#where are your priorities. ethnic cleansing is happening

[azuresquirrel]

maybe I'm just Making It About Me or whatever but I've had it online, I'm full-on unfollowing long time mutuals posting "vote blue no matter who" nonsense without posting a single thing about the genocide in Gaza. nothing about news, actions, donations, solidarity, nothing, just about how expressing moral outrage at Actual Genocide helps the bad orange man. People who I used to respect really acting like the government aiding and abetting genocide has nothing to do with us/"well the OTHER PEOPLE would be doing worse things" we are seeing real people forced to post videos of themselves carrying the remains of their children in bags so that the violence against them can be believed, how does that not sicken you to your core

[timetobeaghost]

The Noah hate mob is so much worse than I thought. Finally saw the story pic going through someone's blog. Cluelessly I had kinda figured a "sticker" is something you can add to your pic, like a filter. And I thought he might have made a dumb sexy pose maybe with a hot dude and put "zionism is sexy" on it. I thought he might have been somewhat douchy and insensitive, because that seemed IC to me, making a dumb post in a serious situation.

But no. He is making a selfie with a friend who seems to be involved in anti-antisemitism activism and wears a (literal, yeah everyone but me knows what a sticker is, I guess) "Hamas is ISIS" sticker, which is a very important message (because people did not use to like islamists cutting off people's heads and raping girls back when it wasn't happening in Israel, maybe they could remember that feeling) and holding Stickers in her hand that apparently read "Zionism is sexy", which is meant to proudly support Israel and Israeli jews, which is healthy and understandable considering it is a reaction to a horrible terror attack on Israel and to a reminder that its very existence in in danger. No, Zionism does NOT mean war! Zionism does NOT mean ethnic cleansing. To say this is antisemitic trash. Jews wanting the tiniest bit of land to live in peace and thrive is the farthest thing from evil. Do you know how many Jews used to live in the Middle East. Do you know where their offspring is now? ISRAEL. And nowhere else because they were ethnically cleansed out of everywhere else.

And no Israel is not perfect, radical settlers and a right wing government supporting them and all that. That needs to be solved. That in no way means Israel's existence and with that Zionism is evil.

Now still those ZiS stickers could be criticized as dumb, I guess. As flippant in a serious matter, but any hate boner can only be explained by antisemitism, and Noah really didn't do shit to deserve anything. And then he was told he should be put in a blender by Hamas. Hamas being a terror organization who really does specialize in slaughtering jews in creative ways. For context.

The only proper reaction is 💯 support for Noah!

If you are part of a hate mob you are those people, oh they had good reasons for their spontaneous anger, I am told. Spoiler alert: history has already decided you suck. And I can guarantee you the Duffer brothers deepest revulsion. No one dreams of appeasing you people! Leave ST fandom and enjoy your jihadism fandom, if that's where your priorities lie.

If you are on the side of: "Yes I know he kinda deserves criticism, but lets not overdo it. Bullying is not nice either", congratulations for being human, but you are the majority Germans in the mid 1930s and you can do better.

Because someone asked me what I say to a 6-year -old Palestinian being murdered in the US, I say this is utterly VILE. It was a crazy, violent murderer's reaction to the terror attack and it is endlessly tragic that this happened. It was not a reaction to solidarity with Israel's people. The pos was reacting to the actual event. Peaceful, loving support for the victims is the antitheses to that. I wanna ask back what you think of hundreds of children being brutally murdered or kidnapped in Israel on October 7th. Can we agree that this shit is utterly vile as well? Can we agree THOSE HOSTAGES NEED TO BE BROUGHT HOME? Btw?

[emtmercy]

I do think some leftists who I largely agree with need to be work on flexing the muscle of both understanding that the imperial media is releasing entirely fake and inflated claims of violence against Israeli settlers and that simultaneously to try and claim that there were, for example, no rapes of settlers, is not productive

Like part of what’s so horrible about empire is the way it’s a continuous violence creation machine that eats and eats and eats and certainly eats some people far more than others but at the end of the day it creates dehumanization of every single one of us

Just like in our own settler colony it is true that we invented a large mythos of indigenous “savagery” and violence specifically intended to make it easier for us to commit genocide against them and it’s also true that sometimes our campaigns of genocide resulted in things like rape and killings of our own settler populations

In all situations of colonization sometimes it ends badly for the colonizing nations individual settlers but the only effective way to condemn that is to condemn the colonization !

