealthy’s army? Social Media (run by billionaires) exposes us to other communities, who while holding contrasting opinions, do not directly impact our daily lives. We are forced to see things we don’t agree with, which makes us want to defend our own ideals. But that is what the people in power want: Us fighting amongst ourselves to remain distracted while they play their game as friendly opponents, trading resources when it’s mutually beneficial, and competing to see who can build the longest road. They play with little regard for how their risk taking impacts the earth and the people living on it. Maybe they’re bored, maybe they’re power hungry, or maybe they just want to win a game that we are unwillingly participating in. 

I think we can all agree that basic human rights are important, especially freedom. I try to live my life with the outlook that I am free to do whatever I want so long as it doesn’t negatively impact anyone else. Should you have the right to say whatever you want regardless of how hateful it is? Sure, but why would you want to intentionally hurt another person? There are literally billions of people in the world, it’s time we all accept that individual people value different things, and instead of trying to convince each other we’re right, we focus on our own values and approach our differences with respect or indifference. We should all have the freedom to do whatever we want, and since we are also an emotionally intelligent species, we also have the freedom to not be an asshole. 

If you decide you do not care about other people’s feelings, then that is your right. However, you likely would not tolerate someone disrupting your life in a negative way, so don’t expect other’s to tolerate it either. Seem fair? We are all intelligent enough to understand this concept, so we can act accordingly and accept our actions might have consequences. If someone assaulted you would you just ignore it and walk away? Would you fight back? Would you feel hurt, scared, or angry? None of those responses are going to make your life better, so why not focus on what will. Let’s focus on surrounding ourselves with a community of people who hold similar values, being comfortable, having a roof over our heads, having food for our families, and having enough money that we can enjoy our interests beyond the basic necessities.

Again we are not enemies, in fact we have a lot of common goals. We all want a safe space where we can live freely and not be confined by other community’s ideals. Agreed? Okay so let’s look at some commonly disagreed upon topics. 

Trans Rights: Trump used protecting women as the main reason for rescinding trans rights. I think we can all agree that keeping women safe is important, after all, we do play an integral role in growing the human race (as do men). I live in a diverse city and have met numerous trans people, and my experience so far has simply been that they are people who just want to live their daily lives in peace. They would be just as horrified as anyone else if someone used being transgender as an excuse to assault women in sensitive spaces. 

In every community there will always be outliers who take advantage of a situation in order to fulfill their own desires regardless of how it impacts anyone else. Unfortunately these people tend to take centre stage in the media, which skews our perception on divided topics, encouraging us to become intolerable to each other’s differences. But don’t forget, the billionaires own all of our media outlets, the places that feed us our information. And don’t forget, it is in their best interest to keep us divided so they don’t lose the network they have spent so long cultivating. If their network crumbles then they won’t have a big enough team to win the game! 

Competitive game: A game where players compete against each other (as individuals or teams) to win.
Cooperative game: A game where all players work together towards a common objective to defeat the game

How about instead of playing a competitive game that only benefits the super wealthy, we play a cooperative game and work together to restore true freedom and basic rights amongst all communities, regardless of our differences. A board game would be useless if it were missing some of its components. The dice, the cards, and the pieces, while holding different functions, are all of equal importance for the game to be played. Wouldn’t it be cool if we made our own game? (Speaking from experience because I just did this and it was super fun.) What if we all collaborated to come up with a game that allowed us to live together peacefully? We, the people, get to make the rules. 

I got distracted when addressing commonly disagreed upon topics, so I will finish my thought on trans rights, but i also do not want to spend too much time on this topic, because ideally we focus on our common goals instead. 

Yes, biologically the majority of the human population is born with either XX or XY chromosomes, making their sex either male or female at birth. I don’t think anyone is trying to dispute the science behind basic biology. But can you for a second imagine that somewhere along the super complicated process of a sperm and egg becoming a human, that maybe a wire got crossed somewhere? I can’t personally comment on this because I’ve never actually experienced it, but I do feel it should be treated like any other issue regarding your mental or physical health - It is between the individual and the medical professionals who have spent years of their lives learning about this topic and working with patients who have been affected by it. Let them work it out, and then be respectful, or at the very least, indifferent to whatever they decide is best. 

