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Ideas to Throw Yourself into a Passionate Life
By: Boss Up
Tags: Passion, Passionate, Confidence

What does a life filled with passion look like to you?

You’re probably imagining a different, more passionate life while reading these words — one that is full of energy and enthusiasm, who can’t wait to face each new day. You’re probably happier and more content. In fact, you’re probably living life to the fullest.

You’re only waiting on the passion to get there.

What you might not realize is just how much passion is up to you. If you want to live a passionate life, you need to take action, to throw yourself into being the person you want to be. You can start with these ideas right here.

Start Small

No one ever succeeds in a passionate life by throwing themselves fully into the experience with no holding back. To do so is a sure recipe for disaster. To avoid crashing and burning, instead, make smaller changes in your life. Set aside shorts burst of time to explore your passions. Find ways to incorporate your passion into the daily routine in seemingly insignificant ways. You will be amazed at how quickly this expands all on its own.

Find Your Tribe

It is said we are the sum of our closest friends. You need more than a few passionate individuals around you to succeed, though role models and mentors are a great start. The more passionate people you surround yourself with, the more their habits and attitudes are going to rub off on you.

Try New Things

How do you know what kind of passionate life you want if you haven’t any idea of what your passionate life looks like? This is why it’s so important to try new things. The more you experiment, the more you come to know yourself.

Take Some You Time

Nothing happens overnight. Give yourself space to ease into a passionate life, recognizing this is a process that involves a learning curve. It takes time to incorporate all these ideas into something you can use, and even more to where a passionate life becomes a habit.

Build Momentum

Finally, once you start going, let the momentum build. If you’re exploring your passions and find yourself losing track of time as you get into the flow, go with it. This is how you build momentum and fall deeper and deeper into your passion until it becomes a part of who you are. When you reach this state, you will have arrived, and are finally living the passionate life you always wanted.

Click Here To Learn More…
By The Fire
By: Richard Palmquist, Dvm Gdvchm Cchvm
Tags: Passion, Winter, Poetry, Love, Heat

Can we sit by the fire

— burning mysteries

Holding

— Winter winds at bay?

Can we touch

— making something —

(Memories might hold…

— treasure we deposit —

To view

— as last breaths pass)

A currency of worth

— proving —

Cold was not the victor

— in a contest —

Of middles

— and extremes

Where frigid hands

— find warm hands

As fingers linger

— inquiring —

…Investigating…

— what tingles might come?

Then…to pass the night

— in lover’s bliss —

Together — without recollection

— of ice or wind or storm

Only

— the flood of happiness

The breaking down

— of walls with little use

As sharing

— became caring

And Making

— occupies our dreams.
Pierde-te. Cu puțină atenție, vei avea șansa să te găsești.
By: Diana T.
Tags: Passion, Digital Nomad Lifestyle, Freedom, Motorcycle

Artisan of words and thoughts. Dedicated in designing a sense of style through ideas meant to illustrate the good and the inspiring beauty in the world. 💜
My Growth at London Real Academy
By: Mary Tapa
Tags: Successful Entrepreneurs, Passion, Support, Take Action, Trust

Hello There,

Whatever it is that you are passionate about and would absolutely love to do, do it. I have had this great longing on how to serve as a Heart Centered Life Coach. I finally decided to go after that deep longing, but to seek for support from someone who has done it, is still doing it and thriving. I decided to start this great course called Business Accelerator from London Real. I was so much afraid to speak to an audience and had no idea how to provide the value I had to my ideal clients. This leap that I took few weeks back has proven to be worth it in every single way.

I have learned so much with the support of an incredible team led by Brian Rose. I am more clear about who to serve, I have created my own product, have scheduled webinars and delivered in style with confidence and clarity. I am more than sure of my path today than I was few weeks back. The impact I have had on people with the new technics and strategy is what you will need to move forward in life no matter what your passion is. I was able to start making that money and the feeling is so amazing with the changes that my clients are experiencing.

This course and many that the academy offers will take your life to a whole new level and meaning you will cherish all your life. Take action now and see how much clarity, confident, and aligned you will be as all things come together as a full package.

Thank you Brian and the entire London Real staff for all the work you put in to empower men and women around the world to make it a better place.

Best,

Mary Tapa
YOU KNOW NOTHING!
By: Chidinma Nwaogazi
Tags: Sex, Passion, Love And Sex, Poem, Love

YOU KNOW NOTHING!

Photo by Erik Lucatero on Unsplash

Do you know I watch you sleep? Do you know I purposely watch you take off your clothes because its the hottest thing? Do you know I consider everything you say as mind fuckery? Do you know the thought, just the thought of you is sexually stimulating for two.

Do you know you were made for my adoration? Do you know I am utterly in awe of you? You know nothing! Absolutely nothing.

But I know you watch me sleep, I know when I take off my clothes on purpose its the hottest thing you’ve seen, I know everything I say is mind fuckery , I know thinking about me stimulates your soul, I know my body was meant for your adoration, and I know you’re in awe of me.

I think, I know everything.