Like as Nelson Mandela explained it is the colonizer who decides the nature of the conflict

And at the end of the day if you only want to talk about rape and child killing in the rare occasions that it happens to settlers and won’t engage in these conversations as the marginalized are raped and killed every single day then your priorities are clear

Like I can feel the pang of human grief for every child dead or woman tortured in a slave rebellion but my condemnation is not of the rebellion it is of the way slavery creates violence

I think we need to hold all this knowledge and also acknowledge where these things usually fall

Like I abhor all sexual violence but sexual violence against indigenous women from every corner of the globe is far far far more common by a landslide than it is against settler women anywhere on the globe and that’s the discussion to be had rather than trying to say well it doesn’t happen

And then also just who has the power to stop it? Israel has the power to protect its own people, every single one of them, but the state chooses instead to sacrifice their people in the service of maintaining dominance of a whole people whom they wish to ethnically cleanse

[yanoharuhito]

eternally frustrating to see zionists + supporters excuse the state of israel's war crimes/blatant genocide by redirecting attention over to palestine's lesser faults (not to say they aren't faults). but let me be clear. there is nothing that can excuse genocide. i quite frankly do not care if it is against a state as palestine (because yes the middle eastern country's authority does suck, big surprise). if this genocide were happening in israel instead, i would hold the same exact stance.

to imply that palestinians "deserve it" somehow, simply for living and existing where they do, is nauseating. people are people anywhere you go. torture is torture, rape is rape, murder is murder, no matter who it is. this isn't about hamas. it's about the extermination of palestinians. it is not anti-semetic to despise ethnic-cleansing, even when it's israel performing it. get your priorities straight.

[szalacsi]

history

“I’m from Malaysia. 

China has traded with Malaysia for 2000 years. In those years, they had been the world’s biggest powers many times. Never once they sent troops to take our land. 

Admiral Zhenghe came to Malacca five times, in gigantic fleets, and a flagship eight times the size of Christopher Columbus’ flagship, Santa Maria. He could have seized Malacca easily, but he did not. 

In 1511, the Portuguese came. 

In 1642, the Dutch came. 

In the 18th century the British came. 

We were colonised by each, one after another. 

When China wanted spices from India, they traded with the Indians. When they wanted gems, they traded with the Persian. They didn’t take lands. The only time China expanded beyond their current borders was in Yuan Dynasty, when Genghis and his descendants Ogedei Khan, Guyuk Khan & Kublai Khan concurred China, Mid Asia and Eastern Europe. Yuan Dynasty, although being based in China, was a part of the Mongolian Empire. 

Then came the Century of Humiliation. Britain smuggled opium into China to dope the population, a strategy to turn the trade deficit around, after the British could not find enough silver to pay the Qing Dynasty in their tea and porcelain trades. 

After the opium warehouses were burned down and ports were closed by the Chinese in ordered to curb opium, the British started the Opium War I, which China lost. Hong Kong was forced to be surrendered to the British in a peace talk (Nanjing Treaty). 

The British owned 90% of the opium market in China, during that time, Queen Victoria was the world’s biggest drug baron. The remaining 10% was owned by American merchants from Boston. Many of Boston’s institutions were built with profit from opium. 

After 12 years of Nanjing Treaty, the West started getting really really greedy. The British wanted the Qing government: 

 1. To open the borders of China to allow goods coming in and out freely, and tax free. 

 2. Make opium legal in China. Insane requests, Qing government said no. 

The British and French (with supports from the US), started Opium War II with China, which again, China lost. 

The Anglo-French military raided the Summer Palace, and threatened to burn down the Imperial Palace, the Qing government was forced to pay with ports, free business zones, 300,000 kilograms of silver and Kowloon was taken. 

Since then, China’s resources flew out freely through these business zones and ports. In the subsequent amendment to the treaties, Chinese people were sold overseas to serve as labor. 

In 1900, China suffered attacks by the 8-National Alliance (Empire of Japan, Russian Empire, British Empire (including India), France, USA, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary). 

Innocent Chinese civilians in Peking (Beijing now) were murdered, buildings were destroyed & women were raped. The Imperial Palace was raided, and treasures ended up in museums like the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris. 

In late 1930s China was occupied by the Japanese in WWII. Millions of Chinese died during the occupancy. 300,000 Chinese died in Nanjing Massacre alone. Mao brought China together again from the shambles. There were peace and unity for some time. But Mao’s later reign saw sufferings and deaths from famine and power struggles. 

