Hello everyone,
A common phrase in modern society is “just find yourself.” People are urged to find who they “truly are” through insufferable, short-sighted, and foolish acts.
Of course, no one urges these people (mostly women) to “find themselves” in parenthood, service to others, marriage, or any other avenue that promotes the best within them. They are told to “find themselves” through vice and shameful activities.
The idea of “finding yourself” through vice is implicitly promoted through our culture. The water we swim in is one of hedonism and nihilism.
Such emptiness promotes vice, so it is no wonder “finding yourself” doesn’t involve virtue, service, or even religious life. Saint Maximilian Kolbe “found himself” by serving God and others, ultimately giving his life so another may live.
How many moderns promote his saintly ideal?
Or what about the ideals of Booker T. Washington, working tirelessly to give education opportunities to his people? Is his ideal promoted?
Or what of good mothers and fathers who care for their homes, raise their children well, and are pillars of their communities? How often are people advised to “find themselves” in such honorable and essential roles?
You can have your “fun,” but fun always runs out. You will age, and your" “fun” has produced nothing, stabilized nothing, and elevated no one.
To be fair, there is and has to be a balance. One cannot be a monk. But individuals like Melina cannot help us determine that balance. She has provided the extreme, an extreme that most people, when they follow it, usually end up depressed, lonely, and lost.
Do you want to “find yourself”? Find it in pursuing your most virtuous self: disciplined, focused, and direct. Regardless of age, you can reduce your comforts, eliminate your vices, and redirect your path to serve others and your most virtuous self.
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Practices For Writing And Drawing
One of my life goals is to tell stories that elevate individuals to be their most virtuous selves.
To accomplish this goal, I must be a better artist and writer.
Thus, I practice daily. I use a few practices to sharpen my skills and improve my abilities.
Here’s what I do for writing:
Writing prompts: Most of the time, these prompts go nowhere. But occasionally, I have a new character or story idea from this exercise. The prompts can be specific scenarios, objects, or even a single word. Just Google “writing prompts” for examples. Or utilize ChatGPT for writing prompts.
Character development: I create detailed profiles for fictional characters, including their appearance, personality traits, background, and motivations. For extra practice, I imagine the characters meet each other. Then they say three quippy lines, similar to the fighting intros in games like Mortal Kombat. Such an exercise forces e to distill their character traits into a few words.
Setting exploration: Describe a setting in vivid detail, utilizing all your senses. Imagine the place's sights, sounds, smells, and textures, and bring it to life through your words.
Rewrite a scene: Admittedly, I have yet to do this one. But the exercise involves taking a scene from a favorite book, movie, or play and rewriting it in your style. You should experiment with different perspectives, tones, or outcomes. Supposedly, this exercise helps with analyzing and understanding the techniques used by other writers so you can hone your unique voice.
Flash fiction: Write a complete story in a very limited word count, such as 100 or 500 words. This exercise challenges you to convey a narrative, develop characters, and create a satisfying conclusion within a constrained space. A good example would be the story written by Ernest Hemingway: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Emulate a writing style: Choose a writer you admire and try to emulate their style. Analyze their sentence structure, use of imagery, pacing, and tone. By mimicking their style, you can gain insights into effective writing techniques and develop your voice.
Journaling: Although I’ve struggled to keep up with the habit, journaling helps with self-reflection and observation. Write about your experiences, thoughts, and emotions.
Write This: I will go to Art Station or Pinterest. I will find an image I like, then craft an entire story around that image. For further difficulty, I force myself to utilize specific phrases and words that have to be in the story.
Some Funny Videos
Cell Vs Kenshiro #CellGames | TeamFourStar by TeamFourStar
[SFM] G-Man Roasts Gordon Freeman by CoreyLaddo
SWTOR slander by Morden Wex
who made me have that gay dream? by Almost Friday TV
Become An Individual Archive
THEY LIE TO THEMSELVES - Most people’s lives are spent in constant lies. They must lie to themselves; otherwise, they have to face reality: they will die one day, they are enslaved to the ruling classes, their vices control them, and so forth. Learn more about how and why people lie to themselves through this post.
THREE WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ADDICTS - Vice has a cost, and that cost is steep. When you fail to regulate your behaviors and act well, you open yourself up to dysfunction. Such dysfunction will spread and harm others. Learn more about addicts and how to protect yourself from them by reading this post.
MODERN MAN IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR HIMSELF - Modern people, such as Melina, represent a desire to be weak. She and many others are incapable because they do not wish to embrace personal responsibility. As an individualist, you must choose a different path. Read more about how to be a true outlier through this post.
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