If you know how I want to worship your naked body with mine, just so I can learn your secrets and please you for days, Its so much more than a fitting hunger, its a crave, for all of you, to explore all your senses.

Would you still let me in? Into your existence?. That, I do not know.
Us
By: Gb Rogut
Tags: Gb Rogut, Passion, Poetry, Relationships, Love

Us

Photo by Asad Photo Maldives from Pexels

It was a kiss,

with a dose of a smile

It was my lips,

aching to celebrate

this communion

with you

It was my tongue,

claiming the mouth

it had dreamed of

for so long

It was lust,

it was joy,

finally

It was happiness,

undiluted,

straight to my heart

It was desire,

daring come alive

It was love,

a challenge to life

and her torturous designs

It was us,

my love,

it was us.
My Darling Maria
By: Gaston King
Tags: Passion, Desire, Love Letters, Poetry, Love

Photo by Annette Sousa on Unsplash

I find patience to be difficult when I have someone as uplifting as you.

A part of me wants to explore and conquer new things.

The other part wishes to sit, listen, and hear every syllable you mutter.

I timidly tell myself, “Calm down, you’ll scare her off. One day at a time.”

Months later you command my attention.

Written messages sent before, during, and after hardships.

Your kiss is one that is sweeter than a fine wine.

Best paired with any meal, any time, and any place.

After conquering long days, I remind myself to pause,

To take a breath, and remember how thankful I am to have you.

It’s the messages, the texts, the calls, a touch, or a kiss that releases me.

All the words you send my way, make me giggle with glee.

My love, you have captivated my heart and brought me immense happiness.

I am the most joyful I have been in this life because of my time with you.

You inspire me to this day, to grow, to learn, and take on life’s many challenges.

And I am not alone, I have you with me every step of the way.

When we first met, I strived to hide my true feelings within.

From the work place I forcibly acted distant, busy, when all I wished to do was annoy you.

You know now and forever baby, you are all I ever wanted.

God combined kindness, beauty, intelligence, and topped you off with a sprinkle of crazy.

But in that he created the most interesting being on the planet.

Time has not been good to me over the years,

Challenging me with a list of emotional hardships.

It will all have been worth it if I have the privilege to call you mine.

I don’t deserve your love.

If a man asks a woman to be an angel in his life,

He must sculpt heaven for her, angels don’t belong in hell.

I will continue doing my best, for you, for me and for us.

I love you, always have and always will.

All my love

© Gaston King, all rights reserved
Monday, December 14, 2020
By: Lukasz Laniecki
Tags: Money, Passion, Career Advice, Life, Careers

Woke up 4:00 am

I had what I believe was a ground-breaking thought yesterday.

A person on Quora asked me yesterday if I have worries about not being able to cover some significant (both important and high) expense in my old age, or if all of a sudden something bad happens.

She asked “what if something out of the ordinary happens that the money and stability I would have gotten from my miserable career would have helped. For example if tomorrow you needed to pay some huge bill (or the day after tomorrow in your old age you can’t work) how would you afford it.”

And I surprised myself, I must admit, with the clarity with which I responded to that.

I wrote

“I deal with it with ease. That’s always a gamble, and I gamble. What if war breaks out tomorrow? What if I die at 45? Plus I’m aware if the fact that shit happens and people who always picked “the more reasonable thing” and who have been saving their entire lives can suddenly lose it all because someone duped them, or there was a financial crisis (the stock market crashed) or some other shit. And what? They too might need to cover some huge bill tomorrow. And? The fact that you’ve been cautious your entire life and you did the “safe thing” doesn’t mean you’re actually safe. You aren’t 100% safe. Just as there is not 100% chance that I will need to cover some huge bill in my 80s. You see my point?”

Life’s a gamble. I will paste the last two sentences here again so that they reverberate.

The fact that you’ve been cautious your entire life and you did the “safe thing” (I especially mean that you picked the “stable” and “reasonable” career so that you can save up for your old age or so that you have some savings in case they’re needed in case something happens) doesn’t mean you’re actually safe. You aren’t 100% safe. Just as there is not 100% chance that I will need to cover some huge bill in my 80s (or that I’ll actually need more cash / that something for which I’ll need this money will actually happen). There’s some chance, but it’s never 100%. So we need to gamble.

Those who don’t want to gamble can end up going through life with enough savings on their bank accounts which they will then pass on to their family (nothing extraordinary will happen that would justify having such fund just in case). Besides, if you absolutely need this kind of “security” buy an extra insurance. And I don’t mean life insurance. Life insurance means that you need to earn quite a lot each year (which in turn means that you need to have this “reasonable career”). I mean such insurance which you buy for a real estate — something akin to that. They’re not expensive. They cost reasonable money per year. And when real shit happens (and you suddenly need a lot of cash) they could cover that. I think you could do that, but most people would rather pick life insurance, because they want the money back — they want it as a special fund for their retirement. Because they already know that they will retire (because they can’t imagine not retiring).
Integrity: Doing The Right Thing Always.
By: Yuvraj Dhepe
Tags: Passion, Life, Friendship, Love, Integrity

#S4

Once there were 2 people involved in a friendship bond, i.e a boy and a girl. Let’s call them Lola n Bunny.

