Action

Do Something: A Short Diatribe

“Be quiet, play by the rules, stand in line,” the system implicitly tells us. To hell with that. Break the rules. Open your eyes. Make some noise. Our institutions and sociocultural structures are failing us, and now is the time to take notice. Economic inequality has never been greater. Billions of people are living in poverty, starving, [...]

“What do you desire?” asks the great philosopher, Alan Watts. “What would you like to do if money were no object? How would you really enjoy spending your life?” We hear these words, and we recoil slightly. We’re immediately suspicious. It’s rare in our lives to encounter someone audacious enough to prompt us to consider a [...]

We want everyone to like us, but we shouldn’t. As social creatures, we are concerned, often to a fault, with whether or not we are enjoyed, appreciated, and respected by those around us. We pander to the whims of others, hoping to please everyone (or at least find few enemies). We try to behave affably, [...]

Most people drift through days robotically, feeling vaguely lost and dissatisfied. They filter through the system, doing what they’ve been told to do, living out cookie-cutter lives, and distracting themselves whenever possible. This may sound like a cynical viewpoint, but I’m afraid it isn’t. I’ve definitely been one of those people for periods of time. [...]

Since the day you were born, you’ve been conditioned to think in certain ways. It might seem like you’ve been free to choose your own attitudes and ideas, but for most people, this isn’t really the case. You see, in any society, there is a status quo — a current standard of the most popular [...]

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