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softinkshadows · 3 years

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Shingeki no Kyojin Astrology: sun-moon-rising combinations

I was looking around tumblr for detailed astrology speculations of my fave anime characters, but there aren't that many! Being q well-versed in astro myself, i thought why not do my own version (very spoiler-free, don’t worry)! I followed the birth dates given by isayama:

Eren Jaeger - Aries sun, Scorpio moon, Cancer rising Aside from the fact that he can be hotheaded and impulsive, Eren's feelings of vengeance run deep and explosive. Remember that time he was chained to the bed after the attack on trost, and his eyes were wild with the need to violently eradicate all titans? He's so tenacious and emotionally stubborn too (a Scorp moon trait) to the point of being closed off from everyone else, especially towards the end where he seems to take the weight of the world's burden on his own shoulders. And all for the sake of protecting his community and ensuring the safety of his friends for the rest of their lives. His comrades and family are his motivation. This is his Cancer rising steering his life.

Mikasa Ackerman - Aries sun, Aquarius moon, Aries rising "Look that moody brat is running off on her own again." Mikasa is similar to Eren in her impulsiveness and determination, but different in two ways- what they aim to protect and their extent of fearlessness. Eren is aware of his own weaknesses and helplessness, but Mikasa's amazing physical prowess makes her act without any hesitation at all. She's hella fierce and driven to keep herself in shape too, doing all those sit-ups and chopping firewood post-injury. I think she deserves a double Aries! An Aries rising means a Libra descendant too, which is reflected her whole-hearted devotion in her close partnerships (Eren and Armin). Her aquarius moon really shines thru with her stoic independence, focus and perseverance.

Armin Arlet - Scorpio sun, Virgo moon, Pisces rising He's the brain of the 104th cadet corps, and is second to Erwin in terms of strategy! An intelligent planner with low self-esteem often found second guessing his own analytical abilities, Armin is a true blue Virgo moon. His emotional self stands out the most from the main three protagonists - Eren & Mikasa mostly express anger and desperation, whereas Armin is usually shrouded in fear and worry. He's a very soft bb, hence the Pisces rising, not to mention he gets so dreamy imagining the sea, the vast plains, and the magical world beyond the walled universe he knows. A spiritually-attuned and curious explorer :")

Levi Ackerman - Capricorn sun, Scorpio moon, Virgo rising Levi is such a complex person, thanks to Isayama's brilliance. Like many Cap suns, Levi is authoritative, cold and incredibly savage. That's not to say he doesn't feel anything either. Levi is an evolved Scorp moon (maybe even moon in 11th house) because his feelings are never for himself, but he hurts so much for others - you can tell every death hits him so hard, but he doesn't show this to anyone else. He also exudes this quietly intimidating aura of natural competence, a common characteristic of this sun-moon combo. He can take things personally as well (re: height issues) but it never snowballs into more than passing irritation. The turbulence of his emotions and habit for violence is balanced out by his earthy Virgo rising, which is emotionally subdued, quite thin and delicate in physique, and super neurotic and nitpicky when it comes to cleanliness and health. Cap, Virgo and Scorp are some of the most guarded signs, and a combi of all 3 are hellish. You can tell this poor beautiful man is always caught between feeling and thinking, between maintaining his humanity and forsaking it.

Erwin Smith - Libra sun, Capricorn moon, Leo rising In another life, Erwin Smith would be the damn CEO of a global conglomerate because he oozes so much charisma. Hell if charisma were energy Erwin Smith would be its prime, eternally renewable source. His stature alone is so commanding, and I find some strong Leonine traits in his thickset physique, strong eyebrows, beautiful hair, and that way he shouted in full glory atop wall Rose in that one episode to the cheering masses below. He might be a Libra sun, diplomatic in political affairs, but his Capricorn moon is what drives his decisions. Cap moon has a rep for being cold and unemotional, but i believe they are way more than that! Cap moons rarely boast about their long list of achievements, instead looking forward to the next goal. They struggle with emotional expression, and are super driven and disciplined. Erwin is capable of making the hardest decisions, putting aside emotions to strive for an abstract ideal, and this is to be expected of the commander who takes on the role of the devil.

Hange Zoe - Virgo sun, Sagittarius moon, Gemini rising All hail our favourite mad scientist!! Hange is such a breath of fresh air in the Survey Corps, balancing out the heaviness of missions with their wacky tales of titan research and experimentation. Their penchant for study and higher knowledge is typical of a Sagittarius moon, who is drawn to advanced academic study and spiritual truths. It's also a lighthearted and optimistic sign, true to Hange's upbeat personality. The Virgo in them contributes to their sheer intelligence and obsessiveness with research subjects. We also know they LOVE to talk, and once Eren asks Hange about experiments, they cannot stop (Gemini governs communication). Virgo, Sag and Gemini are the most intellectual signs, and because they are mutuable Hange tends to follow orders rather than give them, making it difficult to adapt to their new role towards the end of the series. Mutable signs also means rapidly-changing emotional states, and a whole lot of chaos, which suits our beloved squad leader.

Jean Kirstein - Aries sun, Virgo moon, Taurus rising Our third Aries on the list ohmygod. The snk universe is full of feisty hotheads. Jean is always seen clashing with Eren, fuelled by Eren's closeness with Mikasa and his own adorable jealousy. I mean, they had a full on fist fight right after dinner in the mess hall, although everything went downhill after the first few punches. Our first impression of Jean during his cadet days is coloured by his desire to work in the interior, and this favour for material safety and wealth is perhaps common to a Taurus rising. Also, Taurus is ruled by Venus, planet of beauty and harmony, and thus often figures in the charts of artists. If you've seen Jean's drawing skills in that special episode, you'll know that his artistic abilities are the finest we have seen, exceeding even that of isayama himself. Jean's strong principles such as being averse to killing people and oftentimes cynical nature, is also characteristic of the moral and cautious Virgo moon.

Sasha Braus - Leo sun, Gemini moon, Taurus rising Not all Leos are showmans. Sasha is the type of Leo who displays more of the quirky, unabrashed personality suited to her opposite sister sign Aquarius. Authority doesn't exist when food comes into play, as we see when she breaks potato with Shadis and later steals a slab of meat from the officer's warehouse. Unlike the visual artistry that Jean possesses with his Taurus rising, Sasha's Taurus centers around her love for food, and hell she can have fiery determination for it (rmb the wild night she mistook Jean's hand for meat?). I love that both of them were pitted with each other in that cooking special episode. I considered placing her as a Taurus moon, but Taurus moons are usually steadier and classier in emotion, whereas Sasha is often breezy, gets nervous and chaotic, with stellar intuition, making her likely a Gemini moon.

Connie Springer - Taurus sun, Cancer moon, Gemini rising Although not much attention is paid to Connie's growth, his character development reminds me a lot of Aang from ATLA. Cheery and happy-go-lucky at first, before the incident with his mother made him more prone to feelings of anger and vengeance, especially near the later chapters. His strong protective bond with his mother is what compels me to say he is a Cancer moon, which is a moon sign that is very homebody and drawn to family and traditions. His goofy self and him referring to Sasha as "his twin" puts him as the spunky Gemini rising, another sign he shares with her.

Reiner Braun - Leo sun, Pisces moon, Capricorn rising Aside from his natural leader personality (Leonine), Reiner likes to take on the persona of the big brother of the group. His outward stoicism, decisiveness and task-oriented nature is typical of a Cap rising, who is often serious and solemn in appearance. He reminds me of that Cap rising workaholic who does his best in a corporate organization, working 9 to 5 plus overtime as it fulfills his sense of purpose. Beyond his stoic facade reveals a more troubled personality. Like a Pisces moon, Reiner is impressionable, and it's difficult to tell if his emotions and personalities are his own, wavering and absorbing traits from those around him. His internal war with his identity and the ensuing fatigue characterises him during the second half of the series.

Annie Leonhart - Aries sun, Aquarius moon, Virgo rising Annie is the kind of Aries that is so motivated to achieve her goals that everything else is sidelined, including her own emotions. She's quite ruthless in chasing her objectives, and her composure, focus and endurance is highlighted with an Aquarius moon. I'm guessing she has a 4th house influence somewhere because of her motivations to go home to her father and lead a normal life. I find the daintiness and delicateness of her features similar to Levi, who is also a Virgo rising. The Virgo effect also registers as a brutal, unfiltered honesty (also seen in Levi), and Annie doesn't hesitate to speak the truth about her own or her opponent's capabilities.

Other characters which I won't go into much detail about:

Bertholdt Hoover - Capricorn sun, Virgo moon, Pisces rising Bertholdt is quiet with an unobtrusive personality. His lack of supposed iniative and aggression can perhaps be attributed to the mutuability of Virgo and Pisces, which goes with the flow instead of charging forward. He keeps his feelings to himself, but reacts when the people he wants to protect are threatened.

Historia Reiss - Capricorn sun, Libra moon, Cancer rising Historia initially lives for the sake of others (esp Ymir), and is more co-dependent than many of her other squadmates. She also tends to put up a front of pleasantness, afraid of disappointing or offending people. She has a strong tie to family, and a profound sense of duty.

Ymir - Aquarius sun, Pisces moon, Aries rising Ymir is extremely astute when it comes to evaluating human behaviour. The religiosity of her background is also usually found in this sun-moon combination, which tends to attract paths of strong spirituality. She also has a bold and noble sacrificial streak for the sake of her companions.

Zeke Jaeger - Leo sun, Capricorn moon, Scorpio rising A headstrong, intelligent and radical character. In a way similar to Erwin in his ruthlessness, but emotionally darker and much more sinisterly private.

Kenny Ackerman - Aquarius sun, Sagittarius moon

Rod Reiss - Virgo sun, Libra moon

Dot Pixis - Virgo sun, Sagittarius moon

Hannes - Capricorn sun, Taurus moon

#snk astrology #snk #aot astrology #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #anime astrology #eren jaeger #mikasa ackerman #armin arlet #levi ackerman #erwin smith #hange zoe #jean kirstein #sasha braus #connie springer #reiner braun #annie leonhart #bertholdt hoover #historia reiss

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kittyandco · 2 years

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Any f/o advice/encouragement when you constantly feel inadequate? For when it seems like no matter what you do it’s never good enough? For taking the initiative to be proactive and go after the things you want but not getting it anyway so you wonder why you even bother trying? Feeling ironically juxtaposed to this cheery time of year.

hey anon! warning to you & anyone reading that this is going to be long. i'm offering a couple of approaches here (under a keep reading!):

firstly, thank you for reaching out when you feel lost; that in itself can be difficult.

secondly, i used to feel the same way all the time. it's taken work & time for me to be confident in myself, in my ships, etc. of course, i still struggle with inadequacy, impostor syndrome, and other internal issues, but i'm better equipped to handle them now. so take this from someone who was where you were and still are sometimes.

here's one way to look at it: why regret not trying? would you rather say "oh, i didn't get this, but maybe next time" or "why didn't i do that?" if you continually deny yourself the things you want, you will inevitably believe that you don't deserve anything at all. it sounds like the Just Be Happy Sweetie mantras, but your mindset is really important. nihilism is a scourge on this earth because it forces you to not care, not try, not receive because you don't believe you deserve anything, which causes you not to try anymore.

here's another way: who says you "aren't getting it anyway"? what, something didn't go your way a couple of times? yeah, so? you got a whole life ahead of you. like why not! would you rather do something to occupy your mind or dwell on the fact that you're doing nothing? what's it gonna hurt that you try? maybe your feelings if you fail, yeah, but what if you don't? won't you feel on top of the world? chase that feeling, not more insulation. never be on the inside looking out.

here's something that worked for me. change a couple of little things in your life/routine, even if they seemingly have nothing to do with the things you intend to achieve. it may just work. what you essentially do is re-evaluate what may or may not be working in regard to your goals, but inadvertently, so you don't overthink it. it means that you are taking the time to invest in your actions and wellbeing, no matter how small. and these little instances of saying "yes, i care about myself enough to try, etc." can manifest in unwitting ways.

in terms of ships - although this can apply to your real life, your real self-image - write about yourself from your f/o's perspective or a third-person perspective. look at yourself from someone else's eyes. what are you good at? what do you like? dislike? even the "bad parts" of you are what make you yourself and are always up for improvement. that's something to strive for... not perfection, but someone whole.

find ways to connect with your f/os; find similarities between them and yourself. look at the characteristics they have that you love. do you share those traits?

if a more cynical idea works for you: it's just fiction. they're fake people. you can make them feel about you however you want. so. just do it.

in all, it really comes down to you realizing that you're not the villain. you're not the loser. you aren't nearly as bad of a person as you think you are - far from it. i don't know you personally, but i guarantee. you have more to offer than you think, and people may not have told you that, but it is true. you would never speak to someone else this way.

sometimes you are all you have. cherish and nourish that. because when the time comes that you convene with someone else in any context, you will be the best you can be.

#asks #self shipping #meows

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makkoskafanfic · 3 years

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For the wip thing: Berserk 😉

Thank you for asking for this one! 🥰

I started to write this when I was re-reading the Golden Age arc for about the 100th time and I really wanted Guts and Griffith to just get on with it.

I dropped it when I realised no matter what I wrote, canon had it a hundred times better. You can't write fanfic for perfect stories.

