Multiple friends have been reaching out lately, asking some version of "how did people get radicalized to such an extent?" and, more importantly, "why not us? why was I immune." As someone who's extremism in person, pretty much my whole life, here are some thoughts:

These are EXACTLY the questions we should all be asking ourselves right now. Studies have shown that no 'type' of person is immune to radicalization or falling prey to cults or cult-think. There's no such thing as being "too smart" for that.

So, for starters, many of us were just in the right place and the right time, and didn't get radicalized. That is an important realization. It's important because as we begin to try to de-radicalize our friends, family and "good people" who fell prey to white supremacist thought

We need to start with compassion, or they will just shut down. Understanding deeply that it can happen to anyone is a big part of that. Now let's talk those who were primed for it, more likely to fall into conspiracy thinking and the Q cult.

In this case, those white people who see the movement towards equality for everyone as white people losing (which is true in a way, we have to give back much of the privilege we obtained from those who took it by force or manipulation) were much more susceptible to the rhetoric.

@epballou @AutSciPerson I have to say, all this info about sound sensitivity is making me emotional. I've never been able to talk about this. I can work around airplanes, no protection (did it for years), but if I'm caught near a city fireworks show I lose my mind. The fear and pain is indescribable.

I tell people one of my biggest fears is balloons, and obviously it's funny to imagine, until they see me have a psychotic break when one pops. I lose myself and it's terrifying. I don't know what it is about loud sudden sounds that hurts me, and it appears I'll never know.

I dread the 4th of July every year. My birthday parties were often held then. Recently I discovered if I wear earbuds and blast music with audio PPE on top I can stand to be outside. That first show where I could keep my hands free I held my best friend's hand and felt wondrous.

I'm crying just remembering discovering I could be happy underneath fireworks. I'll never understand why my parents didn't think to ever try to help me, and instead made me suffer for so long, feeling absolutely alone with this. Only once do I remember my mother comforting me.

It was a particularly bad year, a lot of college kids I think renting nearby camps, and I hid under my bed for hours. My mother came up and laid on my bed, dangled her hand down to show she was there, and sang to me. I was 15.

Throughout my early 20s, I struggled with depression.

Here are 10 simple habits that helped me achieve a better state of mind.

(thread) 🧵

0/ Disclaimer

I am not a licensed medical professional.

If you need help, please seek a counselor, therapist, or mental health treatment facility.

There are also plenty of free hotlines open 24/7 if you or someone you know needs to talk to someone.

1/ Journaling

Journaling is self-administered therapy.

You're having a conversation with yourself and sharing what's going well in life and what isn't.

It's free and available to anyone.

And just getting problems onto paper will help get them out of your mind.

1/ (continued)

How I journal:

I write out my anxieties, fears, etc.

I challenge those thoughts to see if they're justified or not.

I brainstorm ways to tackle any problems with action.

I record all the good stuff that has happened to me to remind myself life isn't all bad.

2/ Taking a hot shower

There's something incredibly relaxing and soothing about being in hot water.

Perhaps it's because the heat relaxes your muscles and thus relaxes your body and mind.

Also, being clean physically helps my mental state of mind.

Why you need to be selfish: (thread)

I have had countless conversations with people looking for a way to build a brand/audience/community online.

Here's the one thing I think everyone asking that question should be thinking about.

You need to be selfish.

Why?

Because (at a high level) if it helps you, it will eventually help others.

At a tactical level, it's provides the motivation to keep going.

The lack of instant feedback on what we share publically is enough to extinguish most projects before they even get moving.

But allow me to reframe the idea:

You need to do things that benefit you even if no one sees them.

Did posting @visualizevalue images into a void 18 months ago do anything for my career as a designer?

Yes.

Would I have kept going if there wasn't some selfish drive to be more competent? (and make more money, work with better clients, etc)

No.

There are 4 spaces in life, 3 we can do something about. We spend too much time and energy focusing on the one that we cannot and ought not try to manage.

1/

1. Space inside me. What is going on in me? How do I know when I am anxious? We all carry a bubbling collective of pressure, pain, assumptions, inner critic etc that can block our awareness of God and distort reality.

2/

2. Space between people. This can be space between me and you or space between others. Ever walked into a room with people and you felt off? You might be picking up the space between others.

Anxiety is contagious and often the most anxious person has the most power.

3/

3. Space between me and God. It is disturbing how often I forget God With Us.

Chronic anxiety seeps through us like that foam insulation. It finds the nooks and crannies and squeezes out our awareness of God.

But it can be quickly displaced with some tools.

4/

4. The space inside them.

This is the space we spend too much time and energy worrying about. If you've ever thought, 'what were they thinking? Why did they do that, Why wouldn't they _____' you're fixated on the one space you cannot manage.

5/

4 Sure Fire Habits You Must Develop to Become Successful.

I define success as a series of habits that you build and abide by to create your own reality.

