Observations on the world and its inhabitants
The group chat, pretentiously named The Committee for Public Safety, had been dormant for three months. It blinked to life on a rainy Friday night. Elara [20:14]: [Link: Billy Joel – Just the Way You Are] Elara [20:15]: Is this the most romantic song ever written, or a toxic plea for stagnation? I need coffee ...
There’s something devastating about hearing your own story sung back to you with such raw honesty. When Teddy Swims sings “I said I would die for you, baby, but I can’t take this pain no more,” he’s giving voice to an experience that too many men carry in silence. The Invisible Wound Men aren’t supposed ...
The call was brief—deliberately so. Tarek rang Elara around five thirty. His tone was clipped, almost procedural. He mentioned that he had a conversation with Walker about ‘this’. But he was seeking a different kind of dialogue, one less restrained than his recent conversation with Walker, which, by design, was clinically detached. He was in ...
Reciprocity forms one of the fundamental building blocks of human social interaction. At its core, it’s the principle that people tend to respond to positive actions with positive actions, and that relationships generally function best when there’s some form of mutual exchange or balance over time. The Layers of Reciprocity The concept operates on multiple ...
WhatsApp Chat, 3 Days Prior Elara: Saturday afternoon? The new place in the Jewellery Quarter, “The Gilded Spoon”? They have decent coffee and a courtyard. Tarek: Courtyard is a plus. Will tolerate the name. 15:00? Walker: The Gilded Spoon… sounds like a metaphor for our current socio-economic status. I’m in. I shall wear my finest ...
“Honesty is the best policy.” We’ve heard this since childhood, seen it emblazoned on inspirational posters, and nodded along when it’s offered as relationship advice. It’s one of those universal virtues that nobody publicly disputes. After all, who would advocate for dishonesty? Yet in the messy reality of human relationships, honesty isn’t the straightforward virtue ...
In our quest to make the most of our personal time, we often find ourselves gravitating towards activities that bring us pleasure, satisfaction, and a sense of purpose. Whether it’s indulging in leisure pursuits, exploring creative outlets, or engaging in community service, the ways we choose to spend our free time are deeply intertwined with ...
This exploration may be a difficult one as the concept of the ‘Guarded Heart’ unfolds. References to love between man and woman also means love between two people of any orientation. This journey does not aim to provide solutions, answers, or advice to anyone The Silent Shadow: When Love Becomes Fear Fear of love casts ...
In the canvas of human relationships, there exists a phenomenon that cuts to the core of our social nature – the experience of being a “throw away person”. This term describes individuals who find themselves unexpectedly and inexplicably cast aside by those they once considered close friends or confidants. To be clear, this post is ...
Apparently – everybody knows that dishonesty is lying, right? Okay – so if you don’t want to dig deeper or you have Netflix calling out to you, or your dog is whining for a bath, move on swiftly! Dishonesty is a complex concept that can manifest in various forms. Trust depends on honesty. Business relationships ...
The world is catching up on stuff I wrote about years ago. Oh yes – this is just one strand of evidence. Unfortunately, for those who need manually assisted alimentation, I’m not summarising the video (which could well disappear in time).
Right – today I am declaring that I am ahead of my time! Those who would bawl “Arrogant!!” are told to STFU. Why? Because yet again I see the world catching up with me! As some will know, if they’ve not been sleeping under a rock for some years, ‘friends’ and ‘friendships’ have been one ...
I’m pretty sure some will be jumping on the net to read up what cliché means. Nobody is getting a dissertation here today. To start off net-crawlers, go here to read up. The one that has been getting to me more in the last 2 years is ‘.. to be fair‘. Every time I hear ...
In your youth you enjoy a song for the way it sounds. Across many songs from the 70s and 80s, I realise that I had not paid much attention to lyrics. In my later years I discover much deeper meanings. I now pay attention to the ‘words’. The 80s was a most amazing period. Of ...
The easy answer to this is “family are family and friends are friends” – which is absolutely simplistic, avoidant and stupid. I’m using the word ‘friends’ here pretty loosely. Of course, I only recognised degrees of friendships. Nobody is my friend (and I’m not explaining that again). Factors compared The common overarching concept is ‘relationships’. ...
I’ve lost count now, the number of posts I’ve made on the nature of ‘friends’ and ‘friendship’. I’ll hyperlink to some of them at the end. If you jump straight into the conversation below you’ll miss the context, which I explain in the next paragraph. The Story This is a chat conversation from Google Hangouts ...
I have written about ‘friends’ before and what friendships mean to me. Since that time I’ve been thinking about this. More recently I attended a conference somewhere in the UK – at which I met people who are friendly. So that got me thinking some more. Just to be clear (JTBC), nothing in this post ...
Yesterday I wrote about ‘Assessing Accountability’. That made me think more about the concept. I included words related to ‘trust’, ‘honesty’ etc. As I’m writing this I’m having vague recollections of persons in my past asserting that they ‘trust [such and such person] implicitly!!’, whilst waving hands around to get the point across. In public ...
There is an unwritten agreement between whatever you call ‘friends’, that if you need a favour: that your friends will pay attention to your need assist in whatever way they can for no fee. will do the above willingly, and without need of you begging about it. – subject of course, to the favour being ...
It’s a question that’s been on my mind for quite some time. People go “I have many friends…or I only keep a few close friends“. Of course, defining what a friend is, is central to the question. However, friendship is the core issue and someone who maintains a real friendship is by definition a true ...
Captain Walker
Captain Walker