Then came Deng Xiao Ping and his infamous 'black-cat and white-cat' story. His preference in pragmatism than ideologies has transformed China. This thinking allowed China to evolve all the time to adapt to the actual needs in the country, instead of rigidly bounded to ideologies. It also signified the death of Communism in actually practice in China. 

The current Socialism+Meritocracy+Market Economy model fits the Chinese like gloves, and it propels the uprise of China. Singapore has a similar model, and has been arguably more successful than Hong Kong, because Hong Kong being gateway to China, was riding on the economic boom in China, while Singapore had no one to gain from. 

In just 30 years, the CPC have moved 800 millions of people out from poverty. The rate of growth is unprecedented in human history. They have built the biggest mobile network, by far the biggest high speed rail network in the world, and they have become a behemoth in infrastructure. They made a fishing village called Shenzhen into the world’s second largest technological centre after the Silicon Valley. 

They are growing into a technological power house. It has the most elaborate e-commerce and cashless payment system in the world. They have launched exploration to Mars. The Chinese are living a good life and China has become one of the safest countries in the world. 

The level of patriotism in the country has reached an unprecedented height. For all of the achievements, the West has nothing good to say about it. China suffers from intense anti-China propagandas from the West. Western Media used the keyword “Communist” to instil fear and hatred towards China.

Everything China does is negatively reported. They claimed China used slave labor in making iPhones. The truth was, Apple was the most profitable company in the world, it took most of the profit, leave some to Foxconn (a Taiwanese company) and little to the labor. 

They claimed China was inhuman with one-child policy. At the same time, they accused China of polluting the earth with its huge population. The fact is the Chinese consume just 30% of energy per capita compared to the US. 

They claimed China underwent ethnic cleansing in Xinjiang. The fact is China has a policy which priorities ethnic minorities. For a long time, the ethnic minorities were allowed to have two children and the majority Han only allowed one. The minorities are allowed a lower score for university intakes. There are 39,000 mosque in China, and 2100 in the US. 

China has about 3 times more mosque per muslim than the US. When terrorist attacks happened in Xinjiang, China had two choices: 

1. Re-educate the Uighur (CENSUDED by Youtube) before they turned (CENSUDED by Youtube). (**Here I could not copy the exact word, since today it is censored by YouTube if I write it next to the indicated ethnicity. It is the one used to identify those crazy people who are killing people thinking that by doing this they will be able to go to paradise**). 

2. Let them be, after they launch attacks and killed innocent people, bomb their homes. China chose 1 to solve problem from the root and not to do killing. 

How the US solve terrorism? Fire missiles from battleships, drop bombs from the sky. 

During the pandemic, When China took extreme measures to lockdown the people, they were accused of being inhuman. 

When China recovered swiftly because of the extreme measures, they were accused of lying about the actual numbers. 

When China’s cases became so low that they could provide medical support to other countries, they were accused of politically motivated. Western Media always have reasons to bash China. Just like any country, there are irresponsible individuals from China which do bad things, but the China government overall has done very well. 

But I hear this comment over and over by people from the West: I like Chinese people, but the CPC is evil. What they really want is the Chinese to change the government, because the current one is too good. 

Fortunately China is not a multi-party democratic country, otherwise the opposition party in China will be supported by notorious NGOs (Non-Government Organization) of the USA, like the NED (National Endowment for Democracy), to topple the ruling party. 

The US and the British couldn’t crack Mainland China, so they work on Hong Kong. Of all the ex-British colonial countries, only the Hong Kongers were offered BNOs by the British. Because the UK would like the Hong Kongers to think they are British citizens, not Chinese. 

A divide-and-conquer strategy, which they often used in Color Revolutions around the world. They resort to low dirty tricks like detaining Huawei’s CFO & banning Huawei. They raised a silly trade war which benefits no one. Trade deficit always exist between a developing and a developed country. 

USA is like a luxury car seller who ask a farmer: why am I always buying your vegetables and you haven’t bought any of my cars? When the Chinese were making socks for the world 30 years ago, the world let it be. 

But when Chinese started to make high technology products, like Huawei and DJI, it caused red-alert. Because when Western and Japanese products are equal to Chinese in technologies, they could never match the Chinese in prices. 

First world countries want China to continue in making socks. Instead of stepping up themselves, they want to pull China down. The recent movement by the US against China has a very important background. 

When Libya, Iran, and China decided to ditch the US dollar in oil trades, Gaddafi’s was killed by the US, Iran was being sanctioned by the US, and now it’s China’s turn. The US has been printing money out of nothing. The only reason why the US Dollar is still widely accepted, is because it’s the only currency which oil is allowed to be traded with. 