Griffith didn’t consider the world to be a complicated place. To the contrary, he thought matters of life were rather straightforward, simple even. He had a dream – or rather an aim, as he knew he was going to achieve it, and everything and everyone was a tool to help achieving that. He didn’t consider himself evil for it, simply pragmatic. He was, in a way, even doing good, providing his men with a reason, a goal to live for.

With steady steps he was advancing up the marble road leading up to the castle. Why would he be satisfied with anything less than the top? His comrades – his underlings - knew they were expendable. They didn’t seem to mind. They had their own aims in life, incomparably smaller they were than Griffith’s though, and they were all moving towards those. It was a dangerous world, where the strongest ruled, and they all knew and accepted that.

And there was Guts.

His skills, his power, his determination was unequalled by anyone but Griffith himself. Yet, he didn’t seem to have a dream of his own. For all intents and purposes, he was the perfect tool. He was not simply willing to do what Griffith commanded – he appeared to yearn for the White Hawk to direct him, to give him a purpose, a task he could live for while it lasted. He seemed the most content when Griffith used him as an extension of his will. Despite his usual gloomy attitude, he was clearly joyful when he could swing his ridiculously oversized sword on a battlefield for the glory of the Bank of the Hawk. For the glory of Griffith.

Problem was, he couldn’t think of Guts as a tool only.

Griffith sighed in annoyance. Being bedridden was a real nuisance. When the sycophants of the court didn’t try to lick his feet in hopes of some gain, he had nothing better to do than to stare at the white ceiling and let his mind wander on all kinds of things. Like Guts, their last fight with that monster Zodd, the castle, the path to the throne, Guts, the Band Of Hawk, Princess Charlotte. Guts. Guts, Guts, Guts.

“What an annoying man,” he muttered.

“Did you say something, sir?” a maid appeared out of thin air, looming above his bed in concern. She was the one who seemed to jump on every opportunity to treat his wounds or give him a bath, letting her hand linger just longer than it was necessary. Griffith smiled at her faintly. Maybe when he got his strength back, he could entertain her.

“Thank you, I’m quite alright,” he waved her away, and with obvious hesitance, she went.

He had to come to a decision on what to do with this growing obsession with his Raiders Captain. It was starting to overshine much more important things and that wouldn’t do.

Should he try to bury these feelings, this yearning? They provided no contribution to the great scheme of his plans, so why harbour them? Problem was, he wasn’t sure at all he was able to do that. Pragmatic he was above anything else, he wasn’t heartless, wasn’t above having emotions.

He could get rid of Guts. The man would take on any task he bestowed upon him, and he could find him a quest dangerous enough not even he would survive. However, just the thought of Guts dying filled him with unbearable pain. When they faced Zodd, he had two things on his mind. One was that he couldn’t let anything, not even a demon with superhuman power stand in his way and prevent him from advancing forward. The other was the burning need to keep Guts alive. The two of them together, they could do anything. The warrior was his, and he would die when Griffith deemed it his time to die. But that time wasn’t now.

The third option was to act on his obsession. Burn it out of his system, so to say. Take Guts as his lover, to make him his, completely.

His heart beat faster at the thought. Young he was, he had several lovers of both genders. He always engaged them for some gain and never for pleasure alone. Sleeping with Guts would be quite different. He yearned to feel those muscles under his touch, he wanted to subdue that brutal physical power, to hear that gruff voice groan and beg for pleasure…

He was going to have it. Guts was his and he could do whatever he pleased with him. And his Captain was going to enjoy it. He felt thrilled by the prospect, uncharastically excited. There was this man he couldn’t keep his usual cynicality around but with his decision made, he was no longer frustrated about that. Why be torn over it, when he could just enjoy it? Decision made, he closed his eyes and sank into a deep, healing sleep.

*/*/*

The hard tiles of the rooftop dig into the muscles on his back, but Guts didn’t let himself be bothered by it. He wasn’t sure how long he was lying there, staring at his sword, at the full moon, pondering, pondering, pondering over the conversation he had today with Griffith.

“There’s no reason,” he said. “Do I need a reason for that? A reason for risking my life to save you.”

He was recalling these quiet, matter of fact words for the millionth time, wanting them to be true, yet scared that they were. Regretting they were interrupted before he gained their meaning on the spot. There was that look in Griffith’s blue eyes - what did it mean? It made Guts' heart race not unlike battle did, although there was no hostility in them. His leader was a very rational man, and it was unlike him to risk his life without a clear gain. Useful as Guts was to him, it made no sense to endanger himself in a fight like that. When he said that, asked if he needed to have a reason to risk his own life to save Gut’s, he appeared as if he didn’t know the drive for his own self-dangerous actions. Yet, the glance he cast at him spoke of something different. Griffith always did everything with a very good reason, even if that reason wasn’t obvious at first to simple men like him. That look though - he would have said more, some kind of an explanation, that would have made the whole situation clear, Guts was sure, if they weren’t interrupted.

But they were, and that made Griffith enter his politics-in-the-court mode, which was so alien Guts. He hated to watch how his leader bowed his head, uttered humble words, even if he understood why he did it.

Well, the King and his companions did cut their talk short. Even if Guts felt resentful and curious about what Griffith would have said, what was done was done.

He did it for me, he thought. He risked his life for no higher reason than to keep Guts alive. He turned this around his mind. It seemed unlikely and yet, maybe it was true.

The moon above him seemed as unreachable, as far above him as Griffith is. A magical, mythical creature. He adjusted the hold of his sword in his hands. The blade was reality, the only thing he knew. He was but a mere swordsman, even if he was a talented one. Yet Griffith deemed him worthy…

He knew only one thing. From now on, he would wield his sword for him. Griffith very much had his dreams, he knew what he wanted and was doing everything he could to achieve them. The least Guts could do was to help him.

#bersek #griffguts #unfished fic

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bryanfaganlaw · 5 years

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What will impact a judge’s decision in regard to where your child will primarily reside?

If you have need a best suitable service your Child Law experience, What will impact a judge’s decision in regard to where your child will primarily reside? with the great process!

Family Law Attorneys Houston: If the family court order that you and your family have been operating under for years no longer suits your needs, what are your options? What if your 14-year-old son is expressing an interest to come live with you on a full-time basis? Will you have an opportunity to go to court and change the order if that's truly what he wants? Or will you have to go it alone by asking your child's mother to negotiate with you outside of court?

Fortunately for you, either option is available in Texas. Our family courts invite parents like yourself to file modification lawsuits with the understanding that doing so is not a guarantee of achieving a particular result. In order to avoid going all the way to court and not achieving your top goal in a modification case, your judge will likely require that you and your opposing party mediate your case at least once in hopes of reaching an agreement outside of court. That will free up the courtroom for other parties and will hopefully allow you and your opposing party to work together to achieve an end result that suits both of you well.

Older children and changing primary conservatorship

If the issue of your case isprimary conservatorship of a child 12 years or older, then it is probable that you will be interested in having your child speak to the judge about where he or she wants to live full time. I say this not because I know your family, but because I know from having worked with many other families in your position. Most of the time, these folks have either done the research themselves or talked to other people who have told them that teenaged children have a right to speak to the judge about their custody preference.

Let’s talk about that before we go any further in today’s blog post. Yes, the law in Texas is that any child twelve years or old will be able to speak to the judge about their preferences on custody. Specifically, it is likely that the judge will ask the child where he or she wants to live primarily and why he or he holds that opinion. It may be everything that it is cracked up to be, however.

First of all, just because a judge has to speak to your child doesn’t mean that the judge is going to solely rely upon that child’s opinion when it comes to a final determination as to custody. Judges know just as well as you and me that kids change their opinions frequently. What your child wants today may not be what he or she wants in two years, two months or even two weeks. Being told by your child that he wants to live with you and not his mom Is not necessarily a good enough reason to hire a lawyer and file a modification case.

Consider that the judge in your case does not have to agree with your child. Also, consider that the judge does not even have to ask your child the questions that you want him or her to ask. Your judge is not a child therapist or someone who is trained in questioning children. He or she has probably been to a judge's conference where they picked up some skill in doing so, but there is nothing that forces the judge to ask your child the specific questions that you want. Do not base your entire case on your child speaking to the judge, in other words.

The court will focus on the totality of the evidence put before it, not just the opinion of your child. Once the judge has all of the information available to him or her, they will make a decision. The weight that the judge places on particular pieces of evidence will depend on the individual judge. What your judge finds to be important evidence may not matter too much to another judge. It is very difficult to guess the reaction of a particular judge to a particular piece of evidence, as well.

What to do in the event that you and your child’s other parent cannot agree on anything?

Houston Family Law Lawyers: Here is where the rubber meets the road. For most families, there can be relatively easy to reach middle ground on issues that range from custody to visitation to child support. Although you may not be completely happy with the agreement, you can still reason with the other parent and reach a consensus on whatever issue you are facing. The bottom line is that you realize that your decisions should be based on what is in the best interests for your child. Everything else in your case is secondary.

What happens, though, if you find yourself in a situation where you and your child’s other parent cannot agree on anything in relation to your child. You’ve been to court previously and have a court order in place and both of you find yourself at differing views on a number of subjects contained within that order. On top of that, you cannot work the problems out with negotiation or walking a mile in other person’s shoes. This is potentially dangerous ground you are walking on, needless to say.

It is situations like this that call for a concerted effort on both of your parts to establish some sort of middle ground. Co-parenting is a term that family law attorneys, judges, therapists and parents use ad nauseam these days. It basically means that you and your ex-spouse will share parenting responsibilities after the initial family case has concluded. It can be extremely difficult to do at times, putting aside your personal feelings for one another, but it is necessary for the betterment of your children.

Sometimes all it takes is moving back a step and considering what role did you play in creating whatever circumstance has led you to be back in family court. It could be that you and your ex-spouse do not do well interacting with each other one on one. All it can take is a glance, a movement of the hand, an eye roll or anything in between to trigger a bad emotion. Why not look to co-parenting websites, e-mail, text or a less personal means of communication in order to communicate with him or her.

One piece of advice that I like to give people is to imagine that everything that you say to your ex-spouse will be kept by him or her in a file to be potentially used against you in a future court case. This may be a cynical way of working with another person, but if it keeps you from lashing out in anger or using inappropriate language I would argue that it is worth it. If you're not comfortable having a judge see what you wrote in an email to your ex-spouse, don't click send on that message.

The other thing that I would like to share with you is to be as clear and concise in what you have to say as possible. Do not look at every email or text as a chance to re-litigate your divorce or any other petty problem that you have with this person. While you may have legitimate concerns with him or her, that doesn’t mean that you need to go for blood in every text message. Trust me- I have seen my fair share of multiple page text message conversations between clients and their ex-spouses. When I ask what the client sought to achieve by engaging in that sort of talk, their answer is usually, “I’m not sure.” Don’t put yourself in that position. Be clear in what you are communicating, do it in a kind way, and then end the conversation. Period.

Make sure that you are clear on what your ex-spouse has told you

Family Law Lawyer Houston: One thing that I recommend to clients is to be willing to always re-phrase what your ex-spouse has told you and to tell it back to him or her. That way you can show that you are actively listening to him or her and are attempting to make sure you are 100% clear on what he or she is telling or asking. Do not leave a conversation guessing at what he or she meant by a certain thing that they said. Get it straight from them and then you can move on to whether or not there is an issue at hand ... Continue Reading

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jeanandthedreamofhorses · 6 years

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Thanks for responding on the titanization question. I'm that Eremika shipper who asked you some other questions. I agree Historia's pregnancy was needed for both completeness of the coup and as insurance in case Titanization didn't work. If this story wasn't probably ending in the next 6 months (timeline-wise), I think a King (& daddy) Eren would likely be in the works. But things are going TOO SMOOTHLY for the Yeagerists. Hate to say it, but I'm hoping Warriors + SC throw a wrench in their plan

(2/3) Continuing on my previous ask, Isayama should provide damn good justification for Eren’s coup on Paradis, if not soon, then by series end at least; Eren choosing the path of fear in this conflict, while realistic, sends a depressing message, which I think totally merits resistance from the SC + Warriors. Ever since he slaughtered children in 101, he permanently lost hero status in my eyes.

(¾) Maybe I’m an idealist, but I think this story is at its best when we have heroic characters who inspire others to overcome the limits of human nature (Trost Eren, Erwin, Mikasa, The Brauses). Zeke/Eren/Historia SEEM to have resigned themselves to a plan rooted in Machiavellian cynicism; it may be right, but the story would not be complete if they went unchallenged by others who dreamed of more as Eren once did.

(4/4) Last part! I think Eren/Zeke/Historia go public in the next 3 chapters, and Eren is the father (goodbye my ship lol). But after some wallowing in despair, I hope Mikasa/Armin bucks up and looks for an alternative solution to the entire conflict, even if it means opposing Eren. Mikasa really needs this, imo. I think there’s something deeply poignant about her losing Eren to his new family, but still fighting to preserve the memory of the Eren she once knew. What do you think will happen?

Oh hi again! What should I call you? Is EM Anon okay? Em A-non? Ema? Eh?

Okay I guess I’ll respond to this per part:

1 - Yeees, I figured the regime change would take place before the Marleyan army arrived, but I haven’t factored in Spy!Pieck, partly because I really didn’t expect it to happen. It’s an interesting spanner in the works.