Okay, now let’s say you don’t agree or understand, but since you are emotionally intelligent, you decide that for the greater good, you will at least remain indifferent, it doesn’t affect you after all. But then it does start to affect you. It suddenly becomes a hot topic with controversial stories appearing in your feeds, people demanding you declare your pronouns, safe spaces becoming compromised because society’s outliers take advantage of our venerabilities. Suddenly it becomes a lot harder to remain indifferent because the issue is actually affecting you. Well, that is valid. Instead of fighting with one another, let’s work together to find a middle ground where everyone can live comfortably without having to conform to values we do not support. 

Why can’t we be respectfully indifferent? If you are respectfully indifferent, the communities who share different values would not need to fight so hard to live in peace, and as a result, you wouldn’t have to hear about, or be affected by their problems. That’s all anyone wants, to live in peace. Instead we are allowing people who do not care about us to govern us, pushing only one side’s ideals, while completely disregarding the others. They do this because they only care about winning the game. We do not matter.

Everyone should have the right to live freely. Instead of fighting our differences, we should focus on our common goals, and together reflect on why the people in power are so eager to divide us. It’s time we shuffle the deck, rearrange the tiles, and remove the blocks one by one, until the tower the wealthy have built comes crashing down around them. 

*Drops mic and blasts We’re Not Gonna Take it by Twisted Sister*

Levels to the 🧠

a hollowing out of remembrance, acknowledgment and voices that have already had to fight to be heard. dei in hiring practices is one conversation, but this? this is an erasure of cultural and historical observances, a quiet suffocation of the very things that mark progress! to say that celebrating black history, women’s history, lgbtq pride and other marginalized identities is somehow political or unnecessary is to reveal the hand that never wanted them celebrated at all.

history does not cease to exist because it makes some uncomfortable. remembrance does not lose its weight because power shifts. this is not policy- this is silencing.

before you comment on this, let me reiterate: this is not about hiring or qualifications for hiring. it’s about the cancellation of these events.

I’ve struggled with multiple diagnosed issues for years. I am now finally healing I suppose. In that journey i however have come to realize sanity is only for the self . People must choose peace and healthy outlooks , most won’t. But there is something deeply poetic about being told I was”insane” most my life. But in the wake of disinformation, climate change ,everything about America politics in the last 8 years. Watching everyone kinda accept it as the new normal. The same people so quick to call someone “slow” or “not right” going dead because they dress strap going silent whenever something real is brought up. A huge part of overcoming my issues was accepting there’s a world outside of my perspective and good I haven’t yet found in things. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only who understands this. Despite the medication on my shelf.

I am working on an algorithm right now based on TikTok’s algorithm but I think it may be dangerously addictive. I want to sell it but in theory if I completed the algorithm it could potentially create a wall-e universe.

How TikTok’s algorithm works is a feedback loop but the flaw is that it is too repetitive and puts you into a niche corner. With the algorithm i am creating in theory if implemented it will takes TikTok’s average of 37 hrs a month to about 40-55 hrs a month.

The algorithm in theory could be used for social media, streaming, movie platforms, cable, and shopping also. I feel morally backed into a corner. TikTok’s algorithm is worth maybe 300Ms (which I could use right now), but could be very bad to make ppl become addicted to consuming content. On the other hand someone else may also release this and I will be out of 300Ms maybe more.

People are addicted to these things already with far more terrible algorithms but with a an algorithm that knows you is very dangerous. Imagine you are watching Netflix and you see movies that are spot on maybe one or 2 you don’t care for how long would you sit and watch. Imagine social media where you see actual content and creators you would actually every single scroll. Even shopping you choose to order one item but buy 20. You are playing a game that dynamically shifts so you keep playing. Even porn algorithm that suggests exactly what you like each time or ai gfs/bfs.