The US has an agreement with Saudi that oil must be traded in US dollar ONLY. Without the petrol-dollar status, the US dollars will sink, and America will fall. 

Therefore anyone trying to disobey this order will be eliminated. China will soon use a gold-backed crypto-currency, the alarms in the White House go off like mad. 

 China’s achievement has been by hard work. Not by looting the world. I have deep sympathy for China for all the suffering, but now I feel happy for them. China is not rising, they are going back to where they belong. Good luck China.”

[crazy4thewinbros]

Tears of the Sun (Stony AU)

Hi! everyone, so I re-watched the movie Tears of the sun this weekend and I thought well why the hell not?, so yeah this fic is my contribution to this amazing fandom, I’m no native english speaker so bare with me folks, i’ll try to post every Monday for new chaps, my ask box is always open!

*Some names of places or sites are made off due to Wakanda being a fictitious country, in the MCU Wakanda is between Kenya and Uganda, even taking part of Kenya soil so I went along with the reference and used a few names from Kenya.

*Modern setting, no powers.

*Steve’s pov.

Summary: SHIELD’s elite team lead by Captain Rogers are send in a mission to Wakanda to extract Dr, Anthony Stark and bring him to safety to american soil due to the country rapid grow of violence with the change of government in Wakanda. (STONY slow burn)

Warnings: violence, mentions of rape and abuse, angst, military language. I’ll put more warnings in every chapter as needed. 

CHAPTER 1: The Mission

…The tension that’s been brewing up in Wakanda with the demise of King T’Chaka exploded yesterday when the exiled General N’Jadaka or better known as Erick Killmongrer, son of N’Jobu; the deceased  younger brother of the former king T’Chaka, orchestrated a swift and violent coup against his cousin the heir of the throne prince T’Challa; in the land of 120 million people and 250 ethnic groups there had been a long standing ruling of the royal family, were the democratic ruling was well received, the enmity of the border tribe with the royal family; The black panther tribe persisted over the years, Erick Killmongrer used it to gain followers and a way in to perform the coup; the victorious Kilmongrer rebels along with now HYDRA soldiers are taking to the streets as periodic outburst of violence persist all over the country, tens of thousands had been killed in the fight or executed thereafter, fearing ethnic cleansing the majority of the black panther tribe has abandoned their homes and are fleeing the city searching sanctuary where ever they may find it, for now Erick Killmongrer has taking control of almost all the country, there’s no word yet on the united nations or SHIELD’s actions to counter the violence, but as preventive and safety measures the embassies had been evacuated…

“welcome back” Fury said cutting the voice of the reporter, his team had been helping evacuate the embassies in Wakanda and they were just finishiing eating after their last mission, Bucky and Sam had power on the TV, the world only spoke of what was happening in Wakanda, the fight for control over the supposedly mines of vibranium in the country was on the roof, he was so damn tired of this civil war and evacuating insolent people “gentlemen, Romanoff; we do appreciate you’ve been hopping out there, but we’re going to put you back in, priority tasking, we need to extract a critical personality ASAP, so finish your chow, refit for 3 day LRRP, se you in debrief room”  they all nodded

“We haven’t even been here an hour and we are going back to that hell hole?” Clint asked making Sam and Buck shrug

“This has to be important if Fury is debriefing us personally” Scott mused making Nat nod

“What do you think Steve?” Bruce asked him

“Doesn’t matter, is a mission, so hurry and lets go, the sooner we go the sooner will be back” he said standing up and going to get prepared for the debrief he heard some groans in his way out but he paid no mind, at the end they were going to follow orders if it was important for them to go, they’ll go. He and his team has being waiting in the debrief room for at least 10 minutes when Fury finally arrived with Hill and Coulson.

“Ok, let’s begin” Fury said, the lights went down and the large screen lit up, showing a map of Wakanda “now, intel estimates that Hydra has at least 5 thousand soldiers divided in the southwest sector of Wakanda, they taken to government armories and unfortunately they have been supplied far too well over the years, in addition the rebels are killing whoever that are not supporting the change in government” Fury said looking at every single one of them “all right, your prime objective is to find and extract Dr. Anthony Edward Stark with Stark Industries, Dr, Stark is the son of the late Howard and Maria Stark; he was there helping to construct a new orphanage and school in the area with the Maria Stark foundation, the second objective is two nuns and a priest who run the safe camp where this construction was taking place near the border if they so choose to leave, they are in St. Michael Mission Camp, here” the map zoomed in showing the small camp, just in the middle of the rain forest and the zone swimming in soldiers “you will halo over Kenya and float into your drop zone, near the edge of the Horr rain forest, when you get your package, you will proceed to your extract point” Fury explained the drop zone a few miles away from  the camp and the pick up a few clicks from the border  “our presence on the ground will be consider hostile, questions?” Fury asked.

