Taboo
Mastering Conflict with the Indirect Aggressor
Engaging in a debate or conflict with an individual who employs passive-aggressive tactics can be profoundly frustrating, often leaving you exhausted and questioning your own perceptions. Unlike overt aggression, which is direct and confrontational, passive-aggression is a subterranean form of hostility, marked by a resistance to demands for adequate performance in social or occupational situations, frequently alternating between obstructionism and deliberate inefficiency. It is a veiled attempt to exert control, punish, or express anger without the personal risk of open confrontation.
By Humberto Jaeres2 months ago in Confessions
Why I Stopped Chasing Motivation (And What I Do Instead)
For most of my twenties, I chased motivation the way people chase quick success. I’d watch endless motivational videos, read self-improvement quotes, and tell myself that tomorrow I’d finally start being productive. Tomorrow, I’d wake up early, crush my goals, and live like the people in those inspiring montages. But tomorrow rarely came. And when it did, I felt the same lack of drive, the same resistance, the same craving for another dose of motivation to get going.
By Umar Faiz2 months ago in Confessions
(Part 2) To the Man I Was at 19: A Letter from You - 12 Years Wiser (What God Was Doing All Along)
Hey, You spent so much time wondering where God was in all of it. What you did not see then was that He was never far. Every moment you felt overlooked or misunderstood, He was guiding you through lessons that cannot be taught by comfort. You were not abandoned; you were being equipped.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast3 months ago in Confessions
(Part 1) To the Man I Was at 19: A Letter from You - 12 Years Wiser
Hey, You don’t realize it now, but the way you feel everything so strongly is not a flaw. It is proof that your heart works exactly as it should. You care deeply, you hurt deeply, and you see the world through empathy before logic. That is not weakness. It is the foundation of the man you will become.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast3 months ago in Confessions
Empowering Relationships Through Technology
The way we connect with others has undergone a profound transformation. What once relied on physical proximity now thrives in digital spaces, where individuals foster meaningful interactions, build communities, and explore personal growth through innovative online platforms. This article explores the empowering role of digital connection platforms—spaces designed to celebrate consent, creativity, and self-expression in relationships. Far from misconceptions about online social tools, these platforms represent a democratized approach to interaction, offering avenues for education, entertainment, and personal development. Understanding their value can help anyone harness technology for healthier, more fulfilling connections.
By SATPOWER3 months ago in Confessions
Worked for a Secret Government Unit — Until They Erased My Memory
I used to think secret government programs were just conspiracy theories. The kind of stories people post online to make themselves feel important. I laughed at those people once. I don’t laugh anymore.
By America today 3 months ago in Confessions
confessions of a madwoman
for about three months, i forgot how to write. i couldn't draw or do much of anything creative but nothing terrified me on such an existential level as forgetting how to write. see, i had a condition called serotonin syndrome, an artificial build-up of the happiness chemical in my brain and it almost killed me. no joke, look it up. that particular side effect (of a cocktail of medications including a migraine preventative that was the last to be replaced) is a mortality risk and a half and i was grappling with the consequences of it at the same time as an identity crisis caused in part by the only viable solution to serotonin syndrome: serotonergic cessation. no serotonin aids for weeks. around that time i started having seizures whenever i tried to engage my imagination. it was hell. it still hurts a little to wrench the words from my subconscious to the surface and i'm twitching a bit because of it, but i'm afraid if i don't start writing again i'll never get back into the habit and this year has cost me so much already. i lost my mind, my career, my identity, my libido, possibly my marriage, definitely my sense of safety, and at least one extremely good friend whose loss i'm not allowed to grieve except at my therapist and buried in the lines of prose i scream into the void. i am profoundly alone and simultaneously surrounded by people who love me and it is the most surreal experience of my life. i'm in the middle of a full-blown PTSD resurgence, blending childhood and adult traumas together into a nightmarish hellscape that overlaps reality like a superimposed photograph all. the. time. and i'm having some kind of midlife crisis regarding my spirituality but lack of religious belief that led me to start a cult (which i will definitely be linking to when i finish writing this because shameless self promotion is the modus operandi). but in my defense the model is terribly unprofitable because the point is to crowd-source the epiphany to the masses, which means free access to all. the most important bits of the philosophy are completely free, from the playlist augury (which you can use to listen to the will of the universe once you tune it to your channel, so to speak) to the three mantras (which guide everyday decisions in the moment) to the twelve principles (which guide overall values and morals). they play off each other to create an implication of further values, but lack the strict methodical proscription of religious dogma. alchemy doesn't care how you get there, or even what you call it. all that matters is that you serve the equilibrium, the balance of the universe, the source of the energy, or your God by doing good things that adhere to the principles and live according to the mantras. if you don't want to use the playlist augury, you don't have to. be hyperpresent in your own body and do something that feels good while you think about who you are and what your place is in the world. mine is behind a screen, ranting like a crazy person (because I am a crazy person) about my nervous breakdown, my new cult, my impending bankruptcy, my new name, my rock bottom, my activist art that no one buys (but they should, since i don't even get a piece of some of them, so there will be another link here), my marriage, my mother... pretty much anything. so when i forgot how to write, i've never been so scared of anything in my life.
By Maia Gadwall the metAlchemist3 months ago in Confessions
Not Everything. Top Story - June 2024.
Do you ever feel like you can't run from yourself fast enough? Like every decision you’ve ever made is eternal, but that knowledge alone is not enough to keep you from acting on your idiotic impulses and the thoughts of your bad heart?
By Mezmur3 months ago in Confessions
so i started the world's worst cult
i really did start the world's least lucrative cult. i gave the real secret techniques away on my patreon already. there are three practical exercises: the playlist augury technique, the three mantras, the twelve principles. the "that chick is crazy crazy" techno-psycho-babble bits are optional extras, and only one of them costs anything to read. the secret recipes to fine-tune your psyche with your favorite music, without having to change religions or start one if you are a non-believer? they're coming to patreon this weekend for $1/each (of three).
By Maia Gadwall the metAlchemist3 months ago in Confessions
Chuck Schumer and the Government Shutdown: What’s Happening and Why It Matters
The United States is once again facing a government shutdown caused by a political standoff over federal funding and spending priorities. The shutdown has stretched into several weeks, with no clear resolution in sight. Federal employees are going unpaid, government services are disrupted, and frustration among citizens is growing as Congress struggles to agree on a plan to reopen the government.
By America today 3 months ago in Confessions