By Lola.

Bunny was someone who would remember every small bit and bytes about the girl. A good sharer and also a good learner, who always did the best, if some mistake happened at his end then he tried to work on it always. Lola was rather a simple one, who was good with her arts and paintings trying to express herself in one form in the paintings and used to share her art, not so frequently as much as the boy contributed to their bond between them. Both of them were happy with the other person anyways and loved this bond of friendship they had got.

With time since contribution from the girl’s side was a little less Bunny felt, he is giving his best from his side and not getting a good amount of response, so in spite of his own sharing nature the boy reduced giving his best to the girl.

One day Bunny showed Lola his collection of Marbles which he had been collecting for a long time and the she was fascinated, on the same day Lola had prepared some sweets to share and have for herself. Well Bunny had a sweet tooth so wanted to have it all so in sweetness both agreed again to give their best.

Bunny gave the best of the marbles, but being a little conservative this time he ended up keeping 2 to 3 best marbles with himself. Lola being simple n sweet in her nature gave all she had.

On the same night Bunny had no sleep and spent the whole night thinking man like me did Lola kept some great sweets with her, then he realized that why not to ask n confirm.

Next day…

Hey Miss, did you share with me all the sweets you had, and the girl replied with a yes. Soon the boy realized his mistake and apologized for what he did and changed the way he behaved with the girl by open discussion with the girl about his side and why he did this..(Maybe because of receiving less response from Lola.)

Soon in time both of them started contributing and made equal contribution in the bond they had and enjoyed each other’s presence in their life together. This was a short story describing my own experience with a girl, which taught me a lesson about integrity.

Unknown Sources

Here’s the Moral.. Moral: Don’t make your Integrity depend on someone else’s contribution, always give your best and 100% no matter what and let the other person contribute in their own way. If you feel something is not right then discuss it openly and find a solution as believe me, your love and integrity will find the solution to every problem in life.

If you have Lola, in your life, I would like to hear about her n little life lesson you both had while growing up. You may share in the comments.

Join me on this 15 story journey. Here are the links to the previous stories:

#S3: Forgiveness: Relief from Hatred
Our Peaceful Wild
By: Becca Bycott
Tags: Poetry On Medium, Passion, Poetry, Poetry Sunday, Love

Photo by Trent Haaland on Unsplash

I used to live in a back yard

Now I wander through an open meadow

Where the small of my back is

Your claimed geography

We discovered that day

With surprised smiles over smoky cocktails

The best parts of each other

Nakedly true, soft and limitless

The other parts

Still tentatively emerging

From the ancient seashells

Of our survival hearts

Carefully crafted anecdotes, echoes of similarity

Like sparklers leaving glowing trails in the dark

Growing time, trust, truth in distilled batches

Between hours we steal from our lives

The world’s dangers rushing by

Before collapsing into our peaceful wild
Passion and Warmth Like No Other
Tags: Soulmates, Passion, Haiku, Eternal Love, Love

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PASSION/RENJANA
By: Yoga Priambudi
Tags: Renjana, Passion, Mindset, Mindfulness, Education

be a good person for yourself
Save This Dance
By: Shalini C
Tags: Passion, Dancing, Poetry Sunday, Couples, Stress Management

Photo by Natalia Sobolivska on Unsplash

“Ask me for a dance”, I timidly suggest

Your mouth stiffens agape in protest

at this preposterous image sewn in time

of our leotard-clad limbs locked in a grind

but outside my window, the sun is a yellow disco ball

and beneath our bare feet, the cold linoleum gently sweeps

any infinite alibi to sit this dance by

none that can resist the lewd sway of hip twists

so let’s smudge the floor with our rusty feet’s flounder

Dance our worries till the sky’s pink slaughter

As you hold me by my eyes —

curtains swaying to the rhythm’s thrum

lights mount a match boy-girl

tangoed dizzy on a table candelabrum

for today

the hope for tomorrow is shattered

not until the stars in our bones clatter

for today

we’re alive as the bleed of a dream

within a dream

safe as the cocoon of a photo

within a photo frame.
I Masturbated To His Voice
By: Wistful Writer
Tags: Sex, Passion, Nonmonogamy, Masturbation, This Happened To Me

I Masturbated To His Voice

Image by Khusen Rustamov from Pixabay

My panties were pooling… leaking out into my jeans.

I just listened to an amazing audio sent to me by someone. Someone special. Who he is, or how we know each other is irrelevant here.

His voice, and those dirty, sexy as fuck words. Worked like magic. I never had thought it was possible…but it happened. Here’s what he said —

“Oh my God, hurry…sneak in here with me. We really shouldn’t be doing this. Oh Fuck, I can’t help it. Pull down your pants, that’s right…underwear too. Oh my God, your pussy’s already so wet. Oh, Gawwd…So warm…Fuckk. Bite my neck, bite it. Leave a mark. Mark me as yours…Fuck. Do you want me to pull my dick out? Do you, do you..want to fuck in here, before anyone finds out? I’ll fuck you, fuck you so good. I don’t have a condom, I hope you don’t mind. I’m just gonna………cum in you. Fuckk, that’s right baby, give yourself to me. GIVE YOUR PUSSY TO DADDY, NOW. Do it, fuck me ..fuck me. There you go, good girl, good girl. Oh yeaaah, let daddy fuck that pussy. Good girl…I can feel you dripping all over…Yes”.

