experienceitself

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You loved bugs and mimicked animals anytime you heard them and we would laugh at the way squirrels so urgently and recklessly ran about the woods on our walks. I can't help but be honest and say that I just don't know if I'll ever hold someone like you again. I can't help but miss you all the way to the very bottom of my heart.

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Azerbaijani wedding ritual, 1965. Photographed by Lev Borodulin.

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As I was pondering the recent development of western leftists now supporting the IRI because they are at war with Israel, thus abandoning the actual people of Iran to this brutal regime, and their earlier abandonment of Ukraine in favor of Russia, and their support for the Houthis, Hezbollah, and even in some cases the Taliban, I was trying to figured out how the hell one gets there from the starting place of supposedly supporting human rights. And the only unifying thing I can figure out is that it seems to come down to supporting anyone and any group that acts in opposition to "the West."

But why?

What's wrong with "The West"™️? What sins have been committed in the West that haven't also been committed in the East (and in plenty of cases are actively still ongoing)?

Because to my recollection, the problem that leftists theoretically have with the West is that it has been built on and amassed wealth based on colonialism, imperialism, slavery, wars of aggression, genocide, and mass human rights abuses. Many take issue with Christianity (particular in its evangelical fundamentalist iteration) as a major driving force and weapon of Western imperialism.

Those are all objectively terrible, horrifying things and good reasons to hate the West and Western hegemony — you won't get any disagreement from me there! However, none of that, no matter how deeply baked into the DNA of the West it may be, is (a) inherent to the West, or (b) unique.

In fact, the East is full of (and in large part also built on) colonialism, imperialism, slavery, wars of aggression, genocide, mass human rights abuses, and fundamentalist, expansionist religions. All of these same issues exist there too! The groups and countries western leftists are stanning are themselves guilty of these same things! So where is the value in being anti-West when the East contains the same problems?

I know I'm asking a dumb question here but: have the people supporting these groups actually thought through why they're so anti-West lately? Because I really don't think they have. There is nothing ontologically or uniquely evil about the West; if the justification for hating the West and everything that flows from it (or that they associate with it, correctly or not) is this list of egregious evil acts, surely they should hate any country or group that engages in that same evil act, no?

And I realize that there are a large number of this sort of person who are just ignorant of history and the facts on the ground outside of the West, or they have been made aware and choose to ignore it as "propaganda" or lies. Even if we rule those people out, I've encountered folks who still just have a burning hatred for the West even if they have accepted the reality of atrocities outside the West committed by non-Westerners against other non-Westerners. And that's something I just truly do not understand; like what's up with that? What gives?

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There are currently no nations or nationalities which I believe should be destroyed.

There are, however, governments and political systems which I believe should be reformed.

Wanting to destroy things, especially wanting to destroy people, reveals a fundamental sickness in how one views the world. How can we make the world a more peaceful place? How can we make that happen without destroying lives?

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translation

"I am an internist, and over the years, I have treated many patients with depression. Personally, I rarely prescribe medication these days. I have also seen many patients who have already been diagnosed elsewhere and have been taking multiple medications for years, and the majority of them have achieved full recovery. I will outline the methods that have proven effective in almost all cases. There are two main approaches. Diet and exercise. Regarding diet, minimize carbohydrates, avoid sugar and sweets, avoid instant foods like cup ramen, consume soy products daily, and consume fermented foods daily. Specifically, I recommend tofu, pickled vegetables, kimchi, and natto. For exercise, above all, skip. Since it may be embarrassing outdoors, I insist on “indoor skipping.” Fifteen minutes, two sets, every day. It’s quite tiring. Also, a walk at sunrise is mandatory. Walk while looking at the sunrise and the sky. Literally, “walk with your head up.” Skipping and walking while looking at the sky. When I tell them to do this every day, they say, “I can’t do that…” Everyone says that. I understand the feeling of not being able to do something without even trying. But if you keep doing the same thing, nothing will change. I tell them. You can do it. But when the patients come in next, almost everyone says, “I did it.” What I see is their face. Almost everyone is smiling. It’s a smile I’ve never seen before. They can’t help but skip, and they can’t stay depressed while skipping. Forcing a change in behavior changes emotions and thoughts. It always does. When my emotions are low, I skip too."

“私は内科の医者ですが これまで、たくさんの うつ病の方々を 診てきました。 私個人としては、いまは ほとんど薬は使いません。 よそで、すでに、 診断されている方や 複数の薬を何年も 飲んでいる方も たくさん診てきましたし、 過半数の患者さんたちは 完治に至っています。 ほとんど、例外なく 効果をあげている方法を 書いておきます。 大きく、二つです。 食事、と、運動、です。 食事で言うと、 炭水化物を極力減らす 砂糖、お菓子はやめる カップラーメンなど、 インスタント食品はやめる 大豆食品を毎日摂る 発酵食品を毎日摂る 特に、豆腐、ぬか漬け、 キムチ、納豆がお勧め。 運動では、何より、 スキップ。 外では、恥ずかしいので、 「室内スキップ」を 絶対にやってもらいます。 毎日15分、2セット。 かなり、疲れます。 あと、朝の日の出の時間に 必ず散歩です。 朝日を見ながら、 空を見ながら歩くのです。 リアル、上を向いて歩こう、 です。 スキップ、と、 空を見ながら散歩。 私が、必ずやるよう話すと、 そんなこと、できません…。 みんな、言います。 私は、やりもしないで、 できないという気持ちは 充分わかります。 ですが、いままでのままだと これからも、変わりませんよ。 と答えます。 できますから。 が、次に、患者さんたちが いらっしゃると、ほぼ全員が こう言います。 「できました」 私が見ているのは、その顔です。 ほぼ全員、笑顔です。 初めて見る、笑顔です。 スキップしながら、 うつむけないし、 スキップしながら、 うつ病ではいられないのです。 強制的に、行動を変えると、 感情、思考が、変わります。 必ず、変わります。 どうにも、感情が落ちるとき。 私も、スキップしてます。”

— https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=758296824250428&set=a.117063245040459.24177.100002103525246&type=3&fref=nf (via 244xxx)

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Illustration for Audubon's Let's Go Birding Together initiative!!! 🐦🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

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“However rare true love may be, true friendship is even rarer.”

— François de La Rochefoucauld, Moral Reflections

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Pattern your life after Jesus who proclaimed the Kingdom of God in both word and deed. We follow a Lord who came to serve, not to be served. Find opportunities to meet the material needs of those around you and to show compassion toward persons in all walks of life. Let love be genuine.

From the Faith & Practice of Indiana Yearly Meeting

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“When reading the Old Testament it becomes clear that it was the Baal cult that provided the greatest and most enduring threat to the development of exclusive Yahweh worship within ancient Israel. The fact that the Israelites were settled among the Canaanites, for whom the worship of Baal was so important, and that Palestine is a land utterly dependent for its fertility upon the rain, which was held to be Baal’s special realm of influence, accounts for the tempting nature of this cult as well as the strength of the Old Testament polemic against it.”

— John Day, Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan (2002)

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7 June 1939 Letters to Véra by Vladimir Nabokov

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Manhattan bridge in New York City, NY, US

American vintage postcard

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“Everyone should understand that if the liberal order falls, the nonproliferation regime would fall with it.”

– Gideon Rose in Foreign Affairs, 8 March 2025

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I just thought they're very cute.

Kolbenenten (red-crested pochards) am Max-Eyth-See, Mühlhausen.

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I'm going to change everything.