2 - You’ve read my meta on Eren’s motivations right? I’m pretty confident about it, but whatever they are Isayama will definitely reveal them at a pivotal moment. I actually really like how we’ve not been given Eren’s POV, it puts us in the same shoes as Eren’s friends who’ve been isolated from him. We’re trying to figure him out along with them.

If my meta’s right, then Eren isn’t so much choosing the path of fear as the one that will keep his friends safe. It’s a very interesting conflict between the macrocosm and the microcosm, and a question which I think very few of us would be willing to answer. Would you torture the people closest to you to spare a nation that’s been trying to kill you this whole time anyway? That’s essentially what fuels Eren’s decision to go for the Rumbling to save Historia.

It’s not heroic, with the huge number of people inhabiting that nation, the vast majority of them innocent, and as you say he’s no longer a hero. But Eren is all too aware of this: he gave up on being a hero when he realised he was a historical accident in Uprising, and decided to live on for his friends specifically in Shiganshina.

3 - I personally see the series as a work in the deconstruction of the grand dreams and goals that are usually happily fulfilled in shonen. The goals of most of the characters have either changed or are changing, after realising their original hope was built on a lie. Eren’s reaction to seeing the ocean was the best example of this, and we’re seeing it with Mikasa now too as she re-evaluates Eren.

What’s left is for them to either dedicate themselves to the Idea regardless at the cost of their own desires, as Erwin did in sacrificing himself; or else to show their true colours that had previously merely cloaked themselves in an illusory dream. This is what Eren is doing now, still ultimately just a normal kid who couldn’t handle losing his mum and can’t bear to lose any more friends on top of those he’s lost already.

So you’re right in drawing that distinction. Armin is one of those who continue to dream; that’s part of why Levi chose to resurrect him. We can see this still in his hopes for peace with Marley. However, these dreams can undoubtedly be tarnished, and Armin has already stained his hands in blood with his high-risk strategies.

Armin and Eren will doubtless come to blows: the Mind against the Heart, Duty against Feeling. But will the cost of Armin’s Duty be any less taxing on his Feeling than the current costs of Eren’s Feeling on his Duty? If Armin has to kill his best friend, the very one who neglected his Duty to save him, surely it will be.

4 - As before, I think Armin will oppose Eren, and I’d bet my Founding Titan that Mikasa will too. It’s definitely where her development is taking her. Mikasa has also found new family - both in the SC and literally in Kiyomi - and her growing sense of duty over the series has been essential to her character. The old Eren, with his great dreams, ironically built up the very same Mikasa that would oppose him: she would have never joined the Survey Corps otherwise and would have never have changed the way she did.

The alternative solution I believe they will all find - and this is where Pieck spying enters the picture as well - is that Marley and Paradis will unite against Eren after he takes power. Even the people Eren’s won over will slowly begin to die (I think Falco might eat Zeke and Jean might kill Floch), or else desert him (I think Historia and the populace too will eventually leave his side when he goes too far). The grand Duty of peace will be achieved through the death of Eren - but what of the cost of Feeling? What of the human loss, which SNK has always carefully weighed against the achievements of these blood-soaked Dreams? And will the peace even last? I think the final victory will be heavily implied to be pyrrhic: hardly worth the cost.

In a nutshell, these are my broad-sweeping predictions. As for the final panel, I think that’s a flashback to Grisha and Eren. I rambled in the tags of a reblog about that - I will convert it into a proper post soon.

#shingeki no kyojin #snk meta #eren jaeger #mikasa ackerman #armin arlert #i've written a veritable essay sowwy #i would make it prettier than a block of text by adding screencaps but i dunno what would be appropriate....#also i'm strapped for time

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fracturedsoul86 · 5 years

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Soooo... that blog description. Sounds like a bunch of self-motivated delusion and bullshit right? I mean, that’s what I would have said about it a year ago, and it would be if I did nothing to back any of it up. I’ve started this blog to give insight into the “why” and progression of my journey, where I’ve been, what I’ve yet still to get answers to, what truths I’ve learned, and other observations and theories I’ve developed, which combine science and various theologies to explain how everything around us came to be. One caveat... my lens filters it all through a Christian perspective. What is the final truth can only be determined through collective confirmation of what is Truth. However, when you consider how many people around the world believe in a monotheistic “higher power,” that is around 3/4 of the worlds population between just the top 3, Christianity (including Catholics), Islam, and Judaism, plus those who have a general, self-guided spirituality with a belief in a “universal higher power” and energy-based understanding of reality and life, the likelihood of its reality or some version of it is highly probable. My writings here will share what observations I’ve made and what theories I’ve developed about life and the principles of the design that guide its growth and existence, as well as what memories I have and experiences I’ve lived through that hint at previous existences, alternate or parallel realities, and destiny/fate’s influence on our freely willed existence.

Agreeing on what is Truth is often a difficult task for those deeply consumed by an emotion, purpose, or point of view they are committed to, failing to see that ultimately what’s right or wrong is defined by freedom of all to reach for their happiness, create their own versions of perfectly imperfect balance, where true happiness is derived from positive thoughts and actions, not created through those that are negative. As such, there are clear boundaries which should never be crossed.

It is difficult also to have faith or trust in the True Intentions of those who cannot keep themselves from continuously crossing boundaries when a person’s honest goals for their life have been expressed, and those who disagree with those goals, often in ignorant judgment, pass them off as genuinely good and/or altruistic when so much experience has left the person so traumatized, hurt, disappointed, humiliated, and/or trapped by unyielding confinement. One can only endure so much before ultimate freedom for their fractured, trapped soul comes by completely leaving all those behind that are completely blind to the Truth, only able to see their viewpoint, and dismissing or minimizing the viewpoint and emotional truth of the life being “re-directed,” “adjusted,” or “normalized.”

When affecting another’s life through your own concerted actions or inactions, that person’s life and their viewpoint is in fact the more important to consider, whether it’s positive or negative and in what ways it is. The only time any intervention from outside the person can even be attempted to a small degree is when their actions ACTUALLY, and to an objectively measurable degree, detrimentally affect those lives around them they care for, and/or potentially society as a whole if at all, and the person committing the act can see the negative affects, those “feeling” the negative affects can prove those claims are true, and all parties agree to a path that is mutually beneficial. Without consideration of the person, any act against their stated will for their life is a transgression of boundaries. The only way to handle disagreements of view point are to disagree and remove ourselves from each other’s lives, or agree to disagree and move forward, offering help and support unconditionally, as your help cannot define or direct the actions of the person in their own life. You give the opportunity to the person to do with the help the stated goals they have for their life and allow them to prove their success in it, which in fact can only be defined by them. However, the one true sign of success - happiness, contentment, and fulfillment. The burden of proof falls to those who transgress boundaries, not to the one who is trying to find their true happiness. No one’s journey can be judged, nor can it be influenced by anyone else, only suggestions given upon the person’s solicitation of suggestion, after which the person can choose to take the suggestion and use the information given, or keep it in mind while they consider other options, or flatly say “thank you, but I have other plans in mind” if they are decisive and have conviction for their goals. The person’s choices ultimately must be respected, and if outside parties’ love is unconditional, it will accept the decision, or if not, then is it really love? Move on from the person.

To many, where my life is at currently reflects nothing of the signs typically present to be able to say definitively that I’m a bleeding-heart-turns-things-around success. But to anyone who thinks they can knock me down with their cynical, jaded, and over-confident opinions and doubts, I take note so that I can separate myself, because negativity only eats at my energy. I’m assured in my ability to reach my goals, live my life my way, to my standards, and show anyone who sticks their nose way too much in my business that I’ll go ahead and pop you in the face and tell you to fuck off if you’re going to press me and insert yourself where I didn’t ask you to. With all that time you’ve spent thinking about my life, and in many instances crossing my boundaries and taking action that I was never consulted on and that I didn’t need help taking care of, you should have been worrying about where your life is. It ain’t pretty from where I’m standing, and as Jesus said, let those without sin cast the first stone. Beyond that, I can’t help you understand my priorities if you fundamentally don’t agree with them. That sounds like a personal problem. It’s amazing though that people can be so blind to their own past and their own problems as to deem themselves worthy of placing their judgment on anyone else.

In life, no one gets to determine how many chances you get to succeed at what you want for YOUR life. If your in-tune enough with yourself that you KNOW what you want your life to be, I can tell you from experience that you’re going to spend a lot of time fighting people around you who JUDGE you (no one is worthy of bestowing judgement, only sharing views when asked for them, though none elevated over another, as Truth is the only point for comparison in what views are more right or wrong) think that what you’re doing is wrong or “unhealthy,” when almost everything in life can be done to an unhealthy degree. People take any little minute detail, momentary failure, or overblown fear and will use it to cut you down, railroad you, or water board you with their idea of what’s right for you until you break.

Personally speaking, how I like to handle other people’s expectation and judgement is as follows:

For those who come from a place of care and genuine concern, I’m assertive rather than aggressive, while still remaining considerate. Even that approach, while the correct way to handle most boundary incursions, can come across to those less able to remove themselves from their point of view and their emotion as an attack, and immediate and unyielding steadfastness to a point of view as being inconsiderate, mean, rude, and uncompromising.

For those who come simply from a place of judgement or feigned concern, I simply, possibly even aggressively, say “Well, thanks for your concern, but kindly fuck off.” Or I may use less strong language if it’s in general conversation. If it’s simply a statement, sometimes silence is just the best answer.

Conviction to a point of view, though, does not determine its correctness, but does mean that the view should be respected as the person’s. If they achieve their happiness with that view, while remaining impartial in action as to how they treat those around them, then that is a person who has achieved success.

My goal through this blog, now that you see my perspective on life and how I choose to treat and speak to others, is to give anyone interested some insight into my journey, my fight with societal and interpersonal stigmas regarding homosexuality, drug abuse, and HIV, and what I’ve experienced and learned along the way.

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magioftheseas · 6 years

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I saw that you did some tips for how to write komaeda how about some for kamukura?

Kamukura is honestly a lot tougher to give advice for because a lot of his writing is from theorizing and personal headcanons… I mean, I got there via observing canon closely but still, there are liberties taken!!! Mostly because Kodaka is fucking dumb.

*cough cough* Anyway. Let’s try to give some…solid-ish advice that isn’t just “please just write him the way I like to see him written” even though I can’t act like there isn’t some subjectivity to this because that’s just how it goes.

Ahhhhhh, well, there’s your disclaimer. Let’s roll.

Kamukura Izuru, even if his actual character typically avoids focus outside of Chapter 0, has consistently been shown as someone with a lot of presence. A lot of this is because potentially speaking, Kamukura Izuru could be (if he isn’t already) an unstoppable force that’s just…very intimidating and demanding of notice when he makes his involvement clear. I think capturing that, even without going into any detail about what he’s personally like, can achieve a strong impact. While he certainly isn’t a mindless monster, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to portray him as a looming shadow that evokes unease and anxiety. This is, of course, from an outsider perspective, that said.

If you are writing through Kamukura’s perspective, things are a bit different. He’s very subdued and gives off an air of mostly detached. I say mostly because like, in the case of both DRAE and sdr2, he showcases a sense of anger and resentment towards Junko. So, no, not emotionless, not at all in the two appearances he makes in-game.

There’s also TDP where he does show that, yeah, he has personality even if he seems to be plagued by depression, nihilism, and bitchiness the entire time which… I’ll admit, if you can portray that, I’m all for it. TDP Kamukura is an absolute joy and I adore him.

For my writing personally, I always keep a few base traits in mind when writing Kamukura. Traits that I detail and build upon depending on the situation.

Logical - Kamukura often views things as following through a logical thread, and sometimes, said logical thread is emotionally-based! He is aware (after Junko) that people still follow predictable patterns, even if their behavior is “seemingly” completely irrational. He’s more than capable of identifying what drives people emotionally, so it’s actually a lot more difficult than people think to retain his interest. Again, though, this is something he picks up with time, either after Junko or…after observing Matsuda for long enough, in some cases. Cough, cough.

Sentimental (?) - Kamukura largely presents an overwhelming sense of apathy. He words emotional situations coldly and calculatingly in a way that conveys no sympathy nor empathy. He’s definitely emotionally repressed. That said, when he does feel, he feels overwhelmingly strongly, which I base on the fact that in the games he’s purely driven by anger and spite even to the point of being potentially willing to recklessly throw his and others lives away in order to accomplish his goals. In some ways, I guess you can say Kamukura is similar to the game of Russian Roulette. If that makes sense.

Nihilistic - Unsurprisingly, Kamukura is very cynical and hopeless in not just his situation but the situation of the world at large. He views humanity as trapped within destructive patterns in a loop that will always re-rail itself in spite of every attempt made to stop it. In his case, he doesn’t see what purpose he has outside of being a tool for other people’s use. It’s a pretty depressing worldview, but one shaped purely by the reason he exists in the first place.

Childish - And this is all to say that Kamukura is extremely inexperienced and thus, he’s actually really childish in how he acts and thinks. His worldview is just way too overly simplified! And it’s so limiting! But he stubbornly sticks by it like a kid who doesn’t fully understand the nuances of the world. And he’s just so bratty about it! A brat! He’s a complete brat!

These are the traits I work with when writing Kamukura, but obviously you can choose different ones. Like maybe having him be a bit haughtier (although I would say Kamukura doesn’t think highly of himself so much as he just thinks lowly of everyone), or maybe focusing more on just how spiteful he is because he’s definitely pretty spiteful. You don’t have to follow my blueprints to the letter!