Yes, that's all it took. Just the above words, in his voice, recorded and sent.

I touched myself as I listened to him. Playing his voice on my laptop, I switched on the voice recorder on my phone. I wanted to return the favor.

Not with words, but with moans.

Moans of me masturbating…to his voice.

Just typing this makes me want to stop and go do the whole thing again. But I will wait till I finish telling y’all what I did.

So, I got naked…opened his voice attachment on my laptop. Kept my phone with the voice recorder on, right next to me, and started touching myself. By the time he said, “Pull down your pants”. I was already two fingers deep.

I massaged my G-spot with my fingers while using my clit sucking toy on my engorged clit. It was working and I was steadily grinding against my own hand. Moaning steadily, the rhythm set.

As soon as he said, “I’m just gonna…cum in you”, I had a tiny orgasm. But it didn't stop there. His voice got hoarser, now I had three fingers thrusting and massaging, and my moans sounded like a primal creature writhing in pain pleasure.

There was a steady built up of my moaning, and it reached a crescendo as he uttered the words, “good girl, good girl”. I exploded into a huge rolling orgasm. Clenching my thighs, toes curled, feet arched, currents pulsed through my body…moaning for dear life….

I finally switched off the clit sucker and pulled out my soaked, cum-coated fingers. The recording ended with me letting out a nervous laugh. I was embarrassed but satisfied. I played it for myself to listen to. Damn, it did sound pretty hot, but I knew my overthinking would start soon.

So I quickly pressed send…
The Art of Self-Motivation
By: Dhruv Rajesh
Tags: Passion, Inspirational, Motivation

Drawing a Conclusion

The above is an example of what is known as “slacking off”, which the best way to describe is losing motivation in life — losing the spark that drove you to reach beyond your limits and pursue useful endeavors. Believe me — slacking off gives you so much instant gratification and makes you feel so happy with yourself, until reality dawns on you.

What was the problem? Why did I slack off? Let’s define a few terms: extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. If you break up those words, “ex” means outside and “in” means within , therefore extrinsic motivation is relying on external factors to keep you motivated and intrinsic motivation is relying on internal factors to keep you motivated. Here is a good analogy:

The left is extrinsic motivation, because the guy wants to work for a trophy. The right is intrinsic motivation, because the guy wants to work for happiness. Source: 1500 × 844 (google.com)

I relied on both however — external because I was seeking a reward (whether it would be a certification for a coding challenge, etc.) and internal because I was also doing it for the purpose of growth. Why did I lose motivation then, if I didn’t rely too heavily on extrinsic motivation?

The answer was that I relied too heavily on intrinsic motivation, and pushed my mind to its limits. I knew that certifications were a thing, but I wanted growth and enjoyment, which slowly started to wear off as time went on.
If Passion was a Color….
By: Kim Petersen
Tags: 2020, Passion, Living With Purpose, Newsletter, Love

Would you call it red?

Photo by Timothy Dykes

I’m thinking you would.

Whether positive or negative, passion is such a strong emotion and red is a passionate color.

Passion is the fuel in the fire of action.

Red is the color of blood and fire. The color of scarlet is also associated with meanings of love, desire, heat, longing, lust, sexuality, romance, courage, willpower and rage …. among other things.

There are crimes of passion, hearts of passion, creative passions and passionate love.

Positive passion is an emotion to be acted upon because desire fueled by passion has the power to manifest wonderful results, and let’s get real, a life without passion won’t yield the deep fulfillment we crave.

If there is one thing that I know it’s that I don’t want to get to the end of my life and regret unfollowed passions, and deep down, I bet you feel the same way.

It’s that underlying feeling that keeps me going when things appear too hard or grim, don’t go my way or I feel like giving it all up.

Passion can push you through difficult times because you don’t care what it takes to become better. We all have the ability to create whatever kind of life we want. The secret to living the dream is hidden in our passions and what we do because of them.

Wikipedia defines passion as:

A feeling of intense enthusiasm towards or compelling desire for someone or something.

Ancient Greek prophetess and philosopher, Diotima of Mantinea knew that sexual desire and passion were intricately linked with spiritual attainment and enlightenment.
30 Unique parent gifts for mom and dad.
By: Lifestyle International
Tags: Gifts, Holidays, Passion, Parenting, Love

Gifts are a sign to show our appreciation to our folks, but make sure it is a meaningful unique parent gift, make them feel special and wanted.

