Category: Uncategorized

The Evolutionary Shift – The fear of losing our identity

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
–  Leon C. Megginson

It’s truly amazing thing to see how life – the world – has been redefined over the years. As we not only observe but also witness and experience its changes, we explore the endless opportunities of where life can take us and just where we as a race fits into the evolutionary curve. When you take time to reflect, you will be hit with an obvious but still surprising realization which is the fact that the world has been in a primitive state longer than it has been in this advanced age – as far as we know of. This in itself shifts our perspective and understanding on what life is, what can life can become what are the boundaries of evolution.

The world and life itself, can no longer be simply defined by the present, for the rate that progression has accelerated has proven that the future is only as far as the now. What this means is that at present we can no longer measure progress, set goals or anticipate developments in decades, for evolutionary breakthroughs are being realized within a lustrum – a 5 year span. It’s a remarkable but yet confrontational era, one where we must embrace the reality of how time itself has transitioned into a new dynamic, allowing us to exist in the present but just as much live in the future as everything unfolds so instantaneously.

I’d like to give you a little exercise: take a minute, close your eyes and imagine life 50 years ago. (1 min pause) Now, simply try to compare then to now and imagine all that happened within that period, how much we’ve achieved since then, and ask yourself: does it feel like 50 years? To think that 50 years ago is a reality so close but yet so far, simply because of how much our development has impacted the relativity of time itself through evolution. This is an indication that time is truly relative, for to people 50 years ago, 50 years ahead may have not seemed so far because they couldn’t imagine the world transforming at such a scale. But to people 50 years ahead [in the now], 50 years ago seems forever because you are not only traveling back in time but you’re also traveling back, away towards a less advanced reality. Now, don’t stop imagining just yet. I want you to think a bit more on life back then. Think on how people lived their lives on a day-to-day basis, think about their feelings and reactions to being introduced to ideas they had no understanding of nor did their minds ever dared to explore. Imagine living in a time where people dared not to share ideas, people dared not to think beyond, people dared not to dream. Back then, people dared not to, and today we’re living the dreams of the silent. Our reality is the fantasy of a few loud people but a whole lot of silent, for example: we now drive cars that run on a battery source – cars that no longer need gas, and we walk around with a device so small that it fits in our pockets but yet so strong it connects us to all the information and people in the world. Today, this is what normal means to us because this is what we know, but imagine being born into a time when there was no indication or inspiration to even imagine such things. Taking time to reflect should allow you perspective on how impressive it is to see just how far we’ve come. And it’s not that we were less intelligent than we are now, it’s simply that our imagination lacked the freedom to imagine. During that era, the thought of creating such tools, systems, technologies, and inventions were as limited as the rate that technology itself was progressing but also the space to dream loudly. People 50 years ago could never imagine what seemed unimaginable, and even if they could they probably thought that breakthroughs on such a magnitude would only be possible in decades. lifetimes and some even thought never.

50+ years ago the world was driven by limited imagination, one that reflected the world’s limited technological capabilities. Because of that, growth was slower and progress was experienced less excitable, as most people eliminated the possibility that the development would be in their lifetimes which impacted motivation. But obviously, since then things have changed, in a rather dramatic way (one can argue positive or negative). On April 30th, 1993, life took an exaggerated leap when the World Wide Web was introduced to the public and everyone was now able to have access to an open and universal global knowledge resource. This shift has impacted humans in so many ways, for as I earlier mentioned, “our imagination was/ is simply a reflection of the world’s technological limitations and advancements”. The Internet & the World Wide Web have become the gateway to limitless possibilities in our lives, and in turn, the gateway to awakening our limitless imagination as humans. We are no longer chained to what the eyes can see, the limitations set by our households, communities or social groups. We are now free to explore thoughts that doesn’t make sense today but has a possibility of making sense tomorrow. For that, we are now free to dream with our eyes wide open, we we are free to let our once tamed minds run as wild as it can possibly be.

There’s a timeless saying that resonates on this topic very much, and that is: “with great power comes great responsibility”, and this is because with great power there can be great consequences. We’ve seen just how much the lack of power [technological advancements] has an impact on human life and its development. But just as a lack of power has consequences, having the power also has an impact. As technology continues to develop, development on a whole becomes more fluid, almost happening instantaneously. Just look at how easy and fast we can find a solution for every problem that occurs, we can create new ways to feed our pleasures. This puts us in a tricky loop where we can no longer sit idle in boredom, when we experience stagnation to any extent, we begin to explore our boundaries, and as a result, we are capable of hacking our learning curve, influencing a more intelligent generation of humans. With great power, we must ask ourselves: at what cost? What are the consequences of having this much power? What are the consequences of our actions? Are we compromising for the benefit of our future or some? But of all the question, the trickiest one remains: are we as humans accelerating our own development at the same rate that we are developing technology? Are we able to understand, process and sustain the limitless factors that we’re exposing ourselves to? For as advanced as technology has become, as reliant as we can be on these advancements, we too need to be sure that we are developing to the point that we can consume more, understand more, process more and be more.

