Stream of Consciousness
The Weight of Reality: The Trade-Off Illusion
1. Every Solution Costs Something There is no such thing as a perfect solution. Every answer creates a new question, and every gain requires a loss. The idea that we can have everything without giving something up is one of the greatest lies of modern culture. Real progress demands trade-offs. Something must be sacrificed for something else to exist.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast2 months ago in Humans
Not Every Work Friend Is Meant To Be A Forever Friend
Relationships fade. Some slowly, some abruptly, and some in ways that leave you questioning how you ever let the wrong people so close. I have always been a positive person who builds deep connections quickly. Over the years, through school and a decade of shifting workplaces, I’ve met people who felt like lifelong friends. Working with someone every day can blur into something that feels rooted, meaningful, and hard to let go of.
By MB | Stories & More2 months ago in Humans
What Democracy Really Means: Plato and Mill Still Have Something to Say
What Do We Really Want From Democracy? Plato and John Stuart Mill Still Have Answers Democracy is one of those words that feels comforting. Familiar. Safe. We hear phrases like “freedom,” “rights,” “power to the people,” and it’s easy to assume that democracy is not just the best option but the only reasonable option.
By MB | Stories & More2 months ago in Humans
The Racism You’re Not Supposed to Talk About:
For a community that prides itself on rainbows, love, and “chosen family,” the gay world has a very real, very ugly secret: racism is baked into its culture more deeply than most are willing to admit. People love to chant “love is love” at Pride, but scroll through Grindr for five minutes, walk into a club in a major gay city, or look at who gets put on magazine covers, and you’ll see how conditional that love actually is.
By Edwin Betancourt Jr.2 months ago in Humans
The Christmas Card Study That Stunned Psychology
In the winter of 1974 a sociologist named Philip Kunz dropped hundreds of Christmas cards into the mail. He sent them to people he had never met. The names and addresses were pulled from directories. The cards looked personal. They included a photograph of his family, a handwritten signature, and all the small cues that signal genuine warmth. He waited to see what would happen.
By Dr. Mozelle Martin2 months ago in Humans
Secrets to a Fulfilling Husband-Wife Love
Secrets to a Fulfilling Husband-Wife Love A strong marriage is based on healthy communication and romantic gestures. It's vital to have a deep emotional connection with your partner. This connection is key for a lasting relationship.
By abualyaanart2 months ago in Humans
The Case For Useless Joy
One thing I have learned while being alive, is that life in fact has a way of piling on top of us. The older we get the more layers seem to accumulate. Bills stacked like bricks, work deadlines marching in a never ending parade, responsibilities multiplying as if they've found some secret breeding grounds that we didn't know about. Somehow between learning to budget, remembering to answer emails, keeping ourselves alive, and showing up for the people most important in our lives, adulthood becomes heavy and hard. It's not that joy just disappears from our lives it just gets buried under the things we should and must do. Because of the weight our busy lives give us, I am a firm believer that every adult needs at least one hobby that is absolutely pointless.
By Jasmine Platson2 months ago in Humans
The Weight of Reality: The Myth of Fairness
1. Fairness Is a Human Fiction Fairness is not a natural law. It is a social illusion created by people who wish to avoid the pain of consequence. Nature operates on cause and effect, not comfort. A storm does not pause for equality. Gravity does not check whether the fall was fair. The universe is perfectly just in one sense only: every action brings a reaction. Fairness, however, is not justice. It is an emotional ideal built by those who want consequence without cost.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast2 months ago in Humans
Gifts for the Mourned
Today, I did something that might seem nonsensical to some but felt necessary to me: I bought a Christmas gift for my deceased mother. I was acting on a dream that I had in which I bought a dragon-shaped ring for my mother, even though I knew that she was gone. Although it was just a dream, I felt as though I had to do it in real life, to get a dragon-shaped ring to put on the chain around her urn alongside her engagement and wedding rings. So, I found the perfect Maleficent dragon ring on Zales and bought it immediately. Even though I know that she will never see it, something tells me that my mother would love it.
By Stephanie Hoogstad2 months ago in Humans