Unique parent gifts for mom and dad is what we are about today. We all want to gift our special people in life. It sure does feel nice for somebody you gift to know that you put in some thought to the whole process, so make that gift meaningful, especially if it is going to your parents. Lucky for you, in this article, we have all the gift selecting process narrowed down for you, we have done all the cumbersome work for you so that you focus on enjoying the experience that comes with it. We have laboured to combine unique detailed parent gifts ranging from 14k gold bracelets if you want something niche and peculiar to wine coolers, to complete outdoor grill accessory kits. We have combined over 30 meaningful parent gifts that will put a smile on your folks, and made it easy for you to shop at a glance at the bottom of every gift post. So sit back, hold on tight and enjoy the ride, i mean we are shopping for mum and dad !!

1. Art metal art work

Looking for some luxury art as a sentimental unique parent gift ? This metal art work puts the ‘d’ in dazzle, it will leave your visitors turning heads, if not their necks…its a good buy for a parent that appreciates the finer things in life.

More details:

-Unique Design Metal Wall Art, Metal Moose Decor

-Dimension: *40"W x 17"H / 100x44 cm

-Color: Matt Black, Black textured static powder coating. Product stands 2 cm (0.78") away from the wall.

-Product Material: 2 mm steel Quality Lightweight 16 Gauge Steel

-Easy to hang from backside hanger. You just need nail on the wall

This type of mounting makes the artwork look like it’s floating which creates an interesting drop shadow and 3D effect. For indoor or outdoor use. Care instructions: Our products are made of steel/metal, and powder coated to last for years to come. This means that most of the products are shatterproof and UV-resistant! Clean with mild soap and water. Why powder coating instead of other painting methods? Powder Coating is more durable and is safe for the environment. It gives consumers, businesses, and industries one of the most economical, longest lasting, and most color-durable quality finishes available on virtually any type of metal. Powder coated surfaces are more resistant to chipping, scratching, fading, and wearing than other finishes.

BUY NOW
Day 11 — Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
By: Bob Weishar
Tags: Founder Stories, Passion, Startup, Founders, Diabetes

Day 11 — Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

This Sprint I’m focused on testing an idea to teach kids the skills to manage type 1 diabetes. But the first few customer discovery interviews this week surprised me. Parents just did not identify teaching their kids skills as a major pain point. Sure, they were doing it— and no doubt, kids were learning — but it just wasn’t a problem they were trying to solve.

But then I also realized my sample size only included young children who were recently diagnosed. What’s truly appropriate for a 5-year old to do? What skills should 5-year olds be building? And how does that differ from a 15-year old?

Lately I’ve been fascinated by the idea of a hero’s journey.

Image credit: Joseph Campbell

It’s a common storytelling technique, but I’m interested in it for how it relates to kids who are diagnosed with a chronic health issue. Their Call to Adventure is their diagnosis, and it sets them off on an epic journey.

But the adventure is filled with unknowns and obstacles that will test every part of them. For many families, it can feel like they’re alone in this horror story. But they’re not alone: the path they’re taking is filled with challenges other families have faced and are facing.

What if we could guide them along their journey?

So I went to Google…

I’ve been interested by this idea of teaching the right skills at the right time, and it turns out I’m not the first. There’s a ton of research into child development milestones, both generally-speaking as they relate to all kids and specific to type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes-Focused Milestones Research

I found a few really excellent publications tying age-specific diabetes milestones and call for a shared responsibility approach to care.

Each of the papers had slightly different approaches, but the same common theme of combining child development milestones, a family-based approach to care, and child self-care milestones. So I started to pull it together in a spreadsheet.

Pulling Together the Research

Source Research

General Chronic Care for Kids Research

Another frequently-referenced model I found evaluates the entire family in their approach as a way to evaluate outcomes.

Credit: Kathleen Knafl

Source Research

Child Development Research

Finally, there is a huge field of research on child development that is not specific to any single chronic condition, but which plays an important role into milestone development.

Credit: Erik Erikson

Source Research

What Now?

It’s just the beginning. Right now, this feels like a 10,000 piece puzzle is spilled out in front of me. But I’m looking at the picture on the box and I’m really excited to put it together.

See you tomorrow.
Texasville
By: Lee Griffo
Tags: Passion, Sex, First Love

I was a hottie, once upon a Texasville saga.

Deep in the Heart of Texas, there are a thousand little cow towns strewn like confetti over the Llano Estacado. My father was born in one and picked another to call his own after the divorce. After I had run through all my family in states beginning with “A,” I went to exact my revenge on the man I thought ruined my mother.

The town in which my father lived seems lifted verbatim from the pages of McMurtry’s “Last Picture Show.” A dying town with six old family names, all ending in “schke.”

A cloud rolling in is an event at the Dairy Queen, the social hot spot in the county. The farmers and ranchers meander outside, important they not look too concerned. They assess distance and listen for wind, resting their hopes for the day on the chance it make for their own thirsty land. Slowly, they drift back to the same tables at which their fathers and grandfathers sat, drink the same coffee and tell the same stories.

Adultery and weather are primary topics, then high-school football, fishing and 4H. The county fair is the high-point of the year. Marriages and business deals are parlayed alongside prize hogs and barbecue. The faces change, but never the names. One son takes his father’s place on church pews and barstools, the rest head for the county line and never look back.

No one ever moves into town, much less a big-city girl with too many brains and not enough sense. To say I was a novelty would push the envelope of understatement.

