#mindsets

[unsolicited-opinions]

Hi ! I’m lurking through your blog and you seem very mature, like in a way that’s rare to find. I naively had similar beliefs as a teen but now feel like I’m never radical enough or useless, I felt like I lost myself and I wanted to ask how do you stay confident in your mindset.

Old, Anon.

The word you're looking for is old.

Aging is weird.

The truth is that I don't stay confident in my mindset.

I think that's mostly a good thing, because the reflex to defend a mindset can drive you to bypass genuine listening and reconsideration when presented with new information or new ideas.

Mindsets can get tangled up in feelings, fallacies, and cognitive biases.

I try instead to stay open and skeptical, especially of myself. That uncertainty keeps me checking in with my beliefs. It helps me pause before posting, read people I disagree with, and listen when people disagree in good faith.

Maybe you're really asking something deeper, Anon.

You mentioned feeling like you're never radical enough, or that maybe you've lost yourself.

That disorientation, that sense of being not enough for the tribe you're supposed to belong to is real.

It's especially brutal when you actually care about justice...but your community starts measuring morality by loyalty, shibboleths and performed tribal rituals instead of by integrity.

You're not alone in feeling this way.

____

I've been trying to understand what's happening when a wide variety of people get angry at me.

In the past week alone, no shit, I've had each of the following spit at me as contemptuous invective by someone on Tumblr in Replies, Asks, or Reblogs:

Communist!

Liberal!

Centrist!

Nazi!

Boot-licking Fascist!

I've been trying to figure out what it is I'm doing which is so upsetting to so many people across so many ideological camps.

My working hypothesis:

Consistency is a strangely radical trait to display publicly in a polarized society and it is deeply offensive to people on either end of the horseshoe.

Below are moral principles which I think always apply.

These aren't slogans or moral flexes.

I often want to check and re-calibrate my own internal tools for moral navigation, and that's what this sort of thing does for me.

They're guardrails which help me avoid going off the road of human decency or straying from my core moral beliefs. They're also not comprehensive or universal - they're just some examples which are useful and meaningful for me.

Every People Has a Right to Exist

All of them.

You don't have to love every culture. You don't have to endorse every political entity, but no group deserves to be erased.

If your activism involves erasing a people physically, culturally, or symbolically, you're not doing liberation work.

Oppression Doesn't Excuse Oppression

Being hurt doesn't give you a free pass to hurt others. Nothing justifies massacres. Bigotry and violence don't become righteous when they're flipped upside down.

If we cheer atrocities when "our side" commits them, we're not opposing violence, we're promoting it.

Human Rights Are Universal

Women's rights matter in Afghanistan and in the US.

LGBTQ+ rights matter in Iran and in Florida. The right to protest matters in Gaza, Georgia, and Tehran.

Free speech matters even when it protects people you disagree with.

If we bring up human rights to attack our enemies but excuse our allies when they do the same, we're making human rights which should be universal into something selective and tribal.

Targeting Civilians is Never Acceptable

Drone strikes. Suicide bombings. School shootings. Pogroms. Doesn't matter who's doing it or why. Targeting civilians is always wrong.

Moral Agency Applies to Everyone

People and movements must be judged by what they do, not by the story they tell about themselves.

This includes the US, Hamas, Russia, MAGA, antifa, the IDF, radical feminists, the Ayatollah, and your favorite TikToker.

If you treat any group as too victimized to be morally responsible, you're infantilzing and dehumanizing them. It's not compassion, it's condescension.

Oppressed ≠ pure.

Powerful ≠ evil.

The Ends Don't Justify Inhumane Means

If a "revolution" regularly promotes torture, genocide, authoritarianism, or child soldiers...it's not a liberation movement.

If a cause requires mass deception or mass suffering to work, the cause should be revised or abandoned.

"By any means necessary" can go very wrong very quickly and this phrase should not be used often, casually, or as an abdication of moral responsibility.

Peace and Justice Require Listening

You don't build a better future by eradicating your enemies. You build it by figuring out how to share space with people you may never fully agree with.

Justice requires truth and accountability...then forgiveness and coexistence.

When movements start purging dissent, silencing disagreement, and chasing utopias through destruction...that's when they start becoming the thing they claimed to fight.

Right now:

Identity is treated as morality, and power is treated as sin.

Being "on the right side" means never having to check yourself.

Rage/outrage is mistaken for moral clarity.

Empathy is weaponized against an enemy, not leveraged to relieve suffering.

The loudest performers are drowning out those who are working meaningfully and materially for peace.

A large number of us have abandoned consistent principles and ended up cheering for monsters...mostly because the monsters hate the same people we do.

So I try to hold onto moral principles that don't change based on who's in power, or who's claiming victimhood. Moral principles which focus on alleviation of suffering and promotion of justice, not on revenge or the balancing of scales. Principles which prioritize action over performance, and rational universalism over tribalism.