“Doesn’t Stark has enough money for a private extraction team?” Clint asked.

“Yes, he had one in the city, a Shield Team to be exact" Fury explained.

"SHIELD's?" Thor asked before he could because that was unheard off no one used SHIELD for an outside job no less for a civilian.

"His father Howard Stark was the co-founder of SHIELD along with Agent Carter who is his godmother, Stark Industries is one of our major contributors, Stark's signature is in your paychecks, there for we are his private extract team" Fury explained, there was no more to say to that does it? Clearly Stark was important and the mission was a must; the scoff of Clint and Scott was loud in the room making the others smirk.

“Sir, rules of engagement?” Nat asked.

“You will defend yourselves if you’re fired upon; otherwise do not engage” Fury confirmed.

“What’s our escape and evasion plan?” Buck asked next.

“Go to the Kenya border through the North Horr passage, anything else?” Fury asked there were no more questions, he nodded and looked at Fury when his eye went to him “very well, dismissed” Fury said leaving the room and he followed him just outside “Rogers, be careful I just received notification that the hole royal family had been assassinated; it will be more dangerous for you and the team, Stark is not only the rich white son of this organization founder,  he is a medic but also the brain engineer of Stark Industries and the one who had made and supplied your entire gear and weaponry so Shield and the United States are very aware of the importance of this man to get to American soil” Fury said, he nodded.

“Understood sir” he replied and went to the room to retrieve his team.

“I didn’t knew a Stark could get his hands dirty” Scott said making the group laugh.

“Does a rich kid even know how to use a shovel?” Clint asked making them laugh harder, they got ready and went in the plane, it had its complications but surely Stark was dying to leave the forest and go to back to air conditioning and a comfortable bed, hell he was sure he wanted to go back home and sleep at least 48 hours...

[dalemiramon]

TRUE FRIENDS MAKE LIFE BEARABLE

Do your friends often disappoint you? Do they put you down all the time? Do they abandon you when you need them most? If so, maybe it's time to find a new definition of a true friend.  Finding a true friend in this cruel world is not easy at all. Trusting strange people will make you scared and uncomfortable.

You won’t find personality types on the list. Our extroversion or introversion will influence the flavor of our friendships, but neither personality type is better or worse. We don’t need humor either, though I wouldn’t want any of my friendships without a good dose of it. Also missing is anything to do with similarities in age, ethnicity, or social status. Whatever our differences, none of these necessarily keeps this deep bond from forming.

“A STRONG FRIENDSHIP DOESN’T NEED DAILY CONVERSATION OR BEING TOGETHER, AS LONG AS THE RELATIONSHIP LIVES IN THE HEART, TRUE FRIENDS ARE NEVER APART.”

WHY FRIENDS ARE SO IMPORTANT?

Our society tends to place an emphasis on romantic relationships. We think that just finding that right person will make us happy and fulfilled. But research shows that friends are actually even more important to our psychological welfare. Friends bring more happiness into our lives than virtually anything else.

Friendships have a huge impact on your mental health and happiness. Good friends relieve stress, provide comfort and joy, and prevent loneliness and isolation. Developing close friendships can also have a powerful impact on your physical health. Lack of social connection may pose as much of a risk as smoking, drinking too much, or leading a sedentary lifestyle. Friends are even tied to longevity. One Swedish study found that, along with physical activity, maintaining a rich network of friends can add significant years to your life.

But close friendships don’t just happen. Many of us struggle to meet people and develop quality connections. Whatever your age or circumstances, though, it’s never too late to make new friends, reconnect with old ones, and greatly improve your social life, emotional health, and overall well-being.

Why online friends aren’t enough?

Technology has shifted the definition of friendship in recent years. With the click of a button, we can add a friend or make a new connection. But having hundreds of online friends is not the same as having a close friend you can spend time with in person. Online friends can’t hug you when a crisis hits, visit you when you’re sick, or celebrate a happy occasion with you. Our most important and powerful connections happen when we’re face-to-face. So make it a priority to stay in touch in the real world, not just online.