Three days after my arrival in Texas, my father and his girlfriend introduced me to the Small Town Saturday Night. A band trucks in from a neighboring town, and all the cowhands and roughnecks scrub their faces, put on their one pair of clean, starched Wranglers and line up at the bar. Old married couples and longtime lovers convene at the beer joint, bringing their bottles and buying set-ups and beer. Two-steps and waltzes are the only allowable dances. Line-dancing is big-city, sissy-boy doin’s.

On this random Saturday night, in this random prairie town, I drank my first long-neck and caught up on the lost years of my father’s life.

The town trickled in. Each newcomer cut a long, golden arc of dusk across the darkness with the swinging door. Once, the light was obscured by a longer shadow and I looked toward the source.

The Big Guy filled the doorway. Six foot, four inches of superior Slavic breeding, 240 lbs. of muscle, baby-blue eyes, and legs a Clydesdale would envy.

“Who IS THAT?” I asked of my father’s girlfriend. “Oh, that’s Henry. He’s married. Forget it.”

It took me ten years to forget it.
I Play the Bass
By: M V
Tags: Passion, Bass Guitar, Music, Life

On Friday August 21st, 2020, I feel like my life had changed, changed for the better. I went to a pawn shop near my house to see what musical instruments they had for sale. There it was hanging on the wall, a beautiful, black shiny bass guitar. It immediately caught my attention, as if it was screaming at me to pick it up.

I asked the manager if I could see it, and she said yes. I played a few notes for about a minute or two, and I was sold. I told the manager I would like to buy it, and she said if I wanted it, she’d take off 10%! I was ecstatic, I hadn’t even done anything! I was ready to buy it, but the manager said she’d let me test it out with the amp first to make sure that I liked it and that it worked. I told her I’m fine, but she insisted.

So, I plugged the bass in, and started playing around for about 10–15 minutes. I was sold. $80 for this bass, and it just so happened to come with a case! I was so happy to get it, I could wait to play it!

In the subsequent weeks, I found myself drawn to it in a way that I wasn’t to other instruments in the past. I didn’t have patience for the piano, and I already played the six string guitar since middle school, but I felt like I had reached my limit. I felt like my stubby fingers always got in the way of my playing, and needed space on the neck. My fingers would always get in the way. Not to mention I have long arms, and I felt stunted on a guitar neck. It just seemed some of the fun was gone.

I had no clue what playing the bass would be like, but I did have my curiosities about it over the years. It just felt like the right fit for me. It had a longer neck, space between the string on the neck, and a cool sound to match. I felt like a new door of creativity was opened for me. Now I’m actually interested in playing musical scales, and am making my own songs based off of them. I’m better able to play songs from artists I like, such as “Hat’s on Wrong” by Birthday Party, “Burning” by Fugazi, and “Tapeworm” by Pigface. I definitely feel like it’s my instrument of choice now, and I feel much more confident in myself because of it.
December Motivation #10
By: Nika Paradis
Tags: Dreams, Passion, Goals, Self, Motivation

So you have a dream, and it became a plan and a goal. Why do you have this goal? What is the reason behind it? We talked about the importance of your why in December Motivation #8.

Understanding your why is crucial. The stronger your why, the bigger your passion. You need to have great passion to continue taking steps and that fire needs to be your fuel so that you don’t give up when things get tough.

If you’re doing things for the wrong reason, change your why. Are you doing a task just to get it done or to learn something new and do it right? Sometimes just changing your why can create a shift in your perspective and the right why can motivate you to become unstoppable.
I Will Learn to Live Without You
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Passion, Poetry, Self, Love, Motivation

I want to admit.

I want to confess.

A truth that is hidden from you,

I didn’t do it on purpose,

But I forgot to mention.

Forgive me if it hurts.

But look through my eyes.

You will see what I saw.

So here I begin

You aren’t my first love

I had loved before

I had fallen in love before

I still love it

More than you

I know it’s painful

But you’ll be better

My passion calls me

My dreams influence me

To write and share

For writing is my first love.

It hugged me in private.

And then declared my status,

To the world,

That, I am a writer.

I love my work

More than you

It soothes me

It quenches my angst

I feel myself when I write.

My heart starts to beat.

I breathe life.

Judge me and lose me

For I can’t leave my love

I can’t leave my life

I will learn to live without you.

But how can I live without my life?

Forgive me for this betrayal.

Let me ask you about your first love.

Can you forget it for life?
Tidak Ada Fiksi yang Lebih Dahsyat dari Agama
By: El Faizziyan
Tags: Sapiens, Science, Humankind, Evolution

My one and only standard of morality is individual liberty.
The Reality of Reality
By: Kartik Agrawal
Tags: Perception, Evolution, Spirituality, Psychology, Reality

The Reality of Reality

Is reality objective or subjective? Meaning, is it the same for all or different for everyone? If it is different for everybody, then is it that no one perceives the ultimate reality? If yes, then why? How does the vague sense of reality give meaning to our life? Or do we have any sense of it at all? Let us contemplate these above questions one by one with the knowledge of Evolution.