To be clear, I don't think doing this makes me neutral or right.

But I do hope it makes me trustworthy.

---

Anon, if you're feeling lost or like you're not "radical enough," maybe ask yourself:

Are you anxious about being faithful to your values...or just to your group?

Are you sacrificing thought for belonging? Are you sacrificing your own moral principles for social acceptance?

Where did you get the idea that there's some threshold of being "radical enough," and that other people can set that threshold without your consent?

Solidarity without principle isn't justice. It's just one's preferred (or socially acceptable) flavor and direction of selective injustice.

So...what beliefs/principles/values do you hold as sacred no matter what group they're applied to?

---

The quiet moments when you're alone with your conscience are the ones which will tell you who you are.

So don't worry about falling short of perfection, Anon- everyone falls short of that.

And maybe don't worry about falling short of other people's standards either - because it'll never be possible to satisfy them, and you don't owe them a performance or allegiance to their standards.

You owe yourself consistent commitment to your standards.

___

If you feel like you're "never radical enough" or that you've lost yourself somewhere along the way, consider the possibility that you're just experiencing the natural results of trying to be honest and true to yourself in a dishonest, inconsistent, polarized, tribal, performative, reactionary, dangerous time.

Managing that can be difficult and unpleasant, but even just making the attempt takes courage...and you're already working on it.

That's more than most people ever manage.

[thepersonalwords]

The origin of innovation and entrepreneurship is a creative mindset

Michael Harris

[anarchonist]

Probably not a very hot take, but one thing I've noticed about not only conservatives but anyone having a sort of worryingly 'right-wing' (for lack of a better term) mindset is the preoccupation with potentials instead of the world around them.

Disinformation, conspiracy theories, weird religious hangups, obsession with investment returns etc., spending more time in the realm of 'it could happen' than trying to earnestly engage with the world around them seems to me to be a hallmark of someone with a harmful and even destructive mindset.

Escapism is very human, but at the point where it becomes more important for you to view the entire world through the lens of what you think it is or the ideal of what it should be instead of looking at what it is and thinking about how it can be improved on its own terms, you're on a bad path.

[a-contemplative-soul]

“Sometimes the chaos of society distances us from our true path”

Author: Me

[strongerthanyouthinkbitch]

🧘‍♀️

[random-xpressions]

I don't want to see life as a riddle to be solved but as a song to be danced to...

Random Xpressions

[holly-fixation]

The Evil Sephiroth Mindset

This is an explanation of how I personally have to think when writing for Sephiroth post Nibelheim. It can also be used as a personality study.

Sephiroth, post Nibelhiem, only cares about three things: his goal of conquering other worlds, his reunion with Mother, and Cloud. Cloud killed him. Cloud is the only person left on the planet with such precise and accurate memories that he will always be Sephiroth's ticket back to The Planet's surface. Cloud is a tool. Cloud should not be killed unless their victory is absolute, but should always be made to suffer in this world or in the Lifestream.

Mother's goal is obvious. Mother's goal is true. There is no explanation, no lie or full truth that will change Sephiroth's mind. This Planet will be his, as will the next, and the next. Jenova will remain at his side for all eternity. No string of logic or emotion will change this.

No one beyond Mother and Cloud are worth his time. There is not a single person on this planet that should pretend to be worthy of his attention. They are lucky to be ants crushed beneath his feet. They should be grateful for the world he will create. All will die, and the only people allowed to live until The Planet is claimed are the ones closest to Cloud, only to bring the blond despair when they die before his eyes.

Sephiroth is greater, better, than anything in this universe with Mother at his side. Nothing will ever separate them if the Reunion is complete. The planets they will create are their greatest pride, if they can only defeat the inferior rats always toppling their plans in the last possible moment. Nothing brings him greater rage than that fact.

Speaking of rage, Sephiroth's is rarely seen. It is possible but incredibly difficult to make him snap, and even then it's usually one precise strike that silences opposition and rebellion. The only other emotion that matters is his love for his mother.

No one will ever take that away.

Not after Nibelheim.

Not after the truth.

[decervantes]

Parenting is Design Leadership

I was struck this week by how much our readings resonated with me as a parent. I take my responsibility as a leader to my children quite seriously. I try to be proactive, as a design leader should, rather than reactive to problems that arise. The mindsets laid out in the IDEO field guide could also be found in a parenting book (especially learning from failure, empathy, embracing ambiguity, and optimism).

I learn from my kids every day about how to be a better person and a better parent. I also think my art and photography practice has changed for the better since becoming a mother. Here are some photos I made back at the beginning of August in Vermont. I really appreciate when images toe the line between snapshot and artwork.

