Humanity
Disentangled Threads Like Us
Carrying the world above our shoulders is a task that we eventually learn (or hope) to manage as we get older. Not only do we carry love, hurt, memories, unforgettable faces, smiles, worries, hopes, fears, and so on - but our soul eventually starts picking up and carrying little things that bring joy and purpose to our world (some people call them hobbies, others - their purpose).
By This is Euni5 years ago in Confessions
Know the Difference Between Distractive Loneliness and Desired Solitude
My kind of loneliness rather aggravated than relieved the gloom of my life. I stole cautiously towards my secluded bench in the middle of a little island of sunflowers in their utmost bloom and richness of color. One would be almost invisible amongst those kingly looking plants with their golden crowns and massive leaves.
By Olya Aman5 years ago in Confessions
My Boss Fell in Love With Me and Laid Me Off
Regret made me goofy. Sorrow gave me an enigmatic flavor. I was out of heart The existence of conscience makes the claws of regret sharp. And the stronger one, the deeper the other can penetrate a sensitive flesh. The depressing influence of this feeling creates the sensation of a jail in a living body. This emotion casts a grim look on life. The damp atmosphere that regret creates is suffocating. We need to learn how to dispel the smog from the past and at the same time to keep our hearts from being dried up.
By Olya Aman5 years ago in Confessions
I Am Not Her Negro
This was the scene. I had just watched the movie “I Am Not Your Negro” at the AMC Forum in Montreal. I quite liked it; many of the clips used to trace important moments in the life of the writer James Baldwin were material I had seen online or on TV programs too far back in my youth to forget them. What surprised me the most was the general premise of the movie: Baldwin intended to write a book based on the lives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers. He knew all three men. He understood what they represented for black America and how they were molded and formed by their relationship to white America. And he saw that all three men wanted the same things: respect, opportunities, and hope for themselves, their communities, and their families. Those dreams would not always be granted in their lives, but it was earned in their deaths and the legacies they left to be discussed and debated. The moments when Baldwin’s own responses to their losses are shared by Samuel L. Jackson are very moving; some of the most powerful moments in the film have no visible action on the screen except his voice repeating Baldwin’s own deep feelings. And because of these moments, I considered the film a true success. The audience seemed to feel that way, too, although I could not measure all of the individual opinions next to mine. It was a movie I had to watch without being conscious of any after-credits discussion about its merits, problems, and what it was all meant. I never thought about what it meant. I thought about how I felt. I thought about James Baldwin. I thought that I had to see it again.
By Kendall Defoe 5 years ago in Confessions
42
Can I be honest with you? Ten months ago I thought about killing myself. It was only fleeting and it was enough to scare me into doing something about it, but it was there. This is the first time I’ve written about it, mainly because I'm still processing it myself: why did I, with no history of mental wobbles and as someone who’s always been calm and in control of everything in his life, stand on a bridge at three in the morning and consider throwing myself into the river? It's an ongoing process. Even as I sit here tapping on the keyboard I constantly pause for reflection, trying to tease out the reason from a tangle of half-understood emotions.
By Emre Grub5 years ago in Confessions
Pete
Hey I’m Atlas the Kid. I’m a 20-year violinist, songwriter, writer and recording artist. Like fire, mankind discovered music in the dark. With patience and curiosity we grew to understand its power and with it we became enlightened. Today I wanted to take some time to talk about my last EP and put down some thoughts on the music. Mostly because some folks think April should be happier music. I say, Nah.
By Atlas the Kid5 years ago in Confessions
The Pain of Others
Did we have space? Who had case capacity? What options did the survivor have for government benefits, for immigration relief, for medical care, for legal protections, for help with their children, for work, for future housing? Did we have any funds left for an emergency hotel or Safeway gift cards? Could anyone else make it to their court hearing next week? How could we support an undocumented survivor in leaving abuse, given that their abuser had a gun, routinely threatened to report them to ICE, and that the survivor was completely opposed to involving law enforcement? What about the survivor who wanted a divorce, but felt they couldn’t separate from their abusive spouse until their joint asylum case concluded? Who could we report police misconduct to, or discrimination we encountered while interacting with district attorneys or court personnel? And as we tried to untangle all the different logistical aspects of someone’s case, how could we also help alleviate this person’s suffering, hold their trauma, affirm their rage, ease their despair, help them feel less alone?
By Shewriteshere5 years ago in Confessions
3 Reasons You Should Never Say What You Don’t Want
I had a friend who sadly passed away six years ago. Michael (not his real name for reasons which will become clear) was a very smart guy. Michael spoke several languages in addition to his native tongue of English. He was fluent in Russian, French and Spanish. He was a very in demand online, freelance translator for Wall Street investment brokers who wanted to do business abroad.
By Liam Ireland5 years ago in Confessions