Through our perception, we experience the sight of an amazingly colourful and vibrant world, taste the molecules of our favourite dishes, smell fragrant molecules of a flower carried by wind to our nose but, is this all that is out there? No, the visible spectrum is only a small part of the EM waves that surround us in every moment in space and time. This incompleteness is not particular to only vision but all the senses. A mouse is evolved to smell more molecules than humans, which helps it to find food. Therefore, a mouse’s perception of reality is more filled with different odours and, thus, different from ours. When applied to all organisms and their senses, similar reasoning concludes that reality is subjective, or at least its perception is.

The preceding small exercise of mind brings us to our next question of discussion: why didn’t the organisms ultimately evolved into seeing the ultimate reality as life got more complex with time? Or, are we still in the process of it? The surprising answer is that it is better to see reality as incomplete and different from others as it gives survival advantages. For example, let us say there are two species in an area competing for resources then, if they perceive the same taste and smell molecules, the competition for resources would be very high. On the other hand, if one species’ senses evolve to sense the odour of different molecules coming from a nearby source, it can increase its chances of survival by eliminating competition. A very renowned cognitive scientist and professor at the University of California, Donald D. Hoffman, once said,

“Evolution has shaped us with perceptions that allow us to survive. But part of that involves hiding from us the stuff we don’t need to know. And that’s pretty much all of reality, whatever reality might be.” — Donald Hoffman

Further, imagine what the world would look like if we could see the full spectrum of light. If we assume that the visible spectrum’s perception will be the same, we would see black and colourful flashes. When the eye’s receptors pick up a photon outside from the visible spectrum, the brain will give no colour, and when it picks one from the visible, we will see the corresponding colour. Apart from the competition, it will also make it challenging to detect predator’s presence and thus survive. So, should we feel depressed for not seeing the reality? Not necessarily, as still there is a lot that is admirable in this very incomplete sense of reality. This I leave up to the reader as everyone may find beauty in different things and that’s alright as it’s just a perception.
I feel like I’ve been in a coma for about 20 years, and I’m just now waking up…
By: Late Bloomer
Tags: Revolution, Jupiter, Evolution, Age Of Aquarius, Saturn

I feel like I’ve been in a coma for about 20 years, and I’m just now waking up…

I was expecting to feel fresh and uplifted during the conjunction of reasonable Saturn 🪐 and wild Jupiter. I’m actually just really tired. If I’m paying close attention, think I’m tired of the habits I’ve carried with me for all this time. Our habits are like a ball and chain. It’s exhausting to be burdened by things that just aren’t working. Like swimming upstream or going against the grain. How irrational is it that the freedom I yearn for is completely available to me, yet I don’t take it? I don’t know if I will ever understand myself. But this is it. It’s now or never, for most of us. Change or die. The manmade systems of the world and unnecessary structures of society are collapsing everywhere, including in our own lives. The solstice happened, and revolution is in the air. I do not know how it will happen, but it is stirring within me and all around me. Is this my destiny?

Despite this being the hardest year of my life, it has been the most fruitful period of growth in the shortest period of time. I believe there are many people experiencing this type of change. I also believe that we have determined the existence of quantum consciousness and that we are going to learn to use it. Evolution is wild. This life is wild. Anything can happen. Game on, Universe.

Maybe I am not so jaded after all.
Rational Optimist — Notes. François Quesnay and his fellow…
By: Sohil Gupta
Tags: History, Evolution, Industry

in The New York Times
The Painter
By: Carmiel Frutkoff
Tags: Art, Revolution, Evolution, Identity

Revolution does not know nuance,

Nuance does not allow change.

Photo by Yannis Papanastasopoulos on Unsplash

I once met a painter while walking through a Jerusalem Market. She was dreaming a world of colours mixed in such harmony, that I; who have always wished to mix people of different shapes and colours in such a manner, stopped — to find inspiration for a while.

She paused and looked up.

“Are you a Rembrandt or a Picasso?” She asked me.

I wasn’t quite sure, so she painted me a picture of words.

Picasso was a Revolutionist, Rembrandt, a conformist.

Picasso broke the rules, he was loud and flamboyant and never painted beyond the surface.

Rembrandt longed for harmony and order. He was methodical and disciplined. He would paint with a two haired brush,

layer upon layer upon layer upon layer.

He lived in poverty in a time of peace, whereas Picasso lived in affluence during a time of war.

People are generally one or the other. Which are you?

I admired both painters… and could not decide.

Some days I’m Rembrandt, other days I’m Picasso.

I’m sure you could pick for me,

it is easy to define the other and place them in a box.

But I don’t know who I am,

and I think I may never know.
The right suffering
By: Zsolt Hermann
Tags: Humanity, Evolution, Education, Development, Suffering

Question from the Internet:

“Is suffering a part of the human condition?”

Yes, as without suffering, without feeling a lack, we would never develop, move out of our comfort zone.

But this suffering doesn’t have to be actual, painful, intolerable pain. We could develop in a way that therefore that pulls us towards is a positive, “love suffering", constantly aiming at a higher, better, more optimal future state we couldn’t reach yet, but which state is so important, desired that we feel that without reaching is life is worthless.