With this being said is there other aspects I am missing.

I will not go into details because it is a moderate solution and relatively easy with less computational power than you think compared to others today.

Imagine if we flipped the script, and every post was about how grand the world is. I don't know about you guys, but there was a time when life used to be truly magical. I miss that. Now I only see problems

We take for granted all the small pleasures of life like tasty food, beautiful sights & sounds, laughter, even breathing & focus on the negatives until such an occasion as the pleasures are taken away & then only will people reflect on how good it was.

The proportion of bliss to pain is massively skewed in bliss's favour e.g. a gazelle in the savana , how long can it physically suffer before it dies from a lion attack? A few minutes? Hours max .. but it lives & frolicks for years on average & actually adrenaline kicks in during the hunt, it doesn't feel the bites - in a vast majority of NDE accounts on the Internet, most victims of stabbing or shooting don't feel it & NDE is pleasurable too, once they succumb to death

You physically can't suffer for that long , except in rare cases. Physical suffering is a signal letting us know that something has gone physically wrong.. if it isn't remedied, death will shortly follow.. in cases where suffering is the intent such as in torture based interrogation, the torturer has to take care to provide enough respite from the painful stimuli otherwise the pain subsides..psychological self torture on the other hand is the main problem, but can be nullified with perspective shifts.

Pain is a tool you gave yourself to keep you going in a state that's desirable for a time - life- the curse of reflectivity as put forward in genesis is a trick of the minds development that causes people to dwell on negatives even in their objectively small relative proportion.

Pain is not more intense than plessure, pleasure is just far more common an experience which we can then take for granted, they are 2 sides of a coin & as such their intensities mirror.

I find myself in the category that is mostly restless and asking how does that work and what might be over the next horizon. The passion for what might be is constant, while other drives come and go.

Wondering how do others reconcile this with the intricacies of day to day life which many times leads in direction of growing some roots. And I am mostly referring to the way we frame the world, not being physically and emotionally reliable for others.

So, let’s say the internet functions as a massive repository—or conduit—for human knowledge, discourse, and activity. It collects, stores, and distributes information at an unprecedented scale—something we’ve never seen before.

It doesn’t think like AI does, or at least not in the way AI allegedly “thinks.” But it operates as a decentralized system that organizes and retrieves knowledge, arguably mimicking some characteristics of intelligence.

Think about search engines, algorithms, and platforms. They learn from user input and refine their results over time. It’s not independent reasoning, but it functions as an iterative feedback loop—adapting based on user input. That resemblance to artificial systems is hard to ignore.

And it’s all connected. Many AI systems are powered by the internet, trained on its data, and dependent on its infrastructure. Without the internet, AI wouldn’t have the massive dataset it needs to learn.

If we extend this thought further, the internet isn’t just a repository—it’s a substrate for digital intelligence. AI doesn’t just emerge from the internet; it’s an extension of it.

Going beyond that, the internet doesn’t just mirror human behavior—it influences it. It analyzes discourse, search patterns, and interactions. It collects the raw material for predictive models. That interplay raises a question:

Is the internet intelligent?

Or is it merely a reflection of the intelligence of its users?

And that’s where I’m tripping. Because this leads to the idea of digital intelligence—artificially created or manipulated. We’re investing billions into AI infrastructure, which makes me think about Google, YouTube, and social media. These platforms don’t just reflect the internet’s intelligence—they program it by curating, prioritizing, and amplifying certain content.

That creates a version of intelligence that isn’t entirely organic. It’s shaped by algorithms and human incentives—which is wild to think about.

So maybe the internet isn’t intelligent in itself, but it’s like a proto-intelligence—a foundation for the intelligence we see in AI.

Does that make the internet a living ecosystem of digital intelligence? Not a singular, conscious AI, but something emergent—shaped by collective input and manipulated by those who control the tools?

—if we accept that intelligence involves the ability to process and act on information, then the internet’s ability to connect, organize, and influence could qualify as distributed intelligence.