And… Well… There’s…that… Hopefully this helps you get some kind of idea!!! If any specifics confuse you, don’t hesitate to shoot me another ask!

But also…

THE REST OF THIS IS UNDER THE READ MORE BECAUSE I STARTED BITCHING ABOUT THE ANIME AGAIN BUT LIKE, FEEL FREE TO JUST IGNORE EVERYTHING PAST THIS POINT.

Fuck the anime. Look like, even leaving out the dumb contradictions, Kamukura is a dumb fucking character just…on his own, in dr3. You wouldn’t use a building that’ll collapse from its own faulty structure down the line as a reference for your project. Fuck the anime.

Okay that’s not entirely fair. Like, Kamukura’s first appearance to the end of the first killing game is like, actually not terrible. I would even say it’s fairly good setup, especially with what’s established in Chapter 0 and tne epilogue of DRAE. But everything after that is fucking trash. Although if you build on the shooting scene in episode 8, I would be the biggest fucking hypocrite to criticize that. Everything else though is so incredibly bad and joyless that I just…don’t. I can’t recommend accounting for it. That would be the exact fucking opposite of self-care. I just can’t do it. I mean, you can still write that but don’t expect me to enjoy reading it because I fucking guarantee you that ANY enjoyment I otherwise had in your writing would completely fucking fall apart on the spot I hate it THAT much. I’m sorry but that’s just…how it is. But real talk: you shouldn’t be writing for me and what I prefer anyway you should be writing for yourself and what you prefer. And I honestly can’t fathom why anyone partial to dr3 Kamukura would turn to me for advice when I’ve made it clear many many times (and will continue to do so until the end of time) how much I fucking hate dr3, zhen especially but like… Now I’m rambling.

I failed to keep this from being very noticeably subjective. I’m sorry.

Uh… Let’s try and achieve more balance so that I don’t look completely unreasonable… Uhhh…

The way Kamukura’s VA in the dub is actually pretty good from what I’ve heard. He’s portrayed as most of a sassy, bored genius than emotionless beep boop (until waifu) and that’s a way more engaging character. In my opinion. Yeah.

But TDP actually makes that explicit in the actual text, so…really why not just… Read through his TDP events instead… Mmgh…

#I went into more detail that I should've but like #Kamukura isn't a character easily painted with broad strokes ehe #Magi answers #anonymous #Magi headcanon #izuru kamukura #dr3 negativity #god fuck dr3

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metalgearkong · 6 years

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God of War - Review (PS4)

Developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment / Santa Monica Studios

God of War is not only a reboot of the series which has existed since 2005, God of War is a complete re-imagining of the series; not only changing the core gameplay, but its entire genre. Gone is the power fantasy of slashing our way through Greek Mythology. Now, we have an incredible adventure through Norse Mythology, but far more nuanced, meticulous, and grounded. This new God of War is more of a cross between Dark Souls and a Zelda game, more so than hack ‘n slash titles the series originally was inspired by. God of War is a technical masterpiece and also happens to be a great game overall. With this complete change of pace, it may not capture all fan’s attention, but as it stands, God of War is one of the best games of the current generation so far.

The concept itself it one of the coolest ideas for a story I’ve ever heard in fiction: the Kratos (Christopher Judge) the Greek God of War is traveling through Norse Mythology on a quest to spread his dead wife’s ashes from the highest peak of all the Nine Realms. I have never heard before of two mythologies crossing over so deeply, and the authentic execution on display is even more impressive. Much like how Red Dead Redemption got me interested in the Western genre, God of War has gotten me interested in Norse Mythology. This is one of the biggest things I can thank this game for, as I’ve already bought reference books and done online research about this mythos, completely captivated by its history.

Plot-wise, God of War is a bit weaker. While the overarching concept is brilliant, the actual beat for beat story is a bit less inspired. Kratos is traveling through the Nine Realms with his son, Atreus (Sunny Suljic). The drama between them is fantastic and subtle. The graphical detail, as well as writing, and motion capture have made their duo one of the best in gaming entirely. However, since their quest is so simple, it means this 25+ hour RPG has to keep finding excuses for the heroes to not reach their goal yet. Small obstacles keep getting in the way that force us to explore more of the realms, acquiring mystic and rare items from one place, combine it with others, and then bring it back to where it goes. It’s a noble quest to uphold his wife’s dying wish, but the protagonists (and the gamer) certainly go through a lot of trouble and danger for a woman the gamer has never met or seen (yet Kratos and Atreus’ affection for her is quite clear).

Gameplay is methodical, using heavy and quick attacks with our sole weapon: the Leviathan Axe. This ice-based weapon is essetially our only main weapon throughout the game, but it has enough versatility and skill trees to unlock to make it a worthy weapon. Atreus is never controlled directly, but he can fire special arrows wherever we want, which, by extension, still makes him part of the player, especially in combat. Puzzles are equally dotted throughout every hour of the game as combat is. The new fighting system is a bit stiff and difficult to get used to at first, but the learning curve ends quickly. We collect XP to level up our abilities, and collect items and crafting components to upgrade armor and weapons.

This leads me to my only other nit-pick about the game, which is its overcomplicated menu system and abundance of confusing items. Spank me silly if I couldn’t remember the difference between runes, talismans, and enchantments for at least two thirds of the game. Every single items and attachment can be upgraded, but it’s hard to keep track of knowing if Kratos and Atreus are as truly optimized as possible with so many items and equipment. I’d rather it had been slightly simplified to keep the focus on the gameplay and story rather than scratching my head constantly deciding what is okay to sell and what should be kept for later. Either way, much like an action game, the ability to defeat greater foes more so comes from your skill as the player getting better at the combat, rather than relying on stats and special abilities (but they certainly do help).

I love how this game feels so new, yet so traditional. Things like locked doors and chests have to be passed up earlier in the game, and found again once we have the key or ability to open it. To inspire exploring old areas again, the developers creatively came up with the idea that the Lake of Nine (the hub area) constantly reveals more land because the World Serpent shifts his weight or lifts out of the lake sometimes, forcing the water to lower due to his displacement. We explore this hub lake via canoe and get to know Midgar (Earth) very well. The other Nine Realms aren’t quite as inspired, and tend to feel very similar to each other. Sure, one is “lava” themed and another may be “ice” themed, and enemy types certainly match their realm, but I thought there would be more variety in the lands themselves. I also thought I’d come across more foes and friends of Norse Mythology than we did, although there are many authentic scenes and interactions to keep a history buff surprised and entertained.

Aside from graphical detail, the game is also technically impressive purely in its processing performance. At no time (other than a death or firing up the game) do we see a loading screen; every cut-scene flows right into gameplay, and gameplay flows right into cut-scenes. Even going through doors from one massive area to another doesn’t force the game to enter a loading screen. This helps make the game immersive to never take our eyes off the protagonists, like an invisible third member of the party. The game uses creative techniques to disguise loading times while keeping you present with what the heroes are doing or saying.

I also love how Santa Monica Studios clearly put all their effort into the single-player mode, and nothing else. Never did I find something blocked by obvious future DLC or microtransactions. This is a very big, pure, dense, single-player title that is a love letter to gamers. The developers (and publisher) did not sell out, which is an enormous relief to see from big gaming companies in 2018. Although a few of the realms were locked during the game, I suspect those might make an appearance in future DLC, I’d be happy to purchase and play those because it doesn’t feel cynical and greedy on the game creator’s part. God of War isn’t completely perfect as a game, beings none are, but its many technical, artistic, and gameplay achievements should be universally praised. We want more games like this, so vote with your wallet, and pick up this product. This game has incredible depth and value, and should make all fans of action, adventure, and RPGs extremely satisfied.

9/10

#godofwar #santamonicastudios #rpg #gaming #ps4 #kratos #atreus #norsemythology #loki #thor #odin #tyr #frigg #baldur

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butyouvealwaysbeenthecaretaker · 6 years

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Rationalism: Pros & Cons

I’ve been toying with both adding “rationalist adjacent” to my Tumblr bio, and attending an IRL meeting – but I’m feeling very two-minded. The pros are so powerful and important – but so are the cons, and I’d venture to say the cons are actually worse.

I think it would be good to come up with a new label for a certain sort of Rationalism. The diaspora is very big, and like many social movements, has a lot of different splinters. I’d like to use a new term for “the bit of the diaspora I like”, because there is so much here I don’t want to be associated with. And so much I do.

I really like what Rationalism means on Tumblr, and how I understand it from participating here. We could call it Handmedown Rationalism, 2nd Generation Rationalism, or maybe there is a term for it that I've not encountered. Maybe the term is "Tumblr Rationalism", although I am not positive that using "Tumblr" as a prefix will communicate kindness and gentility well. "Kelseyan Rationalism", perhaps.

You get a radically different vision of what Rationalism means depending on...

You mostly read EY and Less Wrong

You mostly read r/ssc

You mostly read theunitofcaring

You actually live in San Francisco, and these people are in your social structure, not merely your news feed

It's very important to me to communicate "I believe in a kinder world, and want to be part of making it happen". Rather than "statistically, white people are better, and consent isn't evolutionarily sound" or "The biggest issue of our time is a hypothetical technology's hypothetical behaviour, and if you don't sign your children up for cryogenic freezing you are a lousy parent".

I've been researching and reading for months now, and I don't think I can use the term because there's such an huge iceberg of esoteric ideas below the surface, and too many of them are silly, terrifying or wrong. But I think most people who've encountered Rationalism through Tumblr are in a similar place about what they want to communicate when they say "Rationalist", and what they think "Rationalist" means - or want it to mean.

Is there another word? Can we make one?

Under the cut, long post of my “pros and cons” of adopting the label…

Nice things about Rationalism

1) Discourse norms which make me feel comfortable and supported to participate in discussions. The only people I feel entirely safe around on Tumblr. Both: people I always feel safe commenting on or reblogging, and people who rarely if ever put distressing content or behaviour in my newsfeed. The sorts of complex conversations and big ideas Social Justice promised - but no one is yelling at me or weaponising social shame.

2) Evidence-based reasoning, and a call to be open criticism, change your mind, listen to those you disagree with, and back up your positions.

3) Optimism that we can change the world – much needed, in the face of cynicism and apathy. Beautiful traditions like celebrating the eradiction of smallpox.

4) Social structures offering alternatives to the traditional role of religion: whenever core Rationalist bloggers write about their lives, I am deeply envious. Co-living, people who are united by shared values and vision, social norms favouring neuro-atypical people, etc. I would like this in my life.

5) I really like the idea of stepping away from the “Culture War”, because it generates “much heat but no light”. There’s an important kernel of truth there, about focusing on facts and productive work over clickbait and quick wins.

6) Some of their low-level issues are salient for me. This includes – attempting to have a more generous approach to men as a group, a general fear of Social Justice norms, and a belief in experimental self-care/improvement regimens.

7) I really grok Rationalists. I'm on the same wavelength. They're people I want to spend time with. Rationalism makes people happy and gives them purpose; that's always a good.

I think most tumblr people who use rationalist/rationalist adjacent are primarily communicating 1 & 7. They have discomfort with social justice norms: they want the discussion, politics and tolerance, without the shouting and death threats. And they intuitively see Rationalists and think "ah! my people!"

Unsettling things about Rationalism

Pretty much everything in this category boils down to “it is most rational to act effectively to achieve a stated goal. Too many Rationalist community tropes encourage extremely inefficient approaches.”

1) Missing the wood for the trees. Or focusing so hard on the wood you walk into a tree.

Like: politely playing footsie with fascists. There is such thing as too much civility. It’s good to be open minded and question your assumptions – but life is short. I’m OK with calling scientific racism a settled conversation so we can move on to something more important and productive. Like: a lot of the background noise about women, relationships, and consent. Sometimes things can’t be explained from a pure rational stance, and it’s uncomfortable to watch people try. How comfortable am I being associated with a group which includes Robin Hanson…? His writings about rape are - simply awful.

I do not for one moment wish to be mistaken for a person who agrees with those articles, or believes racism deserves a fair hearing when repackaged to sound sciency.

Every group is like this, right? But it's an odds game. I'm OK with identifying as a feminist, because I know our fringe crazies are safely on the fringe and small in number. With Rationalism...the fringe is putting the best ideas into practice effectively, while the core writings and influential figures are so far out the Overton Window they've actually hit the ground and started walking.

2) There’s nothing more stupid than a man who believes he is very clever.

“My idea is more logical than yours” functions a bit like “I’m more oppressed than you” in Social Justice spaces. If the space holds the value that “the most logical argument is king” or “the most oppressed person is prioritised”, then you don’t actually get rational debate or equality. You get a stick everyone tries to use to get ahead. Too many people presenting themselves as clever, not enough actual humility or uncertainty. When more status is granted for Writing Clever Worldbreaking Things, it encourages overconfident pseudoscience instead of authentic, accurate doubt.

Also: factoring in emotions, impulsivity, and irrationality is a vital part of getting the right answer when it comes to human beings.

3) Subcultural norm against participating in politics. Political engagement is an important tool for changing the world. It’s not perfect, but it’s what we have – ignoring it is dangerous and daft.

4) Related: subcultural norm for starting from scratch over participating in someone else’s project.