Practicing these simple habits will surely make you successful, no fluff.

1. Focus on the things that matter - intently focus on what is essential for you and your goals. Block out distracting information, ideas and opinions.

Always ask in the course of the day,

"Is whatever I'm doing important?"

2. Empower others - one thing remains true than ever. Good leaders set themselves apart by effectively influencing and empowering those around them.

This is how great leaders shine with heroic display of empathy and compassion when others are down.

3. Delegate your weaknesses - There's someone who is strong at your weakness. They will do what you can't more efficiently at a cost.

This gives you enough time to build on your strengths.

Have a team that will work for a common course.

#LAKA

1. Friends Of Planet Earth!

We Are Indeed Dancing In Light Together For The Grand March Of Unity. Many Friends Are On The Ground And Watching From Crafts As The Planet Takes A Stand For Truth And Freedom!

HOW TO STOP EATING LIKE A CHILD

[Thread]

⬇️⬇️⬇️

Many of your problems can be related directly to your diet.

You’re tired. You’re stressed. You’ve got anxiety. You aren’t seeing progress. You are fat. You are weak. You don’t sleep. You’re skin sucks.

It doesn’t have to be this way. ⬇️

You’ve conditioned yourself to only like salty, sugary, crunchy, and “fun” foods.

Everything you consume revolves around pleasure.

Just like a child, you enjoy the high of that sugary snack.

And just like a child, you crash and become irritated and tired soon after. ⬇️

This isn’t completely your fault.

Big Food, Big Sugar, and hoards of companies shove advertisements for these addicting foods down your throat.

Children see an average of 3-5 fast food TV ads per day.

Add in billboards etc, and this is an abundance problem. ⬇️

This wouldn’t be a problem if humans were known for self control.

We aren’t.

So you stuff your face with these things at every opportunity.

This fattens, softens, and depresses You.

So you eat even more to comfort yourself. ⬇️

Why I Don't Open Up to the People I Love About My Depression

We know something’s wrong! We want to help! We love you! Why can’t you open up to us?”

Because I’m ashamed at how weak I feel.

Because if I expose that weakness to you, you might end up ashamed of me, too.

1/x

Because the last thing I ever want to do is be a weight around your neck.

Because you have your own problems, and your own life to live.

Because it might change the way you see me.

Because it might make you want to treat me with kid gloves, to tiptoe around me because you 2/x

think I might shatter.

Because you might go the opposite route and decide it’s time for some “tough love.”

Because if I hear the words, “there are other people out there a lot worse off than you,” I probably will shatter. I’m aware. That’s part of the problem.

3/x

Because I’ve been here before, and I’ll probably be here again.  It exhausts the hell out of me.  I can only imagine what it would do to you.

Because I’m terrified you’ll blame yourself, when absolutely none of how I’m feeling is your fault.
4/x

Because I love you.
Because I want you to keep loving me.

Because I have an illness that convinces me that’s exactly what will end up happening, no matter how much you say otherwise.
I wish I could make you understand. 5/x

#AKATU

1. Friends Of Earth!

These Are Serious Moments We Share! Remember Always That You Are Safe And Will Continue To Be Safe! This Waking Dream Is Not Unique To The Darkness And Light Clashing! Indeed, You Have Known Many Lives Where Duality Is Unknown.

2. But Here You Stand With Orders From The Darkness And Wickedness In High Places! Is It Any Wonder Those That Wish Your Planet To Be Under Siege, Are The Same That Would Hate An Archangel Of Light?

Never Give Up!  Do Not Allow Your Lives To Be Taken Away By Agreement!

3. Trust In New Beginnings And Trust In The Plan Of Light! There Will Be A Moment When You Will Protect Your Homes And Families! You Will Never Need To Barricade Yourself Indoors For Breathing Air That Is The Same Inside And Out!

4. Have You Noticed The Absurdity Of Masking To Enter A Restaurant, Removing The Mask And Then Noticing Nobody Replaces The Mask And Simply Leaves! Does Anyone Understand All Are Sharing The Same Air As They Enjoy A Meal?

5. Many Have Always Been Involved In Traditions Throughout The Waking Dream. You Do Not Need To Give Up Friends And Family Because A Clone And Group Of Darkness Beyond Your Imagination, State To You What Your Freedom Is!  Indeed, Their Moment Is Coming!

A thread of career advice that Black women won’t want to hear but need to hear.

🧵

1) Shed the defeatist, woe-is-me-imma-Black-woman-in-corporate attitude.

Yes, it can be hard being a Black woman in corporate America. But relegating all your career failures to being a Black woman is doing many of *us* a disservice.

2) Determine what *success* actually looks like to you — chances are, it’s not to be a VP with a corner office managing a team of 10.

For me, success looks like financial freedom, work/life balance, a "fun" job with travel, and peace. Figure what your triggers are.

3) Stop taking career advice from people who haven't had thriving careers.