[innervoyagesthroughart]

Meet Lyra

She is a dazzling, fierce Pixie living after the apocalypse. Blend of beauty & cunning, vivacity & survival ready, Lyra rocks the post-apocalyptic world. When you tap into your inner Primordial Pixie, you are tapping into inner resilience, adaptability, and hardiness.

Music: The Survivalists -- Harry Manfredini.

Find The Quip Collection on Etsy or at the Sapience Shop (sapience2112.com)

#survivalists #survivalistsart #survivalistskills #digitalart #digitalartist #digitaldrawing #digitalmarketing #SurvivalistArchetype #SurvivalistsPixie #pixies #Whisical #mythical #mythology #symbol #cyberart #cyberPixieArt #wallart #screensavers #poster #posters #posterdesign #apocalypse #ApocalypseArt

[cloudsjulett]

[an-na-ko]

Saw it was make a terrible comic day today (June 24 2025) so meet my cats

[bongwalter10]

sister

[givebackbc]

Personal Development and the Significance of Moving from a Fixed to a Growth and Learner Mindset

In the journey of personal development, our mindset can have a big influence on our perspectives and how we respond to challenges and change. These mindsets affect how we approach challenges, how we see our skills, and how well we learn. Mindsets inform our personal development with every decision we make.

Learn about the different mindsets here: Growth mindset and fixed mindset, and mindsets

Student engagement is the mental state students are in while learning (Barkley and Major 2020). This idea relates to how a student's mindset determines the outcome, or success, of their learning. We can conceptualize engagement as the catalyst that drives personal growth.

At its core, being a learner is about viewing challenges as opportunities, mistakes as learning tools, and seeking inspiration from the success of others. It means recognizing that our current knowledge, no matter how comprehensive, will always have room for growth.

Growth is about developing a holistic understanding of ourselves and the world around us. It brings into focus the role of effort, resilience, and patience in our journey towards self-improvement and fulfillment.

In an ever-changing world, the ability to adapt, innovate, and learn has become necessary to navigate both personal and professional domains. This mindset shapes our attitude toward life, pushing us beyond our comfort zones and promoting a more enriched and flexible perspective.

Importance of Being a Learner

A learner mindset is important because it allows us to view challenges as opportunities, learn from mistakes, and seek inspiration from others. Benefits of cultivating a learner mindset include increased creativity, resilience, confidence, and ability to make innovative connections. It involves curiosity, openness to learning, and valuing continuous improvement.

Impact on Personal Growth

Drannisemabry.com

Becoming a learner has profound impacts on personal growth. A growth and learner mindset fosters an environment where mistakes fuel growth and learning. Treating challenges as opportunities to learn helps us grow and adjust for continuous learning.

This mindset pushes us to analyze our ideas, beliefs, and actions. It motivates us to take responsibility for our own learning and development, encouraging us to expand our knowledge and abilities by actively pursuing opportunities. As we learn and evolve, we become more open, understanding, and adaptive, which benefits our relationships, careers, and overall quality of life.

Developing a Learner Mindset

Transitioning from a fixed mindset to a learner mindset requires conscious effort and a commitment to change (Harapnuik, 2021). It means being willing to try new things, getting out of our comfort zones, and viewing every event as a chance to learn. It's about having an insatiable curiosity and being open to change all the time, knowing that learning is a journey, not a destination.

This change in thinking about learning will lead to a change in our approach to learning, as Dr Harapnuic (Harapnik) explains in his video “Reignite Your Learners Mindset” (It's About Learning | Reignite Your Learner’s Mindset),

Here are a few practical ways to foster a learner mindset:

Skills Gained:

Did you find this interesting? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments......

References

Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2020). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Borg, G. C. An Indigenous Journey to Belonging. Inorg. Chem. 2023, 62, 637– 638, DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c04292

Cote, C. (2024, August 30). Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset: What’s the difference? Harvard Business School Online.

Harapnuik, D. (2021, February). Learner’s mindset explained. It’s About Learning. Available at https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8705https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset

Harapnuik, D. (2021, July). Reignite Your Learner’s Mindset. Available at It's About Learning | Reignite Your Learner’s Mindset

[a-contemplative-soul]

In the last days I reached the conclusion that only certain circumstances or things are capable of awaken specific mindstates, for example certain songs, certain places, certain moments, certain flavors, certain smells, certain sounds, only through these specific elements I am able to reach certain ideas. For that reason, it's fundamental to learn what each thing brings to my mind, therefore I can use it in an advantageous way and have more control over my mind.

[theadaptableeducator]

The Adaptable Educator's Book Review - The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Context and StructureKahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (1923) is a collection of twenty-six poetic essays framed as the farewell address of Almustafa, “the chosen and the beloved,” to the people of Orphalese. Each chapter treats a universal aspect of human experience—Love, Marriage, Joy and Sorrow, Work, Prayer, Death—delivered in brief, aphoristic sermons. Gibran’s Lebanese-American background infuses…