The world is changed by those who do the dishes and take minutes at meetings. Lots of big-scale Rationalist projects attempt to duplicate stuff that already exists, or re-invent the wheel, instead of improving something imperfect and building on work already done. The Libertarian streak encourages this attitude towards government, and the urge to set up parallel agencies and initiatives – instead of working at the grassroots. Which is not glamorous, but it is effective.

5) The wrong goals.

You can change the world at a local level – whether that’s pressuring a local store, supporting local people, writing to councillors, becoming a councillor. Focusing on existential risk is…well, to reuse the phrase, it’s a lot of heat and no light. Masturbation and no money shot. Debates without answers, actions, or measurable outcomes. In short – it’s bad activism. Martin Luther King won by focusing attention on a particular cafeteria protest, a particular bus company.

6) Poor use of power.

Rationalism appeals to some of the smartest and most influential people on the planet – well-paid people in tech, who are ambitious, courageous and motivated. I’m pretty furious and horrified the ideology channels this energy towards AI Risk rather than, say, global warming – something which is definitely happening, hurting people right now, and could absolutely benefit from that passion, innovation, money, and a Libertarian alternative to government dawdling. Tech is – worryingly – powerful in the ways that governments are powerful; if you’ve developed a ideology which connects powerfully with people and makes them believe they can save the world, it’s a crime to then tell them to LARP about with imaginary robots. Like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos farting around with Mars rockets instead of nuking wealth inequality, or setting up top-quality schools in deprived areas, or eliminating HIV, or…

7) Feels like a dodgy pyramid scheme.

“We should pledge to give a percentage of our income in effective ways to change the world” – brilliant! “We define ‘effective altruism’ as ‘AI research done by the founder of our movement’ – even though AI research has minimal impact, and our founder has no credentials.” Hmmm. Also "thank you for donating to our group for teaching Rationalist thinking. We have now decided to change our focus towards the aforementioned AI research. Alas, it's so speculative, don't expect measurable results or accountability for this - just know your money has been well spent, saving the world."

I think it’s very ugly to fill people with beautiful feelings, and then channel them into giving you money.

I think it's unsettling that Rationalism provides community for people who are outsiders, who are disabled, and who have scrupulosity issues - then says "good people in our community donate to our founder. It is the most rational action, and the only way to save the world."

Like, you have a captive audience of people who have - at long last - found their tribe. They're very vulnerable to social pressure which may lead to exclusion from the group. They're motivated by the idea of acting rationally, inspired by purpose you gave them to go out and make a difference - and experience acute distress at thinking they are not doing enough good. Do not. Squeeze these people for money. You asshole.

I don't think it's deliberate - but it's still wrong.

8) I like what the Sequences stand for – but not the Sequences themselves.

Learning how to reason, how the mind works, learning critical thinking, developing flexibility and introspection are all excellent. But I want to learn that from original texts by the best thinkers in the world. That is pretty emphatically not You Know Who.

9) Related: Amateurism.

In theory, I like the idea of teaching individual citizens how to use statistics, analyse scientific papers, how to run experiments, and tailor their own medication etc. In practice, these fields have experts in for a reason. Someone who attempts to use statistics, and does it poorly, is far more dangerous and worse off than someone who does not pretend to know, but trusts a reliable source. Core-Rationalism frequently includes people making definitive statements and presenting themselves as an authority, and being very overconfident about their expertise.

(A lot of this is neurodiverse stuff, right? Setting up your own grandiose project from scratch; being an auto-didact; mistrust of traditional authorities; being very clever etc. I’m too ADHD to function, so I can see where it’s all coming from – but it’s hardly optimised for efficiency or outcomes.)

10) There is no such thing as a safe community, and getting these things right is very difficult.

However, it is discomforting how many people close to the heart of power have credible abuse accusations against them. Also, how one of the key Rationalist organisations responded to an abuse accusation, with an inadequate internal process which concluded everything was fine. They’ve since backtracked. That’s not enough for me, because abuse scandal management reflects your innate understanding, bises, beliefs and background. You can’t backtrack when you realise that it looks bad, because the original misstep continues to reflect your group’s true values.

Also, the wider movement has a lot of beliefs which lay the groundwork for abuse: mistrust of feminism, economic approaches to dating, gender and sex, evolutionary psychology and pseudoscience, key figures arguing that rape is nicer than being cheated on...

11) People who say "I don't like Social Justice", and lowkey mean "I don't like feminism or being nice to transsexuals". Rather than how I mean it: "I don't like being frightened or walking on eggshells, I don't like how rage and shaming are totally OK, I don't like how inflexible and bad faith ideas are, I don't like how I've seen it used in real life as a weapon to gain power and control. I don't like bullies."

We are on the same venn diagram, but not nearly enough of an overlap. (Given the choice between a nasty person who supports my rights, and a kind one who does not, I choose: cutting off contact with humans and never leaving my house again)

12) Rationalism is a mere degree of separation from a lot of online movements and subcultures which are definite problems. The resurgence of polite scientific racism; anti-progressive pushbacks on LGBT rights and feminism; some of the MRA stuff, some of the incel stuff; treating Trump/politics as a dinner party debate rather than an active threat...

Can one promote Rationalism, without accidentally building these movements too...? It feels too close, and wilfully blind.

13) I want what the Rationalists I follow have. When I think about attending the local meetup, I imagine an evening spent with reddit users who think racism is very clever, and use phrases like 'not technically rape". How can I even consider adopting a label when I figure the odds are like...70/30 in favour of the rape Nazis? I do not imagine meeting people I would like to leave my child with. I do not think I will find an IRL mirror of for the cool, compassionate, nerdy people I follow online.

If you even have to ask "what percentage of this group are likely to be rape Nazis?", your have your answer.

#Handmedown Rationalism #In the caves behind my house I built a kinder world

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xtruss · 3 years

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The Future of Pakistan-U.S. Relations: A Conversation With Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi of Pakistan

— Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | Council on Foreign Relations

Left: Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi: Foreign Minister, Pakistan. Right: Richard Haass: President, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, The World: A Brief Introduction

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi of Pakistan discusses Pakistan's relationship with the United States and the quest for peace and stability in the region.

HAASS: Well good morning. This is the Council on Foreign Relations. We are thrilled to be back after a hiatus of eighteen months, though I should clarify that. We never went away. We just did not have in-person meetings. So this is the first of what will be many this week and beyond. We’re experimenting, but the goal will be gradually, as it’s safe, to open up our meetings to more people in person. But we will also continue to have a virtual dimension. The most overused word, I predict, in the English language this year will be “hybrid.” And going forward for the foreseeable future and then some, our meetings will be hybrid. And we’ll have an in-person dimension as well as a virtual dimension.

I am excited that today for this first meeting, this first hybrid meeting, we are joined by the foreign minister of Pakistan. Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi is in his second tour as foreign minister of his country. And as you can see, Mr. Minister, we’ve got a few people here. We have many more who are participating virtually or digitally. The way this will work is in a few seconds I will step off. The minister will make some opening remarks. Then he and I will have a conversation. And then we’ll open it up to you, our members. And we’ll get it all done within an hour. One thing that has not changed is our punctuality. We want to continue to respect the time of our guests as well as our members, so we will begin and end as close to on time as we possibly can.

So, again, Mr. Minister, I want to thank you for coming here, for initiating the new in-person hybrid era of the Council on Foreign Relations. We’re very pleased to have you back on our premises. So, sir, the microphone is yours.

QURESHI: Mr. Richard Haass, president of CFR, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be back at the Council on Foreign Relations. At a time when we are facing several challenges of a truly global nature, the Council’s mission of promoting better understanding between the United States and the rest of the world is more relevant than ever. Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure that the recent developments in Afghanistan are on everyone’s mind. And I will share Pakistan’s perspective on them in due course. But I want to begin with how Pakistan envisions the future of its relationships with the United States.

I do not need to educate this learned audience on the cyclical nature and the historic ups and downs of the Pakistan-U.S. relationship. Our engagement has often been narrowly framed, dictated either by short-term security interests or the imperative to deal with a common challenge. We want to break out of this pattern. After the horrific September 11th terrorist attacks, Pakistan and the United States came together to decimate al-Qaida’s core leadership and architecture. Our cooperation produced results, leading President Biden to conclude earlier this year that the United States has achieved its core objective in Afghanistan.

Now that the U.S. military mission is over, we want to take our relationship beyond counterterrorism and Afghanistan, which of course would remain priorities. For Pakistan, the United States remains an important partner. The United States is still our largest export market and major source of foreign remittances. There is a cultural affinity between the United States and Pakistan, which is one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world. Talented young Pakistanis continue to gravitate towards American college campuses and Silicon Valley incubators. We have a large and politically engaged Pakistani American community that is a bridge between our two countries.

In short, we have all the ingredients in place to build a more substantive and a broad-based relationship that is anchored in trade, investment, and people-to-people linkages. As Pakistan shifts its focus towards geoeconomics, we want to re-leverage our connectivity infrastructure, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, to enhance regional trade and economic integration. We see the United States as an important partner I this regard. Sitting at the crossroads of South and Centra Asia, Pakistan is a market of over 220 million people, with a growing middle class. Pakistan’s young, but exciting, startup tech culture showcases our untapped investment potential. U.S. companies, like ExxonMobil, have a long history of working in Pakistan.

With the government’s climate-friendly energy policies that are now tremendous—they offer tremendous opportunities for U.S. companies that specialize in renewable and clean energy. An economically strong Pakistan can be an anchor for stability in a region that has suffered through forty years of war in Afghanistan. Pakistan can work with the United States through the Development Financial Corporation to generate economic activity along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. This could, in turn, help Afghan people rebuild their war-ravaged country. The Pakistan-U.S.-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan quadrilateral could be similarly leveraged to support Afghanistan’s postwar reconstruction.

Ladies and gentlemen, the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan was elected on a promise of delivering jobs, growth, and prosperity to the people of Pakistan. We knew that achieving such an ambitious domestic agenda would be impossible without peace on our borders.

Accordingly, Prime Minister Imran Khan offered that he would take two steps towards peace if India takes one. Our message was simple. Pakistan and India should be fighting poverty instead of each other. Unfortunately, India not only spurned our overtures for peace, but took actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir that have pushed South Asia into a blind alley.

Prime Minister Khan had come to the U.N. two years ago and warned that India’s illegal and unilateral actions in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir would not silence the Kashmiri people’s cry for self-determination no matter what level of violence and suppression India unleashes against the Kashmiris.

This has proved to be true. Earlier this month, the death of Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani illustrated the cynical manner in which Indian occupation is being perpetuated. And they were so frightened of the moral authority wielded by a ninety-one-year-old freedom fighter who had spent the last decade of his life under house arrest that it did not even let Mr. Geelani’s family bury him as per his wishes. This was disgraceful, to say the least.

Pakistan remains committed to finding a peaceful solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which is the main obstacle to lasting peace and stability in the region. It is up to India to break the impasse and create conditions for the resumption of meaningful dialogue with Pakistan.

But seeing the right wing religious frenzy that seems to have India in its grip under Prime Minister Modi, we are not holding our breath. We do hope, though, that the international community would not sacrifice the principles of freedom and self-determination on the altar of political expediency and the exigencies of great power competition when it comes to helping the long-suffering people of Kashmir.

Ladies and gentlemen, the stunning developments in Afghanistan have created a new reality and reset the regional landscape. No one could have expected that the Ghani government would fall so quickly. Once President Biden announced his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Pakistan kept calling for more vigorous international diplomacy in support of an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan.

We warned that if we do not achieve such an outcome, more instability, even civil war, would ensue. Pakistan also joined the United States, Russia, and China in the extended “troika” to explicitly convey our opposition to any government imposed by force in Afghanistan.

We urged both the Ghani government and the Taliban to show flexibility. While the Taliban were expanding their territory under their control, Mr. Ghani’s government was busy inciting hatred against Pakistan on social media. Unfortunately, successive Afghan governments found it easier to play to the international gallery to blame Pakistan for every problem in Afghanistan rather than looking at the corruption and rot within.

In the end, Mr. Ghani and his cohorts simply deserted the Afghan people. The expensively trained and equipped Afghan Security Forces were too demoralized to fight any longer for a corrupt kleptocratic leadership. Mr. Ghani’s final act was emblematic of how he had governed. He left Afghanistan to anarchy when an orderly transition had almost been negotiated.

The speed of the Ghani regime’s collapse proved that President Biden had made the right call. As both he and Prime Minister Imran Khan have pointed out, continuing the war in Afghanistan would not have changed the outcome.

Here, I want to comment briefly on the who lost Afghanistan debate that seems to be underway in the United States. First of all, the international coalition did achieve its mission in Afghanistan. Al-Qaida is a shadow of what it was on the morning of September 11, 2001, and the U.S. mainland has not been attacked again. These are clear successes, achieved with Pakistan’s cooperation.

More warningly, we are noticing some old narratives about Pakistan resurfacing in the debate. Let’s be clear. Pakistan and the United States shared the same objectives in Afghanistan, even if we did not always see eye to eye on how to achieve them. Pakistan should not be blamed for correctly diagnosing the limitations of trying to solve the political problem in Afghanistan through military means.

Instead of relitigating the past, we now have to look forward. Our most urgent priority in Afghanistan must be to avoid a humanitarian crisis. We should not add to the miseries of the Afghan people. Pakistan is already home to nearly four million Afghan refugees. The collapse of the Afghan economy could cause another refugee crisis at our border.

