A troubling conversation spurned between a peer of mine and myself concerning abuse and a victim's choice to forgive them. This sparked from thoughts regarding human redemption that has been a reoccurring theme in my talks, lately.

As a disclaimer, I will say that if you suffered any serious abusive tribulation... you have a choice on how you deal with it (or don't). I am not one to judge you for that choice, as it belongs to you. You do you. Just as what I write here and say are by my own choice. I choose to forgive my abuser. Now, I will begin with the points used against me in this decision:

"But you can't/shouldn't really forgive monsters like this. It sets a bad example for our society."

No, it doesn't. This is a misrepresentation of equating a victim's choice to heal as being the same as enabling the abuse. These are not the same. In my case this is a choice to shed a to...

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It was in a waking dream this morning. This was what it took for me to realize what matters to me. What drives me to act as I do. What compels me to utter the words I say. Those among the many that I cherish deeply even while I only feel valued by the few. What seems to be untouched depths of the heart. That which was unclear before, now a kindling fire of what motivates the 'human spirit'. Is that to belong to fate or myself? Is the dream only a dream? A naive sentiment for an uncharted destination? Am I the sentry, the kind soul that weathers the vehement storm? Am I truly the architect of my own destiny?

Could this dream manifest in reality?

Footsteps, we continue to walk... until we find answers on our own. Sometimes, we cannot afford to simply kneel.

Heh. I still got it... even though I was too worried about rhyme. Way more that usual, but the effect seems to work as desired. I am keeping it. 

-Dall

Inspirations include both Niemöller...

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In the wake of some conversations i have had recently with family and others, I thought to bring this up again. I actually care about social consequences and the dangerous precedents they may set for the future. I have said this before, but I have never made necessary distinctions. Perhaps, I should finally do so...


This corrosive speech troubles me because it carries the danger of robbing another of choices. It is more than stating opinion or shaming; it is making the choice for them and possibly places a wall to block their path in life. Note, there is a difference between creating a barrier to protect yourself and completely removing one's potential to change. In this, one creates the monster and denies them the capacity to "rejoin the human race" or change their ways...

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I had this conversation with my step-mom a couple of weeks ago on the notion of Good and Evil. A peeve of mine is sometimes turning things "black-and-white" when it blurs the root of a given ordeal.

In my experience, few things in life are as simple as good and evil. What makes me laugh, is that I can't seem to escape this mentality in writing stories... even knowing full well that human problems are more complicated and not easy put into a box.

A "good" thing, for example, is to be a good Samaritan. One, however, might avoid helping one in need for many reasons. And it isn't necessarily "evil".

One could fear danger in falling in a trap; a false situation designed to prey on good natured people. A simplistic view couod brand them a coward, but whether this is true or not in the situation... it isn't actually "evil". The same person might not get involved because they may not have time or resources to help the one in need. They could also have selfish...

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To fight oneself is to fight a protracted war that cannot truly be won. Even if you somehow won, you technically defeat yourself. The winner is you, and the loser is still you. Maybe it persists and renews in order to gain some measure of control.

"But why fight yourself?" You might be wondering. Hmmm. Why, indeed. See, it is easy to look at something you might dislike or hate because it goes against your 'convictions'... or some self-image of collective benevolence or virtue. The challenge, really, is to mediate yourself between maintaining this sense of honor and being so critical of every word you speak, or perhaps every action you take. It is a slippery slope, a mistep could lead you falling into ego or self-loathing.

The way I see it? If you don't look at yourself with honest eyes, you end up creating something within you built on lies. Compelled speech is one example of how the "false self" might save face with others, even if it goes against a genui...

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For those of you looking at this and asking 'What on earth is this about,' this is about a tabletop rpg, Vampire the Masquerade. It has gone through several editions. This blog is likely going to appeal to those already familiar with it. However, if you have never heard of it & my blog makes you curious, by all means comment or PM me. I'm always happy to talk to people on this subject. Commentary to the thread is generally most welcome in general! (Those of you who know me may literally be groaning that I'm babbling about this game again. I know. I know. I'm obsessed.)

So what is the purpose of this blog? There are several Clans and bloodlines of vampires in the aforementioned tabletop rpg, and my blog is going to explore how their ingrained clan/bloodline curses affect them p...

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Hi! I watch a lot of movies. Sometimes, I even have thoughts on them. I will post them in this thread! Here you will find reviews, hype about upcoming movies, and discussion about issues in cinema!

For reviews, I will endeavor to give a non-spoilery summary and then post the full review under spoilers. Major Spoilers I may put under their own sub-spoiler tag. I am using the scale here: http://cinemayward.com/movie-rating-system/ which I really like and will try to make sure each review includes my thought on each part of the movie.

Personal enjoyment is how much fun did I have watching it. Did I smile, cry, scream or whatever emotion the film was trying to provoke. Basically this category asks the question - did you enjoy the experience?

Aesthetic enjoyment is basically how pretty did I think it was it. This is not just b...

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So, I haven't been on here in quite a while but I noticed the Garden Journal from Peri and read through it and thought I could come back at least and do a little bit of writing about my new time occupier - gardening.

We moved into a new place a few months ago - the selling point was the tropical backyard and the Florida room. For those not living here in Florida, a "Florida-room" is just a sunroom or solarium lol. How we claimed it as our own, I don't know. The room is huge though - the length of the house and really wide. It's got windows the entire length that open, but have no screens right now and the mosquitoes are horrible this year, so we haven't been able to keep them open for very long. I have a few working tables, a tv and stand, a few chairs and a couple of shelving units - all fit comfortably in the room with plenty of space for all the plants. 

Now, disclaimer - I've never grown a thing in my life. I've killed anything I've tired to grow or plants ...

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