humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
The Nintendo Turkey Run
It’s been a personal ritual for years. I’ve done it alone and kept it private… until now. Playing Santa around town for an afternoon has been my favorite day of the year. This year, the time had come to share the experience, for two reasons.
By Rick Beneteau7 years ago in Humans
The Slushie Fund
The nearby strip plaza, where I buy the coffee cream I all too often run out of, is “L”-shaped and has a variety store at each end. On a cream-replenishing mission the other day, I parked my car in front of the store I choose to patronize, just because I really like the Korean family who operates it. I first gathered up the mail I had in the car and walked to the corner of the plaza to deposit it into the mailbox there.
By Rick Beneteau7 years ago in Humans
Out of the Mouths of Babes
It was moving day, summer of 1981. My oldest daughter was four years old and by dinner time we weren’t even close to getting our new abode into any kind of shipshape order so I decided to try out the brand new, and highly advertised Taco Bell in town. As was the case with most errands, Sara came along, excited to sample what she had seen in the television commercials.
By Rick Beneteau7 years ago in Humans
Bystander's Log
It has been an interesting and mixed bag of experiences thus far, driving people here and there as a ride share driver. I've been witness and target of some great, good, bad, and ugly circumstances, behaviors and stories in and out of my car. This is my favorite story thus far.
By K.B Roscoe7 years ago in Humans
Seeking Truth
(VLOG at bottom for those who prefer to watch and listen rather than read.) One massive problem with our society is, those of us most lost to this Game of Triumph we live—to our societies popularity contest, seeking to be "cool" and "popular," and thus, ultimately, seeking any of a number of facets of superiority over our peers—don't even understand how intolerant, prejudicial, egotistical, narcissistic, selfish, self-centered, duplicitous and meretricious they in-fact are. They don't even understand how lost they in-fact are to the constructs of conformity and unanimity within this game we live. In-fact, they fervently deflect and deny this reality insofar as their entirely negative social habits are just normal to them—to the full extent that they don't even understand they are doing wrong. The worst of these individuals so easily controlling those they influence. Clandestinely bullying and trolling their peers in order to flaunt and maintain their social dominance, placing those of us they influence into a coma with regards to the negative nature of our thoughts and actions as they pressure us to unconsciously conform to this fight for Triumph the status quo embodies. They reinforce our negative behaviors—our duplicity and superficiality towards others—with positive reinforcement. As the acceptance we come to receive makes us further embody these negative social traits, we then hide within in-group settings—closed social networks in which in order to be allowed to see the truth of the tainted intolerance, judgment and prejudice that group members actively embody, one has to be an in-grouper. Ergo, once we are an in-grouper, we clandestinely conceal our privately shared thoughts and feelings from out-groupers,creating the facade—the lie we live—through deflecting and denying the ignorance we've come to embody in the form of duplicity, prejudice and judgment that is carefully concealed within these in-group settings.
By Eric Durland7 years ago in Humans
Poplar Fellers
It took 50 years to grow and eight hours on Labor Day Weekend to come down. It was the “tree monkey” that first caught my attention bringing down the 80 ft. poplar tree with the skill of a surgeon. This is what the landscaping crew affectionately called the 40-something Ontario Hydro skilled tradesman. ‘Electrical Forester,’ by title.
By Rick Beneteau7 years ago in Humans
Adulting 101
I get the distinct feeling that everyone else is absolutely smashing being an adult, just instinctively ‘getting it’. Whether it’s friends getting married, buying property or bringing new, miniature humans into the world, I’m often left wondering when we all got so grown up?
By Choice Words by Chantelle7 years ago in Humans
Fear and Fragility
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” —Yoda Fear, the cancer of the 21st century. Fear has caused more death and suffering than anything in our entire history. Fear has caused wars to erupt, nations to fall, and has birthed atrocities into existence.
By John Ames Birch7 years ago in Humans
Old Soul
I never notice the obvious right away, the way that most people do. I have always felt different, but when I was a kid, I could never find a word for it. I've felt different since the second grade. I knew it wasn't because I was brown skinned. That wasn't it. There were plenty of kids in my class at Juarez Elementary School with brown skin and black hair. There was something else that I was aware of that made me different. I just didn't have a word for it.
By Maria Ayala7 years ago in Humans