The reality is, we’re at an evolutionary curve in life where we’ve taken comfort in the world evolving around us, even if that means without us. We praise evolution, and take pride in its growing prowess as its a reflection and result of our own influence, no longer having the same ambition for ourselves. As humans, we now feel accomplished setting goals that are achieved once we can develop something successfully, even with us being excluded. This is highly evident in our social systems around the world. Many people see the tools that we use as an extension of who we are, a supporting element in our lives to make tasks “easier”. But what we are missing is the direct impact that it has on us, our kids, our community and our future. Technology is nothing but a tool, but a tool can be used for any and everything. We are so hyper-focused on developing these tools that we forget that we need to just as rapidly ensure that the people who use them are capable of using them effectively and being able to minimize the negative consequences of them. More and more we see the effects of adapting our education curriculum to the current trends. People no longer strive to develop their processing skills nor their thinking skills because their reliance on these tools. One consequence is the fact that we have fewer people challenging themselves, fewer people pushing their boundaries, and fewer people being able to use their brains to process, analyze and make decisions based on their own thoughts. Where we once focused on physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral development, we now solely focus on technological development. And while we may see technology as a positive supporting tool in our lives, we must strive to maintain our own development before we lose our independent identity, becoming nothing without these tools.

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Trapped in Logic

There are many theories on what life is, what evolution is, and how these aspects apply to us and influences our capacity to learn and grow. All these theories, regardless of perspective, are governed by a concept that we refer to as logic. Every thought, every idea, every decision, and every action, all our own but yet far from our own.

This piece is meant to be an illogical perspective that triggers discomfort which I hope will force you to embrace a direction that logic prevents you from thinking in. I believe that our quest for deeper understanding of life, realization of our evolution, and awareness of our possibilities are closer than we think. For how can we acknowledge the limitless capabilities of our minds but yet limit it? Let’s take this walk together through our minds as I help to open up a door that could unfold the parts that we keep from ourselves.

Now, what if I told you that 1+1=3? Would you think that I’m “crazy” because I live by a different logic than we’ve been taught? Chances are, an overwhelming majority would label me that way. And it’s not because I am but because that I think differently; I think by a standard that is not recognized by our societies. The thing is, everything we do, the way we think, and the way our lives operate, is all based on logic. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, logic means: a particular way of thinking, especially one that is reasonable and based on good. And I emphasize, “A particular way of thinking”! How can you dare think that you are allowing your mind room to grow to its full potential if you are conditioning it to be used in a particular way? Don’t get me wrong, logic works as a means to ensure alignment and uniformity, but isn’t it still limitations? How can a plant grow bigger than a room it is placed in? How can a fish swim further than the walls of an aquarium? How can an animal run beyond the gates of a zoo? This is what logic does to us, logic places us in a room, in an aquarium…in a zoo. Logic tames us and confines us to a world that strips away our potential to illogically create limitless possibilities and unimaginable realities.

One of the most (unconscious) discussions that tests our limitations is the question: “Did the chicken come before the egg or did the egg come before the chicken? The most likely answers are: (1) The chicken came before the egg, and (2) The egg came before the chicken. These are programmable answers, the only options and the only answers that you can possibly come to using logic. Logic forces us to accept that there are specific ways to life, and that every aspect of life must be explainable and understood in order for it to be. We no longer think of a 3rd possible answer or an option B, C, D, etc. I am not saying that logic doesn’t bring you to answers, all I’m saying is that logic is simply 1 answer and should never be our ONLY answer.