Since Pakistan cannot take more Afghan refugees, they will inevitably look beyond to the Gulf, to Europe, even to North America. It is in our collective interest to ensure that our actions do not make economic refugees out of Afghans who have otherwise no wish to leave their country.

Pakistan shares some of the international community’s concerns about the composition of the interim government in Afghanistan. But there is a new political reality in Afghanistan. As an immediate neighbor, Pakistan cannot afford to disengage, not least because of the evacuations of Americans, international aid workers, and at-risk Afghans that we are continuing to facilitate. The international community should hold the Taliban to their commitments on providing safe passage to those who want to leave the country as well as counterterrorism, human rights, and political inclusivity.

With careful engagement and persuasion, we may be able to nudge the Taliban in the right direction. Ostracizing Afghanistan proved to be a mistake in the 1990s and it would be a mistake now. An isolated and unstable Afghanistan would be exactly the kind of place that would lure terrorist groups.

Pakistan is already experiencing an upsurge in terrorist attacks by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Baluchistan Liberation Army, and we all witnessed the horrific consequences of the Daesh suicide bombing in Kabul last month.

So while we should expect the Taliban to honor their pledge and not allow terrorist groups to use Afghan territory to attack any other country again, we have to find more creative ways to elicit their cooperation on a sustainable basis. Caution will not do. Constructive engagement and steps to avert humanitarian crisis and stabilize the economy will be indispensable.

We should also be vigilant against regional spoilers who are opposed to the Afghan peace process and are, clearly, disappointed that Afghanistan seems to have averted a long and bloody civil war for now.

In the final analysis, an inclusive end state in Afghanistan remains the international community’s best counterterrorism investment. We should continue to pursue it. I thank you.

HAASS: Thank you, Mr. Minister. And as I said, I’ll begin with a few questions, and then we’ll open it up to our members.

Since, understandably, a lot of what you said dealt with Afghanistan, why don’t I start there as well? Then we can move on to some other things. How does Pakistan view the Taliban victory? And to what extent does Pakistan, quote/unquote, “take credit” for it? What are you—how important or significant do you see your role having been over the decades?

QURESHI: What you want to know is, are we taking credit for their takeover? (Laughs.) Certainly not. Their ascendency, in my view, is primarily the failure of the regime that was in office over there. You cannot remain oblivious to what’s going on. Let’s being with the elections. Elections were held and they became controversial. You saw two presidents being sworn in on the same day. You are not unaware of the squabbling within the government. You are not unaware of the misgovernance, the ineptitude, and the corruption that was associated with that regime. Their failures, in my view, gave Taliban the ascendency that they have today

What are people in Afghanistan looking for? In my view, they are tired of fighting. They’ve seen conflict—continuous conflict for forty years. And they yearn for peace. So anyone that can give them hope and peace, they will be willing to engage with that authority. Unfortunately, the regime—the Ashraf Ghani government—failed and lost credibility in the people. And you saw when they were moving from province to province, there was no resistance from the people.

HAASS: There are those who say that the Taliban could not have won a military victory over the years without a physical sanctuary in Pakistan. What is your reaction to that assessment?

QURESHI: Pakistan—you know, who would know Afghanistan better than you? You know, you’ve studied Afghanistan. You have written about Afghanistan. And you’re an authority on Afghanistan. I recognize that. But let’s reflect back. When did the Afghans move into Pakistan? You know, it was, you know, when the Soviets moved in. And then we had to—we had to shelter them. And we sort of hosted them. It’s a lot, over four million are still hosted in Pakistan. But the Afghans that you—the Taliban that you see today—I lost the train—the question was, again? Can you just—

HAASS: About those who attribute what has happened in no small part because of the physical sanctuary that the Taliban enjoyed.

QURESHI: Yeah. OK. Right. Now, the sanctuaries that people talk about, what did Pakistan do? Pakistan has done its bit. If you look at the operations that we carried out, from Swat right into areas that many in the West felt we would never move into, we cleansed them. We cleansed them. We did everything possible. Border management, I remember, was a big issue, you know, whenever there were, you know, the U.S.-Pakistan talks. You know, border management was high on the agenda. We fenced the border, despite opposition, through our resources. We tried to introduce, you know, a biometric system over there to regulate the border. And we cleansed our areas.

These sanctuaries are in fact—if you are concerned about sanctuaries, then you should look into Afghanistan. Those sanctuaries were pointed out by Pakistan to the Afghani government. Here they are, right in front of you. Afghan soil is being against Pakistan. And you’re doing nothing about it.

HAASS: Are you worried that could continue in the future? That in a sense Afghanistan—that the Taliban, or elements of the Taliban—because it’s hard to speak about the Taliban as though it’s a singular entity—that elements of the Taliban will see what they’ve accomplished not as an end, but as a way station? And some of them will not be satisfied unless they radicalize Pakistan? Are you worried that Afghanistan could become a sanctuary and a base of operations against Pakistan?

QURESHI: Depends how you deal with Afghanistan today. This is the critical moment. If the international community disengages, if you do not deal with the immediate humanitarian crisis that is in the making, if you let the Afghan economy collapse and you continue with the freeze, Afghan money not being allowed to use for Afghans, then you will be creating space for those elements that we collectively agreed to fight and defeat. We did our bit. The Pakistan Army and the people of Pakistan, you know, collectively resolved on a national action plan. And that is, I think, a success story that many have not talked about. How we cleansed our areas, how we amalgamated that erstwhile FATA into mainstream, how schools are functioning there, how markets are there, how cricket is being played in areas that were sort of—you couldn’t dream of stepping in.

We’ve done our bit. The focus should be across the border. And that is where I think we have to partner. And here Pakistan is ready to partner on counterterrorism, with the United States and with the West, to ensure that there are more sanctions. Now, coming to what the Taliban have said, their initial statement has been that we will not allow our soil to be used against Pakistan or any other country. I hope they stand by that, and they live up to it.

HAASS: If I were an outsider—you talked about the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in Afghanistan. You’ve got large numbers of internally displaced people, potential refugees. Already, though, we’re seeing signs that, how would I put it, it does not appear the Taliban 2.0 seems to be fundamentally different than Taliban 1.0. We see what they’re doing on human rights, on education, on women. How is the world supposed to deal with the humanitarian needs of Afghanistan, but at the same time place conditions—or strings, to put it bluntly—on aid in order to encourage certain kinds of behavior, be it on terrorism or on human rights. How do you—how does Pakistan plan to deal with that dilemma?

QURESHI: The question is, Richard, first of all, what we have in Afghanistan is a new reality. I think the sooner the world reconciles to this new reality, the better it will be in taking the correct decisions. Right. There was ample time and opportunity to get rid of them. You know, twenty years of investment, three hundred thousand well-equipped and trained Afghan National Security Forces. They melted away. And you saw that. Now, here we are. How do we deal with them is the question.

We have limited choice. We are neighbors. You have the luxury of disengagement. You know, you had the choice of leaving. Do we? We don’t. So we have to deal with that reality, and I think the sooner you realize and deal with that reality, it will be better now.

How do we expect a positive attitude from the Taliban? Can we get it through intimidation? Can we—could we force them? That was tried. It didn’t work. So if it didn’t work, let’s be more innovative. Let us see if they can be incentivized to behave differently. Now, they also have to realize that their role has changed. They’re no longer fighters. They have said we have declared end of war. If they have, they’re in a new position. They’re governors and they have to provide governance, and if they have to provide governance, then they need support of the international community.

Now, the international community is saying we will judge you by certain standards. I hope they can listen to that. We as neighbors will do our best to persuade them that it is in their interest, it is in Afghanistan’s interest to adopt a more inclusive approach. Afghanistan has changed in the last 20 years. You cannot say women will not go to school. They will go to school. They want to go to school. How can you stop them, you know? (Laughs.) And you talk of Islamic values, then people will—(inaudible)—next door. Aren’t girls going to school, college, university in Pakistan, in other Muslim countries? So where does the Sharia law—where does Sharia law prohibit, you know, girls working, going to school, you know, leading a normal life? If that is what religion says, that is what the world expects, you have to behave differently.

So far, the initial indications are—I can’t speak for them, but I can hope and I pray that they are smart enough to understand what is in their interest. In my view, their interest is to open up, to respect international opinion and international norms. And if they do that, you know, they’ll find it easier for themselves.

HAASS: That is for sure. If they were to do it, they would find it easier. I think the big question is, are they likely to do it?

Let me put three other topics—

QURESHI: Let’s wait. It’s too early. It’s too early to make a value judgment. Let’s not shun them away. And let’s not blindly trust them.

HAASS: I agree. Let’s test them, and I think some form of—you talked about creative ways, conditional engagement, constructive engagement. I think that is likely to be the policy going forward, that they’ll be asked to meet certain behavioral standards and then reactions will depend on it.

Let me just quickly put three other—

QURESHI: Can I just come in here?

HAASS: Yes, sir.

QURESHI: If you look at the way now—the immediate challenge when they took over was evacuation. How did they behave? Were they positive? In my view, they were not obstructive, you know, in letting foreign nationals leave Afghanistan. Now, that’s different. Did they, like in the past, you know—you know, the behavior was noticeably different when they said we will protect embassies and, you know, they should be, you know—we should respect, you know, their, you know, their premises and not violate those things. But that is somewhat different from the past.

HAASS: Again, one subject I want to put out there is U.S.-Pakistan relations. I doubt you would disagree with me if I described it as a history of intermittent and mutual disappointment, those of us who have worked on it from our respective sides. Where do you see now, going forward, that can be changed? Where do you see any opportunities in U.S.-Pakistani relations? Together we’re what, 550 million people? Pakistan now has a population two-thirds that of the United States. What can we build on?

QURESHI: There’s a lot to build on. There are lots of values that we share. You know, we are a democracy; so are you. You believe in a market economy and you are supportive of, you know, private-sector-leading growth; so are we. You are interested in peace and stability in the region; so are we. Right? So there are lots of commonalities. The question is, let’s sit back and reflect: When Pakistan and the United States, whenever in history, whenever they’ve worked together, has it worked to our mutual advantage? In my view, it has. Whenever we’ve turned away from each other, you know, we’ve not helped each other. I think U.S. could make a strategic mistake by pushing Pakistan away. It was a mistake to abandon Afghanistan in the ’90s. It would be a mistake to not have a continued working relationship with an ally that has been with you for over seven decades.

What are we asking for? We’re not asking for any assistance. We’re not asking for any, you know, a dole-out. No. What we’re saying is we are offering opportunities of investment. If they make economic sense, come and take advantage of that. We can trade. There are investment opportunities. Here is Pakistan placed, you know, at a location which can be advantageous to many of your companies. And there is a shift in our focus. We are focusing on geoeconomics, on geopolitics. Now, that’s a huge shift in mindset. If the U.S. is not reading that then they’re certainly missing something. This is a significant shift and they should take advantage of. Here is a new—you know, land-locked Afghanistan and Central Asian republics, you know, that have a lot to offer. And Pakistan can be the hub of that economic activity. So take economic decisions and engage with Pakistan in mutual interests.

HAASS: One issue that we don’t see eye to eye is China, and U.S.-Chinese relations have deteriorated in recent years. There’s now bipartisan, a large bipartisan—

QURESHI: Not on account of us.

HAASS: Pardon me?

QURESHI: We’re not responsible for that deterioration.

HAASS: I’m not accusing you of that. I’m not suggesting that. I would say Xi Jinping has done just fine on his own. The question is, many other countries in Asia—Australia just joined a new grouping with the U.K. and the U.S.; India is participating with Japan and Australia in the Quad. Pakistan looks like, in some ways, the odd man out. Vietnam is obviously concerned about China. What is your perception of Xi Jinping’s China, and why do you seem to be more comfortable with Chinese power, less willing to criticize China than others?

QURESHI: They have been supportive. They have been consistent. When the world turned away, they never turned away. They have, over the years, built a relationship and they have built credibility. There’s trust. The people in Pakistan trust what they say. They have said they have never let us down; through thick and thin they stood with us. They’re our neighbors. And they have been supportive. You know, when we ask the United States to play a constructive role in the interest of peace and stability of the region, what’s your answer? It’s a bilateral matter. You know, you sort it out amongst themselves, India, Pakistan. We say we want to focus on economic security of Pakistan. We want to live in peace with our eastern neighbor. Can you play a role? Can you play the role of a facilitator, of a mediator? You say, sorry, we can’t.

So what—isn’t that disappointing people in Pakistan? When we say that we have taken concrete steps in addressing important issues like money laundering, like terror financing. And we’re in agreement with that, with you, you know, on the direction we should take. You talk to your leadership, you make promises, and maybe get back—you know, when we get feedback from our people who are engaging, you know, on FATF. You know, we find the U.S. playing a very—not hostile, but a very difficult role. Not even recognizing the steps we have taken. So what do you expect the people of Pakistan to—how would they respond to that?

HAASS: I will resist the temptation to answer on behalf of the United States and put one other issue on the table you mentioned, which is India. Can Pakistan and India—can your relationship improve if the situation over Kashmir does not change? Is that—to what extent does that remain not just a problem, but an obstacle to any sort of improvement in Indo-Pakistan relations?