This is the positive, hastened way of development instead of instinctively, blindly running away from actual pain, actual physical suffering.

Whether we consent to it or not, Nature’s relentless evolutionary plan is driving us towards a final, most optimal goal together with the whole Natural system. As we are oblivious about this plan and the final goal, at this stage Nature’s drives, develops is by blows — like the coronavirus for example — from behind.

But through a unique, purposeful and highly practical educational method we could understand, map the Natural developmental plan with our own role in i it. Then we can shift to the above mentioned positive suffering, pulling ourselves ahead without waiting for the blows.

https://youtu.be/D-2IIEh6fu4
The only change we need is taking our evolution into our own hands
By: Zsolt Hermann
Tags: Humanity, Evolution, Change, Education, Development

Question from the Internet:

“If you could change one thing about the entire human species what would you change and why?”

The Human species stands before its greatest evolutionary jump.

Similarly how billions of years ago single-cell organisms made the transition to form multi-cellular organisms for the obvious evolutionary advantage, now Humanity — feeling in a fully integrated and interdependent world as a result of evolution’s push towards integration — has to consciously transition from an inherently egotistic, individualistic, ruthlessly competitive existence towards a fully integrated, altruistic, mutually responsible and mutually complementing development.

While the earlier transition was unconscious, this Human transition will unfold with full awareness, purposefully and methodically, people willingly participating against and above their inherent nature.

And this conscious self-change, self-upgrade and the contrast between what we are born to and what we choose to become gives us our unique, unparalleled evolutionary edge.

This way even after integrating with each other and into Nature, we will retain a fully conscious, independent Human mind and perception. This will make us into Nature’s only conscious, inner observers, and the system’s active, benevolent partners, witnesses.
Photographical Representation of the Advantage of Trichromancy in Foraging Tasks
By: Keitlyn Alcantara
Tags: Trichome, Foodways, Evolution, Food Photography

By Elijah Gibson

Bibliography

Caine, N. (n.d.). Demonstration of a foraging advantage for trichromatic marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi) dependent on food colour. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10737399/ (Links to an external site.)

Carvalho, L., Pessoa, D., Mountford, J., Davies, W., & Hunt, D. (2017, April 05). The Genetic and Evolutionary Drives behind Primate Color Vision. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2017.00034/full (Links to an external site.)

Foroni, F., Pergola, G., & Rumiati, R. (2016, November 14). Food color is in the eye of the beholder: The role of human trichromatic vision in food evaluation. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5107980/ (Links to an external site.)

Melin, A., Chiou, K., Walco, E., Bergstrom, M., Kawamura, S., & Fedigan, L. (2017, September 11). Trichromacy increases fruit intake rates of wild capuchins (Cebus capucinus imitator). Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/09/07/1705957114 (Links to an external site.)

Melin, A., Kline, D., Hickey, C., & Fedigan, L. (2013, May 03). Food search through the eyes of a monkey: A functional substitution approach for assessing the ecology of primate color vision. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042698913001119 (Links to an external site.)

Melin, A., Nevo, O., Shirasu, M., Williamson, R., Garrett, E., Endo, M., . . . Kawamura, S. (2019, June 03). Fruit scent and observer colour vision shape food-selection strategies in wild capuchin monkeys. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10250-9 (Links to an external site.)

Spence, C., Okajima, K., Cheok, A., Petit, O., & Michel, C. (2015, October 01). Eating with our eyes: From visual hunger to digital satiation. Retrieved December 6, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278262615300178 (Links to an external site.)

Spence, C. On the psychological impact of food colour. Flavour 4, 21 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13411-015-0031-3
How the Morphology of Our Jaws and Skulls have Changed Over Time
By: Keitlyn Alcantara
Tags: Anthropology, Food, Evolution, Prehistory

Bibliography

1. Nestor, James. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. Riverhead Books, an Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2020.

2. Wilford, John Noble. “Human Teeth, Small Already, Keep On Shrinking.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 1988, www.nytimes.com/1988/08/30/science/human-teeth-small-already-keep-on-shrinking.html.

3. Ungar, Peter S. “Why We Have So Many Problems with Our Teeth.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-have-so-many-problems-with-our-teeth/.

4. Gibbons, Ann, and Photographs by Matthieu Paley. “The Evolution of Diet.” National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/evolution-of-diet/.

5. Cramon-Taubadel, Noreen Von. “Measuring the Effects of Farming on Human Skull Morphology.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 114, no. 34, 2017, pp. 8917–8919., doi:10.1073/pnas.1711475114.

6. University, Stanford. “The Toll of Shrinking Jaws on Human Health.” Stanford News, 22 July 2020, news.stanford.edu/2020/07/21/toll-shrinking-jaws-human-health/.

7. Sample, Ian. “Oldest Homo Sapiens Bones Ever Found Shake Foundations of the Human Story.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 7 June 2017, www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/07/oldest-homo-sapiens-bones-ever-found-shake-foundations-of-the-human-story.