I believe that as universal beings we were meant to think creatively, applying different methods of thinking dependent on specific situations. Nowadays we’ve regressed into using creativity as our last means to think, solve and act. There’s no doubt that we were once on the path to evolving, but somewhere along the way we lost ourselves in our own growth. We’ve become greedy, hungry, eager, too much of all the bad things that inevitably caused us to regress, down a different path that we evolved on. This process of regression has been ongoing for 100s of years and so unconsciously that we do not realize. Why you ask? It’s simply because we’re now in an era where we’ve become too lazy to work and too superior to grow.  We’ve become dependent on technology which in turn makes us less reliant on ourselves and the need to fully use and push our minds. Sadly enough, to us, this is the direction of the future – technology -, blinded by convenience that we no longer wonder just how far our minds can go and how great we can be. Logic has already taught us that all these tangible advancements are results of are true growth and potential. It taught us that our path to creating a digital world on the foundation of tech is the more sustainable way of living which translates to our path of evolution. Logically this all makes sense of course because we were taught to think logically, but what if we can evolve in a different direction that involves the growth of our minds? How can we ever think of such a possibility if logics limits us to think there are no other possibilities?

This read is just to open your mind to the possibilities beyond the possibilities that you think you have. I’m simply trying to point you in a direction that you may not have discovered as yet. I want to remind you that just as your smartphone, your laptop or any tech product you may have, your mind is just as smart, just as advanced, but with so much more possibilities to grow (upgrade).

What I would like to recommend just to spark your mind is for you to conduct some research of various wonders of the world that were made before advanced technology existed – before machines, tools, or any form of proper building support. I want you to take a look at the detail of the designs, of the precision, of the accuracy, and of the logical impossibilities. For example, the pyramids and the entirety of its structure. There is no logical explanation as to how these pyramids could’ve possibly been built, but yet there they stand for thousands of years. My guess? Creativity! Not logic. Giving your mind the freedom to be allowed them to discover limitless ideas and possibilities that the brain can dare imagine. Just as animals adapt to their environment; iguanas living on coastal islands has now adapted to becoming marine iguanas which allows them now to hold their breath for over 30 minutes and swim to depths of 10 meters to find food; elephants are now growing without tusks to adapt to the conditions of being poached for so many years for their tusks; and many other animals adapt, we as universal beings also adapt the same way. We’ve adapted in our own way, we’ve adapted past creativity and limitless possibilities that our brains can tap into, to limited thinkers and realistic dreamers based on a structure. And even worse, now that we’re regressing (which some thinks is evolving) and becoming more dependent on technology, our brains are constantly shrinking, metaphorically speaking.

Just as our bodies, without exercise or training, it becomes weak, nimble and fades away quickly.

You are a brilliant being, but just imagine knowing, believing and exploring just how limitless than brilliance is. I hope that you caution yourself with becoming a logical thinker. Again, it’s okay to think logical, but let it be a way to think and not THE way to think. You are alive to question things, to explore ideas,  to dream, and to constantly evolve into whatever is next. Do not let logic trap you into being only the first stage of who you can be.

For what if there was no beginning and there is no end, but only everything that happens in between which do have beginnings and ends?

Become a thinker again, no matter how wild or crazy logic tells it sounds. Let your mind free, let your mind dream, let your mind discover, and let your mind grow!

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She Enjoys Being Fingered

She was just an ordinary girl…..innocent, quiet, and knew just how to keep herself invisible.

She was REAL, she was what you would call “a basic chick”.

Attention wasn’t what she wanted, at least then… it wasn’t what she craved!

She enjoyed her simple life, she enjoyed the silence….she didn’t need the loud!


It’s amazing how fast all that changed, it’s amazing how fast she changed….


She was in her world, a world that lies within our world,

The world that was spinning so fast, spinning too fast!


She wanted to catch up, she wanted to keep up, so….

She stripped herself, bare……naked!

She removed everything…her walls, her pride, her sense of who she was….

For what!? For who!?Not because she felt you wanted you to know her world…

But because she felt you needed to know her world.


She was tired of being ‘some‘ girl and wanted to be ‘that‘ girl.

She wanted to be seen…..she wanted to be visible.


Stripped down to her most vulnerable she stood before you, 

Looking for you to notice her, looking for your reaction,

Just looking for a taste, a taste of that sweet feeling called attention!


She didn’t want all of you….just part of you,

Just the part that will please her just how she wants to be pleased,

…..just 1 finger is enough for her.

She’s was willing to spread….

Spread all her thoughts out for you,

Spread her life out in front of you,

Spread herself and her mind; bare and naked

Just hoping she could get that pleasure, that finger!


She doesn’t really care which finger you use, once you CAN use it….once you DO use it!

From no one to someone, 

From ‘some’ girl to ‘this‘ girl

From our world to her world…


Craving that feeling, that magic….

All from what your finger could do.

You didn’t need tips because you didn’t need tricks,

All she wanted was a simple CLICK….