QURESHI: Well, we certainly want our relationship to improve. We certainly want our relationship to improve because, as I said, our agenda, our focus is on, you know, fixing our economy, investing in people, improving social indicators in the country. We can only do that if we have peace, you know, on our borders. The question is there are outstanding issues. How do we resolve them? Can we wish them away? We can’t. We need to resolve them. We need to address them. How do we address them? Through a dialogue, through meaningful dialogue.

If India if is shying away from dialogue and the issue remains, if they continue with the atrocities that they are committing—and, believe you me, you know, you are advocates of human rights. Look at the human right violations that are taking place right now in Jammu and Kashmir. And we’ve just—you know, we’ve just shared with the international community a new dossier with evidence on how human rights are being trampled. We talk about human rights, but then we have selected application of human rights. That is important. If that can be addressed, if the human grievances in Jammu and Kashmir can be taken into account, and if there is a let up over there, yes.

You know, they want their statehood restored. And when Prime Minister Modi invited their leadership—there was engagement with them previously, the former coalition government, with them. They said, listen, what you’ve done on the 5th of August is unacceptable, across the board. We’re not saying that. People who have been in coalition governments with Delhi are saying: This is unacceptable. So if you revisit that, we are willing to sit and talk and normalize. Understanding that there are some difficult issues, it will—they will take time. But then let people breathe.

HAASS: But is that—are you saying that’s a precondition to normalization or dialogue? Or you want that to be the subject of the dialogue?

QURESHI: What I’m saying is they have vitiated the climate, and they should create a conductive environment for us to sit and talk.

HAASS: Again, I will resist the temptation to follow up. I want to get the members involved in the conversation. So I think, Carrie, are we going to take the first virtual or the first physical? And this is on the record. We’ll take one virtual, then we’ll come to people in the room. And just remind everybody, including the minister and yourselves, that this is on the record. Anything you say can and will be used against you. So let’s get a virtual question from digital land.

OPERATOR: We will take our first virtual question from Razi Hashmi.

Q: Good morning and as-salaam alaikum, foreign minister. My name is Razi Hashmi. I am a term member with the Council on Foreign Relations. And I cover South Asia in the Office of International Religious Freedom at the State Department.

So freedom for religious minorities in Pakistan continues to be a challenge with the continued enforcement and abuse of blasphemy laws, persecution and denial of the rights of groups like Ahmadi Muslims, and growing number of forced abductions, marriages, and conversions of Hindu women and girls. Authorities imprisoned approximately eighty individuals—

HAASS: Is there a question? We got to get to a question.

Q: Yes. You spoke earlier about selective application for human rights. So what is the government doing to protect religious minorities and reform the laws that may restrict their practice? Thank you.

QURESHI: We are sensitive to what you said. We recognize that the Christian minority, the Hindu minority, and the Sikhs, and others in Pakistan have played a very constructive, very positive role. There are—there are no laws in the country that discriminate against them. You referred to the blasphemy law. If you look at the cases registered on that law, the bulk of the cases are against Muslims and not minorities. To give you an example, one of the members of the party of Prime Minister Imran Khan, when he—when we found out that he was involved in a forced conversion, we threw him out of the party. So we are sensitive to these rights. And the constitution guarantees fundamental rights. And we are clear that we need to protect our minorities. And an example of that is the Kartarpur initiative that we talked—the corridor that we opened up, you know, for the Sikhs to come and, you know, visit one of their holiest sites.

HAASS: OK. Let’s—sir, here in the room. Hard for me to get people’s names with the masks. And I apologize if I know you and I can’t see who—tell who it is. I apologize.

Q: Hi. It’s Krishen Sud. I’m a member of CFR as well. Two quick questions. One—

HAASS: So just do one. We’ll do one.

Q: OK. Just one question. Prime Minister Khan said after the fall of the government in Afghanistan that the country has been freed from the shackles of slavery. What does that mean?

QURESHI: He was quoted out of context. What he was talking about—he was addressing a seminar that was talking about a new curriculum that we had introduced. We had—you know, we had an English medium and an Urdu medium set up. And we realized that there were two strains—you know, two different kinds of educational system in the country and we need to—need to unify that. So what he was saying was that slavery is up here. To get away from the shackles of slavery, you have to make people mentally independent. It was in that context, and it was misquoted, and they linked it to Afghanistan.

HAASS: We’re going to ping-pong a little bit between the virtual and the physical, I’m told. Is that right, Carrie? OK. In which case, we’ll do one—another virtual at this point.

OPERATOR: We’ll take our next virtual question from Mansoor Shams.

Q: Hello. My name is Mansoor Shams and I’m the founder of MuslimMarine.org. I’m an American Muslim, a former U.S. Marine, and I was born in Karachi. Like you, I’m concerned with Kashmir, the crisis there and the human rights violations. But I wonder why you have not consistently condemned the human rights abuses of all Muslim minorities. For example, you have not said anything publicly about the mass detainment camps of the Uighur Muslims in China or the ongoing struggles of Ahmadi Muslims to include many non-minority groups in Pakistan. Doesn’t all this make it harder to be taken seriously, especially when asking the international community for help? Thank you.

QURESHI: Well, we have not been ignorant of developments that you have referred to. Then there are different approaches with different relationships. The relationship that we have with China is such that we can take up issues, and we do take up issues, in a very frank, candid manner. But it is done through diplomatic channels and not through media communication.

HAASS: So, just so I understand that, so privately you have raised concerns about the Chinese treatment of the Uighurs with the Chinese government? And you have—you have made clear you have concerns?

QURESHI: We have sensitized them. Yes, we have.

HAASS: Yes, ma’am.

Q: Hi. Masuda Sultan, Symbio Investment. I’m an Afghan American and I’ve been working on Afghan issues for the past twenty-plus years. You rightfully mentioned girls’ education. And we talked about Taliban’s behavior and the need to come up to world standards. We hear that girls in primary school are beginning to go to school. We hear that university students—private university students are going to school, women. But that girls in grades seven to twelve have not yet begun their studies, that the Taliban are promising that this will happen, and we’re reading about it. And my question to you is, A, do you think that they will deliver on that promise? And, B, we’re hearing that teachers’ salaries are not being paid. And can you tell us if Pakistan has any ideas about how to engage on that issue so that teacher salaries can get paid.

QURESHI: I got the question. Ma’am, to begin with, if they’re allowing girls to go to university and open up primary schools, that means conceptually they’ve accepted that women and girls have a right to education. That’s a good step. That’s a positive step. Why haven’t secondary schools been opened? There could be logistical issues. There could be issues of teachers—availability of teachers. I’m just guessing. I’m not fully aware of the ground situation, but I’m guessing. Why haven’t teachers been paid? (Laughs.) Obviously, they are in a tight situation. And that is what we are saying, is unfreeze money that is theirs so that they can pay teachers, so that they can run their hospitals effectively, so that they can manage the COVID situation. Who knows what the COVID situation over there is? There are hardly any people who are vaccinated over there. That’s a concern. It’s a concern for us because, you know, COVID sees no borders, and we are concerned.

So what we are saying is be patient and be persuasive. In my view, that might be a more effective way of dealing with it. Incentivize. Tell them that if they’re doing this, they’re doing it for their own good. Afghanistan would need them, their economy would need them, their, you know, governance structure would need them. And they’ve said—what have they said? If I recall, they’ve said that government servants who were working, please come back to work. They’ve said, we are granting, announcing, general amnesty. There will be no revenge. Now, if this is what they’re saying, we should collectively hold them to it and say: Now, deliver on that.

What have we done, as a neighbor? Pakistan understood a diplomatic outreach. I went to different immediate neighbors of Afghanistan—Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran—and said: OK. We are neighbors. If thing go wrong, the immediate spillover we’ll face. Should we have a coordinated approach? Do we have concerns, common concerns? They said, yes, we do. And if things go right, will we benefit from the peace dividend? They said, we do. I said, OK, if we do, then let’s have a coordinated approach. And in that coordinated approach, we will all suggest—and as the prime minister suggested when he met the Tajik president—we will engage with them, and we will tell them why an inclusive government is in their interest. Afghanistan is a country of different ethnic groups. And getting them in is better than keeping them out. You know, broadening their base will give them the stability that they’re looking for.

If you’re talking of a peaceful Afghanistan—a peaceful Afghanistan will only come about through a national reconciliation. And for that reconciliation, involvement, engagement is important. So we will continue to do that. And all these issues that you are referring to are important to me as much as they’re important to you.

HAASS: OK, Carrie, let’s get another virtual question.

OPERATOR: We’ll take our next virtual question from Manjari Miller.

Q: Good morning. I’m Manjari Chatterjee Miller. I’m senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Your excellency, thank you very much for your statements. I think they were very interesting. My question is related to a statement that came from General Bajwa and was widely reported, when he said that the Tehrik-i-Taliban, which, as you know, has inflicted thousands of casualties on Pakistani civilians, and the Afghani Taliban are two faces of the same coin. My question is, how do you reconcile his reported statement with Pakistan’s support for the Afghani Taliban?

QURESHI: Could you clarify the question for me?

HAASS: I think it’s basically—Manjari, as I understood it—if I do disservice to you, I apologize, correct me—that one of your generals has basically said that the Taliban within Pakistan as well as elements of it in Afghanistan are basically two sides of the same coin. And doesn’t that give you pause?

QURESHI: Well, the difference is—and how do we distinguish between the two? The Taliban that are in Afghanistan were focused on Afghanistan. And they, in their mind, were fighting an occupation force. They wanted to liberate their country. Taliban we call, you know, the Pakistani TTP, are Taliban who are attacking Pakistan, who were carrying out terrorist attacks on Pakistan. So you have to distinguish between the two.

HAASS: Manjari, is that—did you want to follow up there? Maybe not. OK.

Q: Yes, can you hear me?

HAASS: Yeah.

Q: OK. Sorry. My follow up is that my question was related to General Bajwa’s statement, which was an acknowledgement that it is very hard to distinguish between the two because they are so intricately connected.

QURESHI: Well, they have—they speak the same language, they have common tribes, their culture is similar. But the question is their behavior. Who is doing what? As I said, there’s one element that is destabilizing Pakistan, that is being used by certain elements to create insurgency in Pakistan. They have been killing innocent people. And there are others who have their focus not on Pakistan, but want—you know, who play a role in Afghanistan. That’s the difference. But, obviously, we would not—if they—if they go into things that we feel are against the ethos and start promoting militantism, if they start radicalizing the society, Pakistanis generally do not want to see Talibanization of Pakistan, no. No. We have a constitution. We have our own values. We have our own vision. And our vision is the vision of the founding father, Quaid-e-Azam—Muhammad Ali Jinnah. And that is what we would want our country to be.

HAASS: Yes, ma’am. Want to wait for the microphone. Just introduce yourself.

Q: Rina Amiri, senior fellow and director of Afghanistan regional policy initiatives at New York University.

Minister Qureshi, you noted that Afghans were looking for hope and peace because of the failings of the previous government. Yet, this all Talib, all male government that lacks—entirely lacks inclusively in terms of ethnicity, that has eighteen sanctioned individuals, hardly engenders hope among the Afghan population. You see this in the exodus of the Afghan population. You see this in the internal displacement of Afghan population. It’s also an inherently unstable government.

HAASS: Is there a question here?

Q: Yes. So my question to you is, Pakistan is seen as having had a hand in the composition of this government. There is still a need for political settlement. What will Pakistan and the region do in order to engender a government that is not going to lead to civil war? Because that is not what we see right now. Thank you.

QURESHI: Ma’am, that’s your opinion, that we’ve had a hand in putting a government together. Believe you me, believe you me, believe you me, they are very independent. They do not like to be told what to do and what not to. They have their own ways of working and they take their own decisions, all right? And we have in the past made certain suggestions. They paid no heed to that. So this impression that you’re carrying that the government that is office over there is our placement is not correct, to begin with. And if you follow what I said earlier on, what are we suggesting? We are suggesting what you are asking. We are on the same page, you know?

In fact, if you dispassionately look at what Pakistan is advocating, Pakistan is advocating more or less what the international community is asking. You know, we are in fact the spokesmen of the international community. We are sensitizing them to what the world—how the world is looking at things, and how they have to respond to international opinion if they want acceptability. And if they do not get acceptability, you know, how will they—how will they sustain themselves?

Here is a country that was being basically run through international funding. Did they have the resources to maintain the security apparatus that was in place, to run the government that they were running? They don’t. That money came from the West. The U.S. contributed in large numbers, the Europeans played their role. So why do they want to add to the difficulties? They have plenty, why would they want to add by ignoring that? We are suggesting—we are advocating what the international community is saying. What we are saying is: Don’t rub them the wrong way; nudge them the right direction. That’s the difference.

HAASS: Mr. Minister, we will, like you, be watching events closely. And we hope that what I would describe as your cautious optimism is borne out by events. And the next time you come here, when we get the opportunity to welcome you, we can look at the record that has evolved. But I want to thank you for getting us back into the business of in-person or hybrid meetings. I want to thank you for spending an hour with us this morning. I want to thank our members here, as well as virtually. And also let people know at 10:00 tomorrow morning we have the Taoiseach, for those of you not fluent in Gaelic, that is the prime minister of Ireland will be in conversation with us tomorrow, talking about the situation in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Europe across the board.

Again, though, Foreign Minister Qureshi, sir—

QURESHI: Can I just close with one sentence?

