OpenStars

The one who is neither not-x nor not that not-x.

No way dude!

It is not.

Oh uh... I was gonna say "don't allow an over-reliance on any technology that could be hacked (by Cylons) and thereby become unreliable at any time", but sure, we could add that one too! :-P

How quickly we forget the lessons that Battlestar Galactica tried to instill in us... :-D

Far less than on Reddit, but it still affects someone's experiences. e.g. just bc someone does not experience something daily does not mean that it never happens, but often a person in a minority status group has no choice to ignore such, while the privileged status person can.

Oh dear I didn't even think of that 🫠. LET THE MURDER GAMES COMMENCE! 🔪 (I'll offer you a 2s head start, beginning... NOW!)

Speaking of, I saw a post today that lead me to check out Reddit for the first time in months... damn we sure do have much more friendly conversations here! It's enough to make me forget all the years of toxicity there, towards the end. 🙃

Hehe caveats definitely apply, like if you are talking to someone only over the phone, then maybe don't say that one 😜 😉.

But it's a good thought.

I suppose it depends on your goals - for a child or pet, is it okay to lie to them or simply force the issue, whereas for an adult human, how far should someone go to remove from them the consequences of their own actions?

Interesting article about the changing language surrounding climate change. Like now it's starting to become climate emergency/breakdown/crisis, but before any of that it was global warming, and in the 80s apparently it was "inadvertent climate modification".

Never forget that behind the mobs is a controller.

Yes and no.

I feel it is important for the human condition - it's also a part of my faith system but entirely separately from that it also seems to me to lead to the most "zen", as in if we only focus on ourselves that seems like the fastest way to unhappiness? (Is Jeff Bezos happy? Is Elon Musk? Is Steve Huffman? money flows like a river and if it only comes in but never is given away then that leads to imbalance)

But so very many organized charities have been revealed to be frauds that I am extremely wary of giving to one that I had not vetted, especially one associated with organized religion. But that requires so very much effort... still it's part of it and connects you to it.:-)

One thing I love to do is tip. I'm in America btw, so it's an important part of what they need, and these are people who are WORKING for it - like, they aren't just street beggers (although I've given to them too - I usually have quite mixed feelings about that one though, and tend to not). Especially if I'm ever in a southern state - 10-20% just barely does anything for a $6 meal at a Waffle House, so those rules should not apply. According to my way of thinking, it is just part of the cost of the service - like I could go to a grocery store and make my own food, but if I to "out" to eat then I want to do what I can to counteract the evil fuckwads who decided that $2.25 an hour or whatever it is before tips are counted towards their paycheck (so not minimum wage + tips but that amount instead).

And as others are also saying, don't neglect the non-financial ways of "giving" as well - something as simple as offering to flip a mattress for an old person or trim someone's yard for someone dealing with an injury, which may be trivial for one but exceedingly difficult for another.

Also compliments. I'm not good at this and virtually never do it actually - but it might just be more important than anything else you could do for someone, e.g. could you prevent someone's suicide just by offering such a simple gesture of support? (possibly not entirely intentional too, like a fentanyl overdose) Maybe I'm being too naive here and inflating the power of such... or maybe I'm still underselling the importance here?

Anyway it's more about you than it is them - who do you want to be, someone who takes takes takes or someone who gives gives gives? Like when someone sees you walking into the room, do you want them to cover up their wallet/purse or beam with an authentic smile?

But don't be stupid about it. If you give away your paycheck and then cannot pay rent, then you'll be the one needing help. Therefore, treat financial "giving" like any other budgeted amount - not a "I feel like it today so here's a good tip", and more of a "every single time I go out, this is what I expect to offer" (and if service is poor so you feel that you can't give it to them, then find someone else to offer it to?). The vast majority of us really need so much less than consumer culture says that we do - and I for one find chasing the monetized dream to be a futile endeavor, but giving is one of the most sure-fire ways to produce, if not "happiness" (not every time) then at least a settledness/peace overall.

Dare to be different, especially if you know that you are doing a right thing, and "remember the human" very much seems to be that, for me.