How to meet new people?

We tend to make friends with people we cross paths with regularly: people we go to school with, work with, or live close to. The more we see someone, the more likely a friendship is to develop. So look at the places you frequent as you start your search for potential friends.

Another big factor in friendship is common interests. We tend to be drawn to people who are similar, with a shared hobby, cultural background, career path, or kids the same age. Think about activities you enjoy or the causes you care about. Where can you meet people who share the same interests?

HERE ARE SOME OF INGREDIENTS OF A TRUE FRIENDSHIP:

A True Friend Has your Back

Someone who is a true friend stands up for you. When others try to hurt you emotionally or physically, they do everything they can to make sure you stay safe. They don't care who is trying to harm you; they will defend you anytime, anywhere. If they can help you, they'll do it without reservation or reward. A true friend is not one who repeatedly is telling you negative things other people say about you. First, they make it clear by their words and by their actions where they stand when it comes to you. Secondly, they don't just merely standby silently when others are tearing you down no matter what consequences they may face socially. A true friend is a friend when is convenient and when it is not.

Constancy

A real friend will never give you up or let you down. He will never turn away or desert you. Constant friends make the hard times easier and the easy times better. “A friend loves at all times,” And, to paraphrase Proverbs 18:24, a man of many Facebook friends may come to ruin, but a true friend sticks closer than family.

Sometimes we view friendship as the one relationship without any commitment. We enter or exit at will. That’s the beauty of it, right? Unlike marriage and family, we feel no obligation to stick it out. We freely give our loyalty as an ongoing choice. It’s true that we enter friendship voluntarily. But once we enter it, is it also true that we don’t have any responsibilities to our friends? No. Everyone expects loyalty from friends. The Bible even commands it: When disaster strikes, “Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend” (Prov. 27:10). All true friendship is, in a sense, covenant

They're Authentic and Honest with You

True friends aren't phony with you. They show you who they really are. They're honest with you when it matters most. They never try to deceive you to make themselves seem stronger, more successful, or better than they really are. A true friend goes beyond the surface, any true friendship requires some level of vulnerability. When a friend opens up to you and shares their struggles and disappointments, it is a testament to the trust and value they place in you. Having a friend that shows you that they trust you with their authentic self is a good indicator that you can do the same with them.

A true friend is not only honest about themselves, but they are also honest about you. They are able to have difficult conversations in telling you things that sometimes you may not be eager to hear. The key is that they do it in love and with grace. They don't tear you down but rather a true friend will hold you to a standard they know your character is worthy of.

Transparency

We know friendship requires honesty. But we also know how to be honest without being open. Real friends don’t just know the truth about each other; they know the whole truth. They sometimes see us more clearly than we even see ourselves.

As light shines through transparent objects, real friends can see into our souls. Over time, our friends learn our greatest joys and deepest sorrows. They learn our strongest beliefs, opinions, and fears. They know our most challenging temptations and our most shameful failures. We crack open the doors of our souls to our friends. And when we don’t, our friends gently knock because they care enough to see how we’re really doing inside. Every one of us needs at least one person who knows us as well as we know ourselves, perhaps even better than we know ourselves.

True friends walk in the light together. The apostle John writes, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). What does it mean to walk in the light? I used to think it only referred to obedience. But notice: the light is the place of cleansing. This means that darkness isn’t just the place where we disobey; it’s the place where we hide. And the light isn’t just where we obey, but where we come out of hiding, where we open up about how we’ve disobeyed.

Walking in the light, then, isn’t about being perfect; it’s about admitting we’re not. As we confess our sins to God and others, we find real forgiveness and true fellowship.

They Accept You for You

A real friend accepts you as you are. They can encourage you to become a better version of you, but they also help you see the beauty of who you are right now. They don't get sidetracked by what others may say or think of you. Instead, they celebrate the you they've come to know. Although a true friend may encourage you to make good decisions, they trust your judgment and respect your own personal judgments. They don't become passive aggressive when they give advice you don't accept, instead, they respect boundaries and value your feelings and thoughts. They don't push you to become who they want you to be, instead, they celebrate what makes you uniquely you. They accept your personal growth and evolution's along the way because the reasons they value goes far beneath your personal style, interests, profession, marital/relationship status, etc.

Candor

True friends speak with straightforward honesty. The English Puritan, Thomas Goodwin, wrote, “Simplicity and plain-hardheartedness . . . is the truest and rarest jewel in friendship.”

We speak clearly, but also gently. Because we’re speaking with our friend.