I purposely share resume editing, salary negotiation, and interviewing tips because that's like Level 0 of a thriving career. Getting a new job is also NOT a signal of a thriving career.

Some components of a thriving career =
1) Focused on relevant, impactful, and measurable (RIM) work
2) Buy-in within your organization
3) Strong network
4) Actively recruited by competitive companies

A career coach should be coaching you on how to achieve the above.

The reason to try a new approach to things is because you have demonstrated proof that existing approaches are not working.

let's unpack:

1. what counts as proof?

2. what counts as failure?

3. not working for whom?

4. not working towards what end?

what counts as proof? and what counts as failure?

in order to answer this one needs to understand a thing well enough to know what success looks like and to know what failure modes exist.

A thing can fail by succumbing to a known failure mode, or failing in a new way. New failure modes commonly emerge from new contexts. Or they may be due to new developments in an existing context.

proof of failure means you have observed (rather than concluded via hearsay or via abstract reasoning) failure in a known mode or new mode. in order to obtain this proof, a relatively close distance or even insider perspective is usually necessary.

failure modes are specific to the thing being examined but there are some very common patterns. here's a couple of the most common patterns:

We wake up each day with the same attention budget as everyone else. This is the one thing all humans equally share.

Spending that attention budget by doing this is what gives meaning to our lives.

It's is only through doing that we learn. It is only through learning that we find meaning.

Yet many of us waste attention budget exclusively on consumption. Seeking the random dopamine hits that tickle our curiosity. Yet we seek only the convenient things to do.

Activities that are convenient, that takes little effort don't consume a lot of attention. But enough of these small distractions will. But unfortunately, there's little learning taking place.

#IKAI

1. Greetings Planet Earth!

I Share My Family Of Light With You!  I Now Communicate In The Sacred Essence Of ONE!

You Live Now In This Dream That Has Been Anticipated Since Your First Creative Experience!

#LAKA

1. Greetings Beloved Ones!

As We Learn To Become Calm And Serene In The Ongoing Ventures Of The Planet, We Say To You, Beloved Ones, Well Done!  As A Child Growing Up, You Never Could Have Imagined The Reality You Find Yourself To Be Experiencing Now!

I want to tell you a story. It illustrates the low level, but unpleasant hassle faced by academics holding views deemed unacceptable by self-appointed defenders of public safety. I'm not going to name names. I'm not interested in facilitating a pile on. The abused is>>

robust and capable of looking after themself. I was sent a screenshot of the abuser's protected twitter narration of the incident. I've also seen it tweeted on here. I've no idea how it was leaked. I've not seen its authenticity challenged. >>

So to the tale. Dr X organizes a seminar with a symposium panel under the auspices of a Faculty in a large well known UK university. Dr Y who is a member of the university with a legitimate interest in the subject matter of the panel registers to >

attend. Y is known to hold what for sake of succinctness I'll call Gender Critical views. X notices shortly before the seminar is to begin that Y will be in attendance and goes into meltdown. Y is deemed an "anti-trans campaigner" which in the commonly accepted >>

rather than Pickwickian sense of these words is false. X contemplates a last minute cancellation of the event. Hurried discussions are held with senior faculty and eventually with the VC who insists the event must take place and Y must be allowed to attend. The event takes place>

Some of you will probably know I'm currently grieving. It's a month since my fantastic sister died. I've been thinking a lot about loss, progress and reckoning and coming to terms, both personally and as a society. And I've been wondering: how will we remember the pandemic dead?

The UK is filled with memorials to the dead of wars, of disasters, of lifeboat crews and atrocities. We are a landscape haunted by attempts to remember the brave and the innocent. Villages, towns, businesses, communities: all grouped together to pay for plaques, statues, gardens

I have a terror that in our desire to get 'back to normal' we will forget those lost and things lost during the current pandemic. There's not an enemy they were overcome by; not a single flashpoint of tragedy. Those lost to the pandemic are an uncomfortable reminder of failure

Rebecca Solnit talks about hope only coming from knowing history. People may be optimistic about the future post-covid-19, but that's just desire and dream. For us to build a hopeful future we need to acknowledge and feel what has been lost; to repair and grow, not just erase

The thing is, I don't know if our communities know how to remember what is lost, not in ways that are meaningful to all of that community. Religion is a great enabler of remembrance, but that's not something everyone has. I'm wondering how we fully inhabit our collective sorrow

I've heard the phrase, "We don't need a tech lead", from a number of engineers in my career. My response to this 👇

Firstly, it almost always sounds like "We don't need a *stinkin'* tech lead", which isn't very helpful

When I ask why don't need a tech lead, I'm offered examples which sound reasonable such as, "We are senior engineers and can solve problems," or "We don't need to be told what to do," or, "We're an agile team."

Their answers seem to indicate that either they don't fully understand what a tech lead does, or they give examples of bad tech leads

If I had a bad tech lead, maybe no tech lead would be better too 😅