4 lines to rule them all

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Heres a visual representation of what your life looks like if you live above the statistical benchmark to the age of 80. Each square here represents one week at an average of 53 weeks per year To some this might seem morbid, but I find it fascinating, humbling. You see a box I see milestones; birth of a child. The passing of a loved one. Graduation. The first paycheck. Marriage. Happiness and sadness and everything in between all rolled into 4 lines connected together. I like to fill in each week as it passes, it serves the following purpose - acts as a reminder on how far I have to go, so I contemplate and reflect on mistakes to learn from them - helps in keeping my self aligned to my values and stick to my smaller seemingly mundane habits that will only benefit me in the long run (like staying active/ keeping relationships) - keeps me grounded on how much I do not know - a constant reminder on not to take small things too seriously as it will all eventually come to an end - lastl...
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Man or no man?

 Im walking down the side of a road, well-worn over the years. Each nook and cranny sketched in my head. I know where the potholes are, I know where the soil is soft and which stretch you need to cover your nose in because of the heaping pile of trash. 

But still I was caught off guard. By what? 2 stray dogs. Their sudden and unexpected advancements towards my direction made alert. It was then that I realized that the reason I was afraid of them was not because they were animals, rather it was because they were acting on a lack of reasoning - their unpredictability, to simply put it - was my main concern. 

These dogs would not listen to reason, they would not logically comb through the argument that I had done nothing to them or presented them with no harm, instead they would act on a carnal desire and attack me out of sheer indifference. 

That's when it clicked, this is line that separates man from other primates, and sentient organic beings: the fact that we have the ability to function on a rational level that surpasses every other species on the planet. The fact that we can empathize to the point where it influences our decisions in a major way. 

Man or no man? Man or animal? It all depends on how predictable you are, how empathetic and logical your choices, decisions and subsequent actions are. That is, what in my opinion, is the tie-breaker


- M

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