Sure, it doesn’t think like a human, but it operates with logic and agency—defined by its algorithms, users, and controllers.

And here’s the real trippy, metacognitive question:

Is intelligence necessarily tied to consciousness?

Or can it emerge from a system like the internet?

Back to my original thought—is the internet a form of artificial intelligence?

And who—or what—controls it?

I don’t even want to get into the ethical implications here, with big media, state media, or government-controlled narratives.

I don’t know, man. These are just raw thoughts.

It's classic natural selection. The people with a stronger will to survive are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation. However, our will to survive is directly linked to fear of death. So with every generation, we also become more afraid of death. That might have interesting consequences in the far future.

The recent "Mona Lisa" case in India is a staunch example. She was harassed because she was pretty. But all people say is "Just leave her alone, she's human too". They don't talk about the fact that this is a consequence of "pretty privilege" Update: She's apparently signed a contract to star in a Bollywood movie

Actress and actors are constantly harassed. People bring in the aspect of them being humans too, to defend the actors from harassment but fail to recognise that they're harassed because of pretty privilege (and because they're famous - the positive aspect of pretty privilege)

People love to throw around the term to show the "unfair" (positive) bais that being pretty brings but never consider the negative side of the coin.

Edit: I see that a lot of you miss my point. Let me elaborate:

1. It is not a privilege to be murdered: No argument I've made is reflective of it being a privilege to be murdered. I'm just talking about the fact that it happens.

2. This post is a mere reflection of the negative aspect no one talks about

3. Isn't it concerning that some people (not all) are murdered just because they were pretty (this being the sole reason)? Shouldn't light be thrown on it?

4. The main reason for this post is to appreciate the way we're born. If we're ugly, you don't know what your ugliness has saved you from. If you're pretty, well good for you. In either case, there are drawbacks and the fact that "pretty privilege" drawbacks aren't talked about enough, compelled me to make this post.

The more items a person accumulates, the more indebted they become regardless of the price tag.

A home and car require constant maintenance. Even if others do the work and you pay them, it still takes coordination.

If you burn your items, you still have to walk to the pit, stoke a fire, and oversee the ashes.

It takes mental energy to sort your items and throw them in a dumpster.

Today's treasure is tomorrow's chore.

The thing you are dreaming about owning might become such a hassle you have to pay to get rid of it.

To escape your junk by skipping town, you still have to purchase a flight or buy gas/electricity to abandon it. If you try walking away on foot, you will need to replace your shoes.

Hair requires brushing, and a bald person needs a hat or sunblock. We are all in time or currency debt.

I believe so for the following reasons:

1. Hating is a routine on Instagram:

You find hate / racism / homophobia / islamophobic / body shaming reels, posts and comments ALL the time on the app. It is only in extraordinary circumstances that you find anything positive with absolutely no negative aspect on the app. The people doing the hate wouldn't ever dare to say that to the creators / the people they're targeting's face. The anonymous nature of the platforms bring out the real intentions of people.

2. The dark web:

Probably the best example to justify my statement, is the dark web. You've got everything - from CP to hard drugs to what not. It is only due to anonymity, that people are doing what they've always wanted to do / wanted to be a part of. How many of those who we know, consume content that violate our basic principles?

3. People mask their intentions irl:

How many innocent looking people have we seen being convicted? Countless. How many relatives providing positive testimonies against hard-core criminals have we seen? Countless. How many of the people we know irl wish for our downfall? Countless. How many of the people we know irl truly wish for our flourishment? Very few, if any. How many of us wish for others downfall but act like we genuinely care for them? All of us.

The darker side is the real side.

Ever heard of the quote, "What would you do if no one was looking?". Well there's your answer.

They're among us. They're us. We're them.

This is my first reddit post. Long time lurker, first time poster. I was prompted to post because of this recurring thought. It might sound contradictory, but bear with me.

I hate my life. I'm 34 female. By "normal standards" I have a good life. I am extremely grateful for what I do have and the people I have in my life.

