humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
Mental Abuse Is Not Gender Specific
Mental Abuse Is Not Gender Specific There have been many articles in the press about the abuse women suffer because men take away their self-confidence and are constantly demeaning them. Abuse without bruises was a typical headline and always with pictures of angry, abusive men. This type of abuse is not only perpetrated by men. In fact I would suggest that as many women do this to men, as do men to women. Women can be more subtle than men but they can still undermine the self-esteem in so many ways. Constant criticism over appearance and income, is common. Men and women generally, but not always, place differing emphasis on the importance of appearance, while men tend to value function, the efficiency with which something works, over what it looks like. It is an old contest between form and function. Women generally tend to value appearance far more than actual function. How many times a day does the following mini-scene (with local variations) get played? Wife to male spouse, “You are not going out in that old hat?”
By Peter Rose8 years ago in Humans
Is Cultural Appropriation Preventing Change?
Could you imagine a world where only Chinese people were allowed to use chopsticks? Or a world where only Indian people were allowed to eat Indian food? I mean sure, not everyone likes an Indian or a Chinese takeout, but what about when your mother used to make you homemade lasagna or a Friday/Saturday when your dad would convince your mum to let you order a Dominos? The fact is that we live in a multi-cultural society and it’s for the best.
By Shannon La8 years ago in Humans
Quiet Places
Alone It is undoubtedly in the quiet places that we are the most honest with ourselves. It is in the quiet places that we lose ourselves, we find ourselves, and we step into ourselves. It is a big step, I know, you have to gather yourself up from wherever you were, pull your energy back from whoever you were with, and swim in it. Drown in it. Because of this, people become codependent. They see themselves standing alone in a quiet place and they don’t like what they see, they don’t like what they will think. They don’t want to be alone, it’s too overwhelming a thought. So they deny it, wholeheartedly.
By Khloe Kammerzell8 years ago in Humans
The Anatomy of a Wallflower
Thoughts Wallflowers spend most of their time inside their heads. A vast space in their minds is taken up by deep, unstructured thoughts. These thoughts flourish in the compartments they don’t share with others. These thoughts could build empires and slaughter norms. These thoughts have turned them into wallflowers, because they are not the same thoughts you find in every being. Not even close. These thoughts will never become real enough to satisfy this select group of humans, either. Wallflowers weren’t meant to share what they feel, and when they finally manage to put these thoughts into words, it comes out alarmingly wrong, and nobody understands the importance these thoughts hold within them. Words ruin things. Nobody can grasp the meaning behind their thoughts, and nobody can relate to them in any other way than the way society has taught them to. And this way isn’t enough. It never has been. It never will be. So hidden they remain.
By Khloe Kammerzell8 years ago in Humans
Madeline
“Madeline” by: Randy Boude My footsteps echoed as I made my way through the winding halls. The VA hospital never felt so cold and dark. A janitor gave me a smile and said good morning. I smiled back and tried to sound as genuine as possible, and I wished him one as well. I really did want him to have a good morning, but I knew for me that would not be the case. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
By Randolph T8 years ago in Humans
Darkness
Darkness. I always seemed to find some sort of peace in the dark. It brought a gentle freedom, with every dream reminding my inner child that anything was possible. It wasn’t often that she got to come into reality, my inner child. Today was the exception.
By Kaycee Heetai8 years ago in Humans
No Room For Manipulation
From the start, I realized it was my own fault. I am far too trusting, despite the abuse I have survived through, and I wonder why I did not see this coming. It was in desperation that this decision had been made, and currently, I do not see a way out of my situation.
By Jesse Lee-Young8 years ago in Humans
Why We Should Debunk Masculinity Once and For All
Be a ‘man’. ‘Man’ up. If you’re a ‘man’, you would do X Y and Z. I’m sure I can speak for most, if not all men in that we’ve heard these statements at some point in our lives. I know I definitely have. These beliefs surrounding how to act as a man have been indoctrinated into the fabric of society for as long as can be remembered, and ultimately can manifest themselves in our actions and thoughts. Again, I can attest to this from personal experience. It’s the illusion of masculinity, and we’ve always believed it applied in society to fit the natural order. But it has to stop, for the sake of the men and women whom this problem afflicts, and in order for society to move forward - away from prehistoric notions of superiority.
By Jeffrey Boadi8 years ago in Humans