A simple LIKE…

Just for you to simply CLICK on LIKE!


You’ve given her what she wanted, 

But as they say “you give them a finger and they want the hand”.

She’s too into it, she’s too far gone…

Her cravings were met by your finger, but that just made her spread more,

She wants more….

More pleasure, more fingers, more LIKES….

She’ll do WHAT it takes, to get HOW many it takes…to please her.

She just wants to be fingered….

That social-media whore.

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Recoding The Brain: The Secret To Full Access

Just imagine! And when I say just imagine, I mean just that – pure, boundary-less imagination. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around different theories of the brain, different mental disorders, and the limited functionality in which the brain operates both with and without having ‘disorders’. So here’s my theory: this ‘normal’ state of our brain is in fact a disorder that have become a common disorder that seems to be the most optimal in comparison to the others.

Now, before you think I’m crazy, just remember that I said this is all just an imagination. I am simply exploring a ‘non-logical’ direction that many may be afraid to imagine. But what is a ‘logical’ approach, if not an approach that society has labeled as normal based on the data that once again society has labeled as facts? It seems like my imagination is really going far on this one.

For as long as I can remember, there has been a myth which states that humans are limited to 10% of their brain. In the more recent years, there have been many studies and scientists that debunked this myth – basically destroying the possibility of even imagining such a thing. But to honest, no discoveries were made playing it safe, so I am still imagining such a theory and possibility. I must say, when it comes to figures such as the 10% which was once introduced, my imagination doesn’t go to the extent of calculating. So please don’t expect me to throw any crazy imagined figures at you.

If you’re still imagining with me, great! Now, just imagine if what we classify as mental disorders is simply a fragmental availability of our ‘complete’ brain? A normal functioning brain of course would not seem limited nor fall under the category of mental disorders or mentally limited because this is the best we know, and the best we can understand as to what ‘normal’ means to the human species.

Let’s use Schizophrenia as an example. This condition is known as a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. So a person diagnosed with this disorder can suffer from a range of symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning. Now, imagine with me. Imagine that this disorder is labeled so negatively because of our limited understanding of what it really means. Imagine that this disorder has such negative effects because we cannot control the symptoms and what a person is experiencing. Imagine that a persons diagnosed with this disorder suffers not because of the disorder itself, but because of what our brain has been re-coded to do – which is to only operate in fragments.

There are many therapies that are prescribed by experts and professionals around the world that enables persons to explore consciousness using hallucinogens’ or other drugs which has the same effects BUT can be better controlled. Bare in mind, this is no push for the use of drugs, this is simply to highlight the power of ‘control’. Because anything that we can control, any part of us that we can control, gives us access to becoming better versions of who we were, who we are. So just imagine a ‘normal’ functioning brain being able to access that fragment of the brain by will and control. Just imagine the therapeutic awareness and deep exploration one may be able undergo within themselves or within the limitless realms of life itself. Just imagine!

Let’s highlight Autism as well. In many cases, if not most, persons who are diagnosed with autism usually excel in specific areas but face a compromise that strongly affects behavior and functionality. There are many challenges that a autistic person faces, and if you look at things that is gained from this disorder, you see that autism pushes particular skill levels way beyond that of an average person. Just imagine that because of our re-coded brains, our brain is constantly fighting itself. Fighting for usage, fighting for fragmental control, limiting the possibility and capability of other fragments of our brain. When you think about it, why do we as humans and animals constantly fight amongst ourselves? What triggers this? But most importantly, where does the triggers happen? So what makes it so unimaginable that our brains can be at war with itself? Just imagine!

My imagination has pushed me to the conclusion that while we may well be using our brain at 100%, that 100% is only a measurement within the fragments that we access. I imagine that IF we are able to find the peace within our brain – code it to collaborate – we will be able to then accumulate the full access of all fragments and have true control of our brain and what we classify as ‘disorders’. For just imagine being able to explore and control the effects of these disorders and manipulate them to our will. Just imagine what we will be able to do, what we will be able to see, where we will be able to access!

I’ve only named two (2) disorders of the many that are classified. That was just to stroke your imagination and make you wonder just how much potential our brain may truly have.

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Aging Gracefully Into Retirement: A present glimpse of the future

Do you ever wonder what retirement feels like? Do you ever just imagine what it would feel like to know that what was once your life is now a multitude of experiences that only exist through stories and memories? I know that at this point it feels as though mentioning COVID in every title, in every sentence, and in every story, has become rather taboo. But what can we do if that is the reality of the reality that we are living in? What can we do if COVID is why you may be able to take a glimpse into what your life could inevitably become?