I want to kill myself. To be clear, I'm not going to. The option isn't even on the table.

This is where the resentment comes in. Sometimes I am so resentful of my mom, who is an absolute angel on Earth, my fiancee, who couldn't be more wonderful and supportive if he tried, my best friends of 25+ years, my nieces, and my cousins who are more like sisters/best friends. I am so lucky because I know any of these people would move heaven and Earth for me. They are the reason I know I will never hurt myself. I would never do that to them.

But I am done. I do not want to be here anymore.

My main focus for the last literal 10 years has been to be able to financially support myself. I decided to go back for my masters thinking that would help...it didn't. It made things worse because now on top of my preexisting depression, I am now no longer able to afford my bills and am constantly in the negative. I've had to get rid of all non critical "extras". It's the straw that broke the camel's back.

This is where my "deep thought" comes in. I feel so resentful of the amazing people in my life because if I didn't have them, I could just quit. I sometimes feel so angry over the fact that I don't have to be here anymore, I don't have to feel this way everyday - there's an option! I just can't choose it without causing extreme grief to others.

And then I bounce off that thought into more anger like "they're so fucking greedy, it's not fair I have to continue to fail at life just so they can be happy".

I don't know what I'm looking for here posting this...i just..i don't know.

side note: I've been in therapy, i actually worked as a therapist in a residential mental health facility. Mental health has always been a passion of mine. Which is ironic, but I think I was always just trying to figure myself out.

This guy I have known for about 2 years has been a massive cunt to me ever since I met him, and he's still targeting me. I have literally done nothing to this guy, he just doesn't like me because I highlight the insecurities in him simply by existing, and he's made it some mission to try fuck up my reputation by any means possible. It's actually so fucked up, I saw him today and my body literally started to get tense as if I was bracing getting attacked. He's a terrible person in my story, but I also was realising on my way home today that I know in the past, back when I was much less secure with my self esteem and myself, that I had done some pretty messed up things to other people in hindsight. It had me thinking, maybe this whole idea of bad and good people isn't so viable. Realistically, pretty much all of us have done some things in the past that, from an objective POV, would make us look like shit people.

Think of how many super popular youtubers, comedians, musicians, and politicians etc. have been outed as having done terrible things and been cancelled. That shows that people can be loved by millions, be extremely popular, and still be 'terrible people'. Think about how many different places and circles you've been in, and how you react and interact differently with different people and locations. Some will bring out 'better' sides of you than others. Obviously, some people do things so 'bad' that they are kinda just bad people (I guess?) but at the same time, what if the best person on Earth had done some fucked up shit in their time too. Just look on reddit, there are a million threads about how someone was sexually abused, bullied, etc. Not too many about people confessing they did this, which shows that we probably tend to naturally block out the bad things we do from our minds, or in some twisted way justify it. Just food for thought. Not saying there aren't bad people out there, and great people too. But I think it's just way more nuanced than we think it to be at first glance.

My thoughts are that free will is just an illusion created by the brain so our ego doesn’t get destroyed.

There’s so many things going on in our brain and body that are involuntary. Far more than what is voluntary and what is this We we’re referring to? I’m guessing it’s the conscious.

Does that mean that we are only the conscious part of our brain and the subconscious and body is not? Or is it a soul meaning none of our body is us at all.

This is what I have realized after 32 years of living, being a mother for 4 years, studying Buddhism over the past year, and practicing mindfulness.

Let's review and analyze it piece by piece.

"Row row row your boat Gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream."

Starting with

"Row row row your boat" meaning to act in each moment with intention and mindfulness in a similar manner as you would when rowing an actual boat.

"Gently" meaning lovingly, knowing that life is not a competition and all living creatures are worthy of love and gentleness.

"Down the stream" is an analogy I've encountered often after entering this spiritual space; the imagery of entering and floating on a stream toward enlightenment, which just means comprehending reality just as it is rather than tainted by our misperceptions, delusions and ignorance.

