Seriously, though, I’d rather be blind than deaf.
Woah, I almost wanna say the same too, but on second thought, I’d rather be deaf than blind - that’s because I think eyes are the windows to a person’s soul, and I can peer into anyone’s soul just by eye contact. Too bad my eyesight is aging faster than the rest of me.
I’m a time traveler, I came back from the future just to tell you guys that we will naturally evolve from capitalism to democratic socialism, aka market socialism. It’s still capitalism, but better. You still have free markets, but cooperatives will beat corporations on account of simply being more competitive - you see, in a level playing field, cooperatives don’t need to squeeze their customers, employees, & vendors to maintain a profit margin for their investors, unlike every investor led corporation in the world. You can even ask the incoming mayor of New York about it. Wait a minute, is he a time traveler too?
Using a similar but different word?
It’s likely / mostly / rather possible / necessary.
Individual freedom is of utmost importance to us, but on our own, we feel lost & lonely. So we seek connection and comfort, but that binds us, so we run back to freedom. This is the see-saw or the yin-yang that applies to all life. Your cats for instance enjoy watching you from a distance, but stare back at them, and they will feel uncomfortable enough to walk away.
Being nice to nice people doesn’t take energy at all, instead it energizes us. But being nice to not so nice people, now that takes effort, i.e. use of mental resources, which can only be sustained for so long before the battery drains out, and you need a nap.
I think Math is the key differentiator. I saw my equally neurodivergent and artistic daughter stumble at Math just like I did at exactly the same age in middle school. It was fucking Algebra! We both didn’t have the most engaging teachers, were both easily distracted, and naturally both started failing in Math, just 30 years apart. I couldn’t memorize those damn equations no matter how hard I tried! My kid went even further to the point of hating Math, and thinking herself as less intelligent for not being able to understand it.
What helped me was my dad holding my hand and showing me that Math is a system that I can understand if I just applied myself. We are actually great at applying ourselves and thinking logically, so Math will come easy once we get over the initial hurdle. Of course I did my job as a dad too and became the supportive Math teacher that my kid needed me to be. My daughter also got over that hurdle, but many of her friends from that middle school that also stumbled at Math, did not get the support systems that they needed to get over the hump. As a result, all those poor kids will go their entire lives underestimating themselves, and thinking themselves as just weirdos instead of the geniuses that they likely are. It makes me mad.
The actual genius of neurodivergent folks lies not only in 1) being able to apply ourselves and thinking logically, but also in 2) how we thoroughly learn any system (like math, music, language, technology, tools etc) - we are slow because we take our time to poke around and double check every single scenario and calculation, but once we master it, we’re sure of every little aspect of that system, our opinions as good as facts, not open for argument or debate, 3) how we connect multiple such systems to solve complex problems, much like the geniuses of history - pattern recognition and strong observational abilities allow us to view problems ahead of time and from a higher vantage point - we see the forest too, and not just the trees, and 4) our higher sensitivity, awareness, and empathy naturally lead us to face head-on the true realities of all human condition, and prioritizing it over all the worldly facade of the status quo.
PS: I say neurodivergent as an umbrella term for ADHD, ASD, BPD, anxiety and whatnot because 1) who knows which exact condition causes which specific behavior, and 2) they tend to co-exist, different potion combinations make different magic.
Lol, good looks dumb cuz he dresses like a nerd, but he’s quietly a genius.
Are you saying batman always loses?
Correct, but remember the very old saying that good prevails over evil. It always has and always will, even in times when it’s hard to believe so.
This too shall pass! I’m personally familiar with the mental concoction of ADHD, ASD, BPD, PTSD, Anxiety etc that some of us carry, and how life can sometimes become so painful and unbearable that you can’t or don’t want to carry on anymore. Rejection and heartbreaks can be extra painful, especially at a young age like yours. So you turn to self hurt and substance abuse and other reckless behaviors. Many here have probably been there, done that. In that moment of misery, a better life seems impossible or even unimaginable. You don’t even care for a better life maybe. But believe me, things get better. Denial and anger will turn into acceptance and peace. The size of your grief will shrink as more things take it’s place. Life itself is much much bigger than any one individual event or feeling, it’s a precious opportunity to experience all that the universe has to offer. You feel you are all alone, as do many young men and women, but that’s not true at all, we are all here for each other. Lastly, I don’t need to even see you, but I’ll tell you that you are inherently beautiful and absolutely worthy of love, as is any living being. Hugs to you, please stay with us.
Paper beats rock.
Yes, idea is to spread power and not allow greed to take over. A Democratic Republic, i.e. a representative democracy is a good start but not good enough - we already have that in America & most countries worldwide, but that didn’t do much. What we need is widespread democratic socialism, i.e. market socialism i.e. co-ops, credit unions, open source etc.
A greedy sociopathic leader with lack of empathy will always cause starvation, be it capitalism or communism or any other system anywhere. Shitty kings, dictators, and colonialists have always caused this since the beginning of time. It ain’t about the system.
Not me, I’ve actually found my fucking mind, but you do have to lose it before you can find it. I’ve been in and out depression over the last few years. I’m no longer worried or anxious, but instead calm and at ease - because now I am able to make sense of the world, and I can clearly see that things will always be alright in the long term.
WAIT, I AM ALREADY DOING IT!
A goalkeeper in soccer or similar. It’s a thankless job, you save 10 shots, nobody notices. But you miss one and you’ll be called a bum by your own fans. As opposed to a forward striker, who might miss 10 shots, nobody notices. But you make one and you’ll be a hero being paraded on shoulders.
George Carlin, Carl Sagan, Fred Rogers, Alan Watts. These people showed the true nature of reality to me like no teacher or book ever did. These are my Gods.
Market socialism, aka worker cooperatives, consumer cooperatives, credit unions, open source, fediverse etc are still part of capitalism, but are not profit first. All enterprise exists to create value for, and serve the community, profit doesn’t have to be the driver. When refugees move to a new city / country, they setup ways to share food, clothes and other goods in order to serve the community, it’s not profit first. In essence, when community is more important than commerce, then the enterprise won’t be profit first.
Enshittification is a result of a company trying to squeeze more out from their customers this quarter than they did last quarter. That is because the line must always go up, so any wall St or investor first company becomes a profit first company. This is the westernized flavor of capitalism. Not all capitalism is profit first.
I really don’t think that’s possible if you’re neurodivergent and unmedicated. There are too many bees buzzing in our heads to be that productive.