Sometimes, and only when necessary, this means delivering hard words. We all need correction from time to time. The best people to give it are our closest friends. Proverbs 27: 5-6 says,

Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

A good friend loves enough to give these faithful wounds, and also loves enough to do it kindly.

They Want What's Best for You

A false friend might push you to change for them. They might give you the feedback you want rather than the words that will actually help you. A true friend acknowledges your feelings but at the same time points you towards a happier, healthier life. A true friend is not complacent in your personal growth, they don't passively sit by and watch you make choices that are not good for you. They want to see the happiest and healthiest version of you. The encouragement to make the choice that will get you to want in life. They learn the art of being your biggest cheerleader while holding you accountable to your goals as well.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and adjust to someone’s emotional state. It is the capacity to enter his mind, to peer out at the world through his eyes. Empathetic friends weep with friends who weep and rejoice with friends who rejoice. We understand how they feel and why they feel it. And we also feel it with them.

Empathy shapes the whole tone of a relationship. Without it, we trade honoring friends for one-upping them. We trade affirmation for sarcasm. We trade talking with for talking at. We trade listening to sorrows for changing the subject.

Over time we learn our friends’ temperaments, their moods, and their buttons. We know what makes them tick and what ticks them off. This all informs how we relate to them. We pick up on our friend’s emotional state and we adapt to it. As we do this, consideration serves as a primary way that we bear our friend’s burdens. An empathetic presence lightens our friend’s load. Words drop down like Tetris blocks. Some of them pile up on our friend’s back. But one well-placed and empathetic word can slide in and clear half the load.

They Don't Abandon You

Fair weather friends are with you when you're happy and successful. Then, when things go wrong for you, they move on to the next happy, successful person. A real friend, on the other hand, stays with you through traumas, disappointments, mental health crises, and physical illnesses. They don't abandon you just because it's easier or more comfortable to avoid you. Because a true friend truly cares about you, they actually want to be there for you during your difficult times. They care more about what you are going through more than they care about how fun you are. A friend isn't around simply for the things you have in your life, they are around for you! So when your life gets more challenging and you find yourself feeling pretty down or overwhelmed you won't have to go through these challenges alone with a true friend in your corner.

Trust

True friends keep confidences. We learn the importance of trust when it’s not there. One of the characters in the book of Proverbs is “the whisperer.” Proverbs 16:28 says, “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9 says, “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.” The whisperer shares information, whether true or false, that should stay hidden. He wraps it up, labels it as a “concern” or a “prayer request,” and delivers it to whomever will hear.

Proverbs says, beware! because this severs even the closest relationships. Gossip erodes trust, and distrust erodes friendship. It is the opposite of safety. If you suspect that someone may talk about your issues behind your back, you won’t share them anymore. You won’t open up. Suspicion will tint your lenses when you look at your friend. It will shade how you see every aspect of the relationship. When distrust enters you relationship, you may remain friendly, but you can’t remain real friends.

Christians share common interests with friends as well, but they also unite around the most important thing about them. Friendships are always “about something,” and Christian friendship is, at its core, about Jesus Christ. 

Everyone has their own ideal friend. In addition to the qualities shared by all true friends, you may want a friend who shares your interests or goals. Or, you might want to spend time with people who are different from you in ways that challenge you to grow as a person. If your current friends let you down, redefining true friendship can open the door to a rich, rewarding relationship.

Much like our personal styles, we all may have different needs and desires when coming to friendship. You may also come to recognize that some differences are able to support you in some areas of life while you may have another friend that you rely on for support in another area of your life. Expanding the friendships that make up your support system can help ensure that your needs are adequately being met. No friend is perfect, and no friend will be able to be everything to you. Even true friends will sometimes disappoint us. What matters most is how they respond to your feelings and the patterns they establish. Have the disappointments you are experiencing in your friendship become habits? A true friend cares about you and is able to have concern and respect for your thoughts and emotions even when they may not agree. If the disappointment you are experiencing in a friendship has become consistent, it may be time to redefine your definition of a true friend. 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FRIENDSHIPS?

While developing and maintaining friendships takes time and effort, healthy friendships can:

Improve your mood. Spending time with happy and positive friends can elevate your mood and boost your outlook.

Help you to reach your goals. Whether you’re trying to get fit, give up smoking, or otherwise improve your life, encouragement from a friend can really boost your willpower and increase your chances of success.

Reduce your stress and depression. Having an active social life can bolster your immune system and help reduce isolation, a major contributing factor to depression.