"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily" is self explanatory, though of course much easier said than done. Find joy in each moment, including and especially the dark ones. As someone whose mindset was tainted by shame, anger, and general negativity for about 20 years (mostly just in reaction to experiences I had after age 10), I've found that practicing mindfulness will evolve quite naturally to experiencing joy more often.

"Life is but a dream." Everything is impermanent and we are the material universe experiencing itself in a trillion different ways. Nothing is what our human perception makes it seem. Our experience of reality is a consequence of bodily sensations and mental projections interacting with impersonal material circumstances. Eventually, the dream will end.

Of course, I know I'm projecting my own perceptions onto this song, same way any human does when hearing music. I suppose I'm amused that throughout this lifetime of pondering the "meaning of life," it was hidden in plain sight as a children's song. And it's basically saying, "Stop pondering the meaning of life and just fucking live it. It is what it is."

Before i get too deep into the explanation, i would point out that a true "individual" would be akin to a feral child with no language skills. We are all connected to each other in a closed system, and pretty much everything we've ever learned, we learned from someone else.

The word "individual" did not used to refer to a person. That didn't start until people started writing about "rational actors" in the "free market". Why did this happen?

Well, up until that point, there had been divine right monarchies. There were a ton of systemic shocks, like the protestant reformation (and the massive revolts that followed), the 100 years war, the little ice age, the list goes on. As they began destabilizing, they needed a new justification for why the aristocracy needed to remain the aristocracy.

The concept is at the core of boot-strap logic. If you're a rational actor, it's your fault as an individual that you arent rich. Not rich? you're lazy, a sinner, or both. Work harder, so you can be rich like the deserved.

and neoliberalism? same thing, just repackaged in obtuse, nearly indecipherable language.

So what's the result? Well, the commodification of identity. Instead of "Im so and so of such and such tribe" we say, "im steve, im a plumber, and i like taylor swift."

You know how you can look at someone and spot their politics? music? general tastes? Well, that's because the "self" has no core. It's a fragmented collection of commodities. Like a mosaic or a vision board.

and guess what? When someone has a shit take and you challenge it, you aren't just attacking the idea, you're attacking the entire collage. Their entire sense of self. "that was a bad take." "Oh, so im a bad person now?"

That obstacle, along with the general aversion to confrontation, emotional displays, criticism, big tentism, pearl clutching, civility politics, etc, is precisely how the right is able to play victim all the time, and then be shielded by the center right (or dems, as most could call them) for "being uncivil" or disrespectful to nazis.

Wanna persuade people? you have to cut through that. You can't appeal to their logic. You can, however, make them look foolish in group settings by simply being better at whatever it is ya'll do. If you're an electrician and you take tremendous pride in your work, other electricians, regardless of politics, are gonna notice. If you're exceptional, it demands respect, even from your enemies. So if you cultivate yourself well enough, you can say things they'd normally dismiss in others. But since they recognize your effort and respect you for it, they are more inclinded to hear you out.

This is not a short-term solution, the prior example is an example i have used in real life to great effect. It takes forever, and in the short-term, might alienate people, but those intense, lines-drawn disagreements tend to sit with people better than trying to be soft or delicate against malicious idiots. You can shame and emasculate them in to wanting to be normal. You change what normal is through sheer force of will, and all but the most comitted fascists will fall in line.

Where is our empathy?

Considering the current state of the world, especially as it relates to the ability of people to discuss things with one another while disagreeing, it seems that empathy is almost nonexistent. I need to clarify what I mean by this, however, as empathy is something that people often claim but don’t seem to truly possess. I mean that people will often look at what someone thinks or feels and, for fear of hurting their feelings, refuse to disagree or question them and call it empathy.

What I mean is real empathy. The ability to put oneself in the shoes of another and consider, truly consider, to the best of one’s ability, what it might be like to be the other person, have the experiences that they do, live the way they live, and try to genuinely understand why it is that they think, believe, and act as they do. I think this happens sometimes between people who already agree or have a lot in common, but it seems to reach its limit when there’s discord or disagreement. People seem to be extremely limited in their capacity to put themselves in the shoes of those they perceive to be in the wrong, to read history as the perpetrator rather than as the victim, to hear someone’s story, regardless of their background, and try to understand what led them to the point they’re at in the moment.