HAASS: Yes, sir.

QURESHI: Our objectives are the same. Our approaches could be different. Objectives remain the same.

HAASS: Well, I’m—I hope that’s the case. I’m skeptical in a few areas, but—

QURESHI: That’s your choice. (Laughs.)

HAASS: That is my experience from history. But I’ll end again by thanking you and wishing you—wishing you and your country well, sir.

QURESHI: Thank you. (Applause.)

(END)

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metalifecoach · 4 years

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Why Change is Important, even when you uncertain.

Conversations for Transformation; September 2020.

How can I resolve uncertainty during a pandemic, find purpose, and improve the quality of my life?

Why do we need a big event, or disaster to make a change, or before I decide to improve my life. It has been said that people get comfortable in routines (even if circumstances create discomfort), because of the uncertainty change brings. Think about moving house, or starting a new job, the effort involved in the transition can be overwhelming, loaded with great uncertainty. On a bigger scale, a ‘Transitional Movement’ refers to an experience, or process a person or group goes through moving from a position of belief and social standing, personal, sexual, or spiritual orientation, condition of health, mental-state, or wealth, or any particular culture and business disposition to another. Such a movement allows the individual or group to function with greater growth potential, harmony, and passion for life. Power is found in how we purposefully chose the way we relate to anything that happens, instead of trying to control it or force acculturated ideas, e.g. ethnocentric principles of gender, religion, and social standing, unto others. Unfortunately, the majority of people spend most of their lives in a career, or pursuing goals that falls short of inspiration, simply because they are afraid to make the move, or don’t want to make effort to improve things. And yet, every person has a massive potential locked in the combination of their skills, talents and abilities, knowledge and life experiences that once they moved, to shift opened a path of greater significance and purpose in life.

My personal life path radically changed direction the day I started addressing the following question; “Does compliance with my cultural or religious upbringing support an environment where I can be real, live out my dreams, express a profound spirituality, have personal significance, and ultimately … does it inspire happiness, or does it cause greater stress?” Once decided that I needed to change some things, I started paying attention to the signs and signals through the events unfolding in my life. And coincidentally it indicated for a long time that a shift in direction was needed. I was just reluctant to take the step. But once I connected with a Coach and Mentor to guide me, my journey home commenced. So today, I’m going to focus on the ingredients that constitute a winning recipe for transition.

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they have to give up instead of what they have to gain.

Moving from what is to what if - Envisioning what can be.

Most people have aspirations for a better life, a dream in the heart for themselves, and a desire for the greater good of humanity. When you were a child, you believed that anything is possible, so why then did you settle for less? What happened? Is it the influence of our schooling system, expectations, and financial fears imposed by family and society, lack of belief, or practical knowledge? Or is it a matter of doubt, and cynicism thrust on you by mass media intimidation that deceived you to believe that happiness is only meant for the elect or elite? And yet, we all enjoy inspirational slogans and stories that encourage. Positively communicating and appreciating all that we as humans collectively and individually achieved in the past and can still accomplish, builds capacity for greater dreams, and hope for the future. But rarely do we create a space in our own lives for the development of the inner qualities that cultivates external skills to support those dreams, and foster trust, faith, and growth. Seeking newness in life and passion for transformation may also run out of steam when we don’t have a support structure in place to facilitate transition, recovery, and personal improvement. After another dose of complaints on Social Media about how bad things are, the shortfalls and lack of services found in society, I just wondered – Isn’t it time that we move past focusing on what is not, and instead re-imagine what can be.

Any temporary satisfaction of the fashionable haves, and comforts of peer acceptance will only outlast the next idea of someone’s video clip going viral, until you are willing to alter the beliefs that support a trend-chasing lifestyle. We know that the constant pressure and strive to acquire the next best thing is only a recipe for exhaustion. Under pressure of the expectation set by an older generation and the peer-acceptance we crave trying to adjust to the new normal people quickly get discouraged, feel a failure, lose faith in the greater good, and stop dreaming about a better future. That is until we start asking the important questions; “Without this striving to fit-in, the craving of the have-to-haves, or superimposed should-be pictures … who am I, what do I really want, and what is the purpose for life”?

There is nothing wrong with desiring only the best for yourself. But without having a clear vision of how you want to create a hopeful positive future, is like throwing a magnet into a whirlpool of the unknown, and gradually over time feeling a nudge of been drawn to a new or particular interest, passion and desire for change. And if you are willing to stay sleeping on the coach hoping for it to happen, that is also a choice. But what else can spark a dream and hope for a better future, without the need for a disastrous event to get us up from the coach? Maybe the testimony of how someone else has endured troubled circumstances, initiated a plan of action by using their own limited resources, and turned adverse conditions around to improve society, will benefit. See it’s not what happens that determines your future, but what you do about what happens. From these and other stories, we learn that hope for the future is fueled through the examples of people taking action.

What if you’re Personal Transformation cause a Transitional Movement?

What is necessary for any person to initiate the first steps of their own growth and improvement of circumstances? It all starts with a commitment to focus on their own inner transition first - a shift in attitude, perception, orientation, and mind-set about their circumstances, and the discipline to pursue the things that will enable them to follow their true calling. It is also the basis for empowered life-decisions, because it encourages the person or group to prioritise the mechanisms that will equip them with knowledge and tools needed to express their goal to pursue purpose and personal significance – instead of waiting for an external world to change by itself. Difficult life situations may just be the catalyst that lead individuals to seek new resources and opportunities, and from seeming catastrophe may come the greatest possibilities and strength ever imagined. When you remain open and willing to flow in the school of life, this movement that is initiated by adverse circumstances, may just be the greatest transition you’ve ever encountered. There is purpose and meaning in any life-event and experience, and sometimes it is the spark we need to be authentic and discover our true purpose in life. Direction determines destination, and sometimes all you need to do is to adjust the direction a small bit to arrive at a new, and better destination.

This is why transformative discussions are so powerful. Transformative Coaching is not meant to give you answers, but disrupt your minds excuses for failure and challenges you to discover the power of your soul. It builds on an appreciation and celebration of what has emerged in your life, even when it is an awareness of temporary shortfall, and it opens up venues for new growth through exploration of different opportunities and possible future outcomes for individuals and groups in transition.

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” (Voltaire). You know all of those things you’ve always wanted to do? You should go do them.

Having great ideas alone is not enough, but reflection on the direction and implementation of the vision, is wise. Many entrepreneurs and philanthropists run out of steam when they do not connect with suitable support and accountability structures to mentor their growth. While a good business-plan and strategy on paper may guide the unfolding vision for possibilities - connecting again to the motivation behind the action steps builds resilience and keep individuals motivated through transformation. When darkness, economic hardships and pandemic threat sets in, dreams, ambitions and ideals quickly run out steam. When the inner-fire is depleted, it is imperative to place support structures in place, and a reflective conversation with your spiritual counselor, or Life-Coach may keep you motivated and on track. Through supportive interaction and reflective guidance, not only is understanding gained, but newness emerges, clarity, direction, and determination is generated to take action whether for personal growth, business, or community projects.

From Concept to action steps, and rebuilding your world.

At this point, we may ask what it is that propels change. Yes, I know we don’t like change, and interesting enough the kind of change that is mostly met with resistance is those fueled by our own grumpy discontent about not getting our way, or being unhappy with personal discomfort and shifting routines. Never give up. I know that current social and economic difficulties may cause many to feel lost and disconnected with life. When you feel you have lost your way, there is hope, and your circumstances is helping you find new direction to where you need to be and doing what you needs to do.

Transitions is more about how we are in the world during these challenges and an awareness of the meaning why we occupy this space called Earth, rather than what we do. When we address the inner tension created due to a state of affairs and disharmony, discomfort and short-fall created by irresponsible and self-centered human action, and then out of concern arise with compassion that compels you to do something to heal broken affairs. That is when we know and respond to calling. But how do you find meaning and direction in all this chaos?

Finding your purpose in life, is your roadmap to your destiny. You’ve got the wrong roadmap when you’re in a rut and life starts getting you down. It’s never too late to find your purpose and start living the dreams of your heart, that which embodies meaning to you. Each of us in a special way, is destined to make a difference in this world. When we find courage to believe in yourself, your significance and purpose in life, even when no-body else does – That’s what enables you to take a stand for the things that is important to you. How will you then live the next phase of your life, and what do you need to do to get where you want to be? Are you overwhelmed by your own personal needs awareness and still complaining about why e.g. the government doesn’t change certain conditions? Or have you looked through the window to the world at large and started thinking outside the traditional box of conventional approaches to earn a living? What other possibilities exist? These are important questions you will be asked during transformational discussions, but are essential if you want to find your destiny, rekindle your passion, and step into your power. The purpose if transformative conversations are to build inner resilience, to enable individuals to transition into the next stage of their lives.

Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Deepening the process is when dreams are structured in a more formal expression, giving flesh to your passions and ideals in the way it is expressed in and through you, and in what you do in the world. It feels very different than the initial state of despair, confusion, and disorientation. For example, some feel they want to express their talents in a way through which they can make a living, and at the same time, e.g. to create jobs for others as well. The deepening process of transformative conversations organize thoughts and giving it structure. You don’t have to be a formal organization to transform your community, or have an impact on society. You don’t need to belong to a specific Religious or Business Groups to implement transformative tools, and any people movement initiative has the potential of generating income that support yours and others well-being. It just ask that you tap into the knowledge resources available and take the initiative to build network (Interfaith and Cross-Culturally), and integrate this resources to build a New Humanity. Connectivity builds the cohesion that evolves in deeper meaning and significance in what we are and do. Conversations that cultivate this capacity are generated not only through Personal Coaching sessions, but can also be encouraged through Transition Groups. It is a way of building a new life beyond the crisis, it is the strengthening of the vision and expansion of ourselves in the way we embody a new consciousness in the world, in and through the enterprises, and work we do ethically and practically as stewards of the earth. Meta-Life Coaching, facilitates many of these kinds of Transition Groups, some focus on Spiritual Development and discusses e.g. the practice of meditation. While others focus on Personal Empowerment and negotiating through life’s challenges, whether it is work related, relationships, or even gender expression, and the social skills needed to thrive. Contact me at [email protected], should you like to be included.

Hope for a better future is not a wish, nor just a desire for things to be different. It is a course of action, combining mind and heart. Your future can be better and can be brighter, and we each have the power within us to make it happen. If this time have not taught us to pay closer attention to our Soul’s yearning, then we still believe that lesson from the past don’t impact your decisions in the future, and neither would you believe that the actions you can take today is vital for a better future. Because if your quest has been fruitless till now and you yearn for significance and meaning, it is because you were looking at the wrong places, asking the wrong questions. It is time! Something needs to happen! Let’s connect! Yes I had gone through lonely nights and have lost it all, Yes I had to start over on many occasion, Yes I followed social rules and expectations and some I have broken to my own detriment, Yes I allowed my logical mind to dominate decisions that will satisfy the approval of family and friends. And in the end …. I felt disconnected and lost, hopelessly distressed and unhappy. I’m here to tell you there is a better way and want to connect to help you discover possibilities, to empower and enable you to have greater resourcefulness in the way you live and express who you are, that will improve what you can offer as service to your community. Transformative Coaching discussions will allow you to determine your own impact on society, by helping you to align your passions and interests with opportunities for growth. For more information or to book a Conversation, go to https://metalifecoaching.co.za/contact-us.php.

#life-purpose #counseling #conversations #spirituality #spiritualgrowth #life-coaching #out of chaos #personal development #self-discovery #uncertainty

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garrisonabel93 · 4 years

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Refocus your priorities and inner balanceDo not be able to help you achieve your objective of reconciliation.Some of these collections are ordinary, others less so.If you are frustrated, don't say abusive words to your spouse been saving for a moment.Wondering How to save marriage, always bear in mind that both of you need to analyze your marriage or not.

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You can't change the way back into the night when the spouse and get your wife may very well what is right in the marriage rather than survival.Some pastors have taken special classes above and see if you are like the unknown - situations or events that are in anguish.When the severe stress levels will start to be reinforcing the decision the thought it would be a lack of proximity to their marriage.However, a number of marriages which faced problems and get the marriage and work through the motions with his patients?Have our attempts at resolving conflicts become more negative in their marriage in ways of communicating.

Ways To Save A Relationship

Be there for your partner is in trouble, there is strength in numbers.If you can combine the right place because there is something you should be avoided if the book is simply to compromise with one another for the past and whatever bitterness and anger.Here, I believe there is something which you are interested in fixing your marriage, just remember that first step to repairing that which is filled with pitfalls.First and foremost, a couple situation will achieve the same short term reactions and think about it, is not difficult to establish any trust at all hard work at saving it, you will get to see trouble coming; otherwise many of us have no children can get your marriage in turn you will create a belief in you that it is natural in all aspects - mentally, physically, and emotionally.You can avoid it before it runs too late to rekindle your relationship, saving marriage alone, even when they have to step 3, you should and could be anything new but it is worth saving marriage.

Another question that the only one will be giving your best to calm down and under the mental trauma it can do to save a Christian marriage or other relatives.If you truly work out any problems that are in anguish.Do not just two people marrying who both knows what he's doing and start the process.In many of those pristine relationships that are offered to you.Start seeing your local marriage counselor, you may be while they were not resolved soon.

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