Support you through tough times. Even if it’s just having someone to share your problems with, friends can help you cope with serious illness, the loss of a job or loved one, the breakup of a relationship, or any other challenges in life.

Support you as you age. As you age, retirement, illness, and the death of loved ones can often leave you isolated. Knowing there are people you can turn to for company and support can provide purpose as you age and serve as a buffer against depression, disability, hardship and loss.

Boost your self-worth. Friendship is a two-way street, and the “give” side of the give-and-take contributes to your own sense of self-worth. Being there for your friends makes you feel needed and adds purpose to your life.

[the-weekdays]

Rohingya Mothers & Children: We Are Their Hope

It wasn’t until today that the word Rohingya pops up in my mind. I feel somewhat ignorant for not knowing such harrowing and heartbreaking issue that is currently going on in the world. As a matter of fact, thanks to my lecturer, mba Nena, for ‘forcing’ me to read and do a research regarding this particular topic as one of the class’ assignments. So, who exactly the Rohingya are? You might ask.

From the 135 official ethnic groups that are recognized by Myanmar, the Rohingya being majority Muslim residing in majority Buddhist Myanmar, have been left out thus making them stateless and stripped of their citizenship since 1982. This causes limitations of their access to proper healthcare, education and job opportunities, practicing their religion, travelling and even to marry the person they love. Essentially every basic human rights that everyone should acquire, you name it, are unavailable to them. If this story is not compelling enough to depict how horrifying to be a Rohingya is, wait until you read what I’m about to tell.

Only recently in August 25th 2017 this refugee crisis situation reached its peak when more than 30 police posts and an army base were attacked by Rohingya ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) militants and retaliated by Myanmar’s military backed by local Buddhist mobs by burning civilians’ villages in Rakhine State and attacking them to death. The United Nations has officially declared this atrocities as genocidal crime through ‘ethnic cleansing’ carried out by the Myanmar government. As a result of the incident, from 1 million people of Rohingya in Myanmar, around more than half of them or 590,000 people to be exact, have fled to Bangladesh by October 2017 to seek for a safe place to stay making it said to be the world’s most rapid mass exodus from any country. And on this article, I would like to focus more on Rohingya women and children that turned out making 60% and 58% of the refugee population, respectively.

Following this tragedy, the condition of women, their babies as well as children of Rohingya in Myanmar, Bangladeshi refugees camp site and those who are trapped in the border of both countries is getting even worse and in my opinion they need to get more exposure because the situation is very worrying and devastating. Saddening stories of young mothers having to gave birth while they fled and unable to breastfeed their newborn babies because they are traumatized and the inadequate amount of nutritious food consumed are just the tip of the iceberg. The suffering does not stop there, mass killings and gang rapes also happened to both women and young girls. A mother even recalled the night where she was raped and forcefully had to watch her baby being thrown to a fire by the Myanmar troops, if that was not painful enough to read then I don’t know what is.

Children, the most vulnerable victims of this conflict, has become my main concern. None of them should ever witnessed atrocities executed in their surroundings in such young age as this may lead to a toxic long-term trauma which definitely impact their mental health currently and in the future, hence an immediate action is required. Even worse, there are reportedly around 12,000 unaccompanied orphans whose parents are killed and in the end have to leave their homes and survive alone. Living in an open area while consuming water from muddy ponds also make them more prone to waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and the likes. With that being said, the United Nations has stated that more than 14,000 of them are at risk of dying caused by malnutrition.

I believe that for a humanitarian crisis at this scale which causes a very desperate living condition, the Rohingya are in need of a lot of help. First and foremost, of course, the availability of food, water, sanitation and medical supplies deliveries including vaccinations to prevent diseases outbreak within the camp site as well as to support their living, are among the top priorities. However, children will need more than that, this brutal massacre has stolen their childhood therefore psychological support through counselling is needed. In addition, providing schools for their education and a place to play and have fun to forget the frightening memories they now carry is also critical so as to show them that they indeed still have hope for their future. Aside from that, Myanmar and Bangladesh also have to work together to ease the process of handling these refugees.

Not to mention, us Indonesians can actually help the Rohingya, for example, through ACT Organization’s ‘Ringankan Derita Etnis Rohingya’ campaign on https://kitabisa.com/banturohingya or other similar campaigns. By simply sharing the link to your social media to spread awareness will be the easiest way to show that you care. Together, we can make a difference!

“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop

Diandra Paramitha R. P. (1606864456)