My underlying thought or point I guess would be that an innumerable number of factors, beyond the control of individual people, affect the person that each of us are, have been, and will be. We may have agency, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

Even thinking of it in terms of who "should" go first... 10-20 years doesn't seem like enough time.

Right-wing media has successfully branded itself as the culturally masculine alternative. Now, we're paying the price.

Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings:

Right-wing media advertises itself as objective, and contrary to emotional or "feelings-based" reasoning. This, of course, is a blatant lie. Right-wing media is all about vibes. The feeling that the LGBT community is changing society for the worse. The feeling that whites are losing power. The feeling that DEI is threatening your job. The feeling that the Left "hates" White men. Nevertheless, it has successfully convinced much of the American population that the Right is objective and analytical, and that emotions have no place in politics. This is analogous to the cultural narrative that men themselves are the logical sex, who do not feel excessively emotional in most situations.

The narrative that "emotions" are somehow opposed to sensible reasoning is also blatantly false and a tool of oppressing minority and female voices. Those who do not feel the pain, the hurt, the fear — those people will remain emotionless and calm in the face of endangerment to others. It is a disempowering concept that upholds White Men as the logical and objective thinkers in politics today. If you are a marginalized person, who is openly upset about the way your life is threatened by the Trump administration, your deeply personal and raw response will be used against you. Rather than hearing you out, many right-wingers are more inclined to reject anything you have to say, in favor of hearing out the "impartial White Man" and his take on the matter. Apathy is not impartiality, but right-wing media will convince you it is.

Voting Demographics and Female Democrat Nominees

Trump has successfully beat two female Democrat nominees since his first run in 2016. In a very literal sense, the republicans had become the "male" party, and the Dems had become the "female" party during the past election seasons. Additionally, Female-Americans are more likely to vote democrat. "Exit polls from the 2024 U.S. presidential election suggest a 10 percentage point gender gap in votes for Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. While a majority of female U.S. voters picked Harris, a majority of male voters went with Trump, who is the projected winner of the contest as of late Tuesday night." https://www.statista.com/chart/33408/female-male-us-voters-exit-polls/ .

This, too, has contributed to the cultural feminization of left-wing political leanings.

Right-Wing SJW and Woke Content Overrepresents Cis and Trans Women, Gay or Effeminate men and other Minorities in its "Outrage" Content

Since around 2016, the rise of viral SJW and "Feminist Gets Owned" content, which has now morphed into "Wokeism" content, has significantly impacted the cultural perception of liberals, leftists, and left-wing concern. Those who act in hysterical or emotionally expressive manners will be clipped and shoved into a compilation of "left-wing" outrage. Most young men today have been exposed to this content, and are primed to make this gendered association.

"Trump Derangement Syndrome" and the Hysterical Woman:

"The Left" is now culturally represented by the image of The Hysterical Woman, crying about everything and nothing simultaneously. The Woman, who doesn't need to be taken seriously. Every reaction is an overreaction. Every issue she finds is a non-issue. The woman doesn't know what she's talking about.

That is what the online term "Trump Derangement Syndrome" really boils down to. The idea that open and expressive opposition to Trump is really a form of hysteria and neuroticism. It isn't rational or reasonable.

It is now nearly impossible to express concern about the Republican Party and Trumpism in bipartisan spaces without being accused of being hysterical.

Any fears regarding the greatly endangering, blatantly illegal and unconstitutional moves of the Trump Administration will be interpreted as overly-emotional, "woman-like" responses. These reactions will be met with the typical cultural shutdowns that women face when expressing negative emotion.

"You're being dramatic."

"You're overreacting."

"You're such a crybaby."

"It's not a big deal."

"You get worked up over everything."

"Oh stop it. Everything will be fine."

Any attempt from the Left to sound the alarm will now fall on deaf ears. There is now hardly a way to express appropriate concern, and receive an appropriate response. And the more you express alarm, the less willing many are to hear you. The irrationality of misogyny has crept into our left-right political paradigm, and it won't be easy to shake. It is now up to the Man to decide when your fears are worth listening to. And I find that really, really scary.

We are on a ship, all of us, floating together in the vastness of space. This planet is our vessel, our home, our only real security. And yet, for too long, we have let a select few rip boards from its frame, burn its fuel without thought, hoard its resources while others go without. We have mistaken power for ownership, control for success. But what is power on a sinking ship? What good is wealth when the entire structure that sustains it crumbles beneath us?

We have been conditioned to take, to consume, to believe that more is always better. But at some point, we have to stop and ask: What are we burning for? Are we burning through resources, through time, through each other—just for the sake of accumulation? Or are we burning with purpose, with vision, with the fire of transformation rather than destruction?

This is not about blame. No single person, no single force, created the world we live in today. It evolved through history, through habits, through unchecked ambition. But if we can see where we are—if we can admit that we are all on this ship together—then we can make a choice. We don’t have to wait until the ship is beyond repair. We don’t have to wait for the final moment of collapse to recognize that we need each other. We can act now.

True power is not in hoarding but in sharing. True security is not in dominance but in sustainability. This world does not exist for a handful of people to exploit while the rest struggle. This world is our home, and like any home, it must be cared for, nurtured, loved.

Our motivation must shift. From taking to giving. From separating to uniting. From competing to creating together. The corporations that have taken and taken must be held accountable. The systems that reward destruction must be rebuilt. And most of all, we must recognize that Earth itself is not infinite, not invincible—it is alive, fragile, and deserving of our care.

We have spent centuries burning through this world. But now, we have a chance to burn for something greater. To burn with purpose, to ignite a future that is not just about profit, but about life.

Make Earth Great Again.

Not for nations, not for corporations, but for everyone. For the people. For the future. For the planet itself. Because if we keep tearing apart our ship for scraps of wealth, we’ll all be drowning together. And we don’t have to let that happen.

The fire is within us. The question is: what will we burn for?

The world shifts when we shift. When our own fire is balanced—when we burn with purpose instead of greed, when we create instead of consume—we inspire that same balance in others. Each of us is responsible for tending our own fire. What are you burning for? What does your energy feed? What kind of world does your willpower build?

It starts with us. It starts now.

Everything must go through a platform these days. Your paycheck, your spending, your business, your friends, your mates/dates.

If you had told us 20 years ago that you couldn't get a date without the influence and blessing of the techno-lords running the algorithms via an app on your phone we'd have told you to take your lame sci-fi ideas elsewhere.

Surely, surely even sex couldn't be controlled or influenced by the powers that be? Even if class and money had something to do with who you eventually paired with, you could still make moves on that local hottie? Not anymore! Platform based control of the dating scene means you'll pair with a select few that they think you can pair with!

We suffer a loneliness epidemic, and our lives are further and further controlled by, oppressed by algorithms. Dividing, subdividing and individualizing more and more, day by day.

Why does the economy suck even though we're at 4% unemployment? Because nobody has any control over their destiny and we all know that if the algorithm, if the platform, pushes us inexplicably down to the bottom of the stack, we'll never again see the light of day until it deems us fit.

We have become so disempowered, worse than a serf in the middle ages. They at least had the Vassal, or Baron they could beseech, or ultimately raise a couple of pitchforks to.

Now, we sit around waiting for ridesharing, or grocery shopping apps to hopefully call us into action so we can earn some daily bread, while watching the latest streaming garbage and shopping for products that Bezos tells us to buy. Meanwhile, Facebook wont tell me what my friends are up to but it will spew hateful content and influencer escapism at me.

Can we opt out? Yeah, maybe? Sort of? Don't know, not sure that we truly can, and if it keeps going this way there may not be any alternative than platform feudalism.