We are currently in 2021 where our current living circumstances has shifted so drastically, and the only way to be able to handle it is by clinging onto a perspective that allows you to accept it. To be honest, there’s no way to view the situation that makes it any more ‘okay’, but there are ways to look at it that gives you insight into new things and new experiences. It’s obvious at this point the extent to which most, if not all, of us are being affected by the current Pandemic which has plagued the world. Most of us are so overwhelmed by the fact that we are literally burdened by the psychological repercussions of this. The main reason being, none of what is happening is within our control nor is it something that we planned ahead for. So what we are living in is basically a Matrix – an accelerated lifestyle into forced retirement.

When you think about it, this Pandemic is a precognition of what our life can inevitably become – an unforeseen radical shift to retirement. COVID has created a real-life shift which in its own way has given us a glimpse into what our future can look like through self-experienced journey. Just take a second and try to remember what life was like for you one year ago, two years ago, or rather every year before 2020. For most reading this, I suppose we can look at those years as your prime years, and for some you can look at it as more seasoned years. What I’m basically trying to tell you is that most of you reading this is a far way off from retirement, so this experience is all new to you and quite an interesting teaser of what is to come (possibly)!

Little do we consciously realize is the fact that COVID is an aging virus. And when I say aging, I do not mean a virus that accelerates cellular aging, hormonal aging, accumulated damage to our bodies, nor metabolic aging. The aging I am speaking about is related to our aging lifestyles and our structured realities. Think about it, at this point of our lives most of are supposed to be living a pre-dictated lifestyle in which the system has designed for what ever phase in life we are in. Whether it be in school – high school or college -, work, traveling, exploring the world, or being parents, we were all supposed to be living a life laid out to us that fits whatever phase we are in. Instead we’re doing neither because COVID has created its own system and its own rules.

What COVID has done to most of us is fast-tracked us to a retirement-like lifestyle. A lifestyle where people are forced out of their jobs, where athletes are forced to give up their passion for sports, where societies are forced into isolation and even where students are forced out of a growth experience. Luckily for us, retirement never looked this great! We still don’t look the part, we still don’t feel the part, and we’re definitely not ready to act the part. Our minds are still sharp, our bodies are still strong, and our curiosity is still peaked, but that doesn’t make the feeling of retirement any less real. Just think about it, think about how we’re living, think about how it feels, and think about what it could be like to get to this stage. What we need to remember is that COVID is a temporary lifestyle we are forced into and have no control of. The life we live outside of COVID, from the start until retirement is our life and everything that we can control. I urge you to use this experience as a lesson, use this experience as motivation. Make your days count because it is inevitable that you will have to give up your passions someday. Enjoy your working days because it’s inevitable that will have to give up your role to someone else someday.  Keep learning as much as you can because it’s inevitable that at some point knowledge your mind will not be able to like before. Celebrate good times with friends, family and loved ones, for it’s inevitable that they won’t always be around. And when retirement comes around, plan it out how you see fit, how you can live with it.

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COVID – A Tragedy of Today Thinking On Tomorrow

It’s been a year since we’ve been living under such heavy stress. This stress, also a threat to our sanity and way of life, is single handedly contributed by the effects of this accelerated virus documented under the name of COVID-19. But let’s be clear, the question of the effects of this virus isn’t the same conversation as whether the virus is “real” or a conspiracy. For regardless of what it is, why it is, or who made it what it is, there are life threatening effects because of this questionable flu variant. There’s no denying that people are dying and that our way of life has been dramatically shifted, and these aspects alone are enough to make it all worrisome.

It’s scary imagining and reflecting on what life was just a year ago. It’s not scary because life was bad a year ago, it’s scary because of how fast this flu has become a dominant influence on how we live. About a year ago, early 2020, we were made aware of COVID-19 and it’s possible repercussions if it were to become a widespread virus. Of course these were all worst case scenario possibilities, nothing that we actually thought would happen. But even if we did believe there was a possibility, that wasn’t a possibility we chose to entertain. For who would want to imagine a life completely opposite of the life that were enjoying. We lived freely, expressively and intimately amongst each other. We enjoyed the flexibility of being able to travel both domestically and internationally. We openly ignored the idea of ‘space’, for a proper hello or goodbye was always complimented by a hug, shaking of hands, or 1,2, or 3 kisses. We enjoyed a life that presented us with endless possibilities of exercising both the mind and the body through recreational, competitive and professional activities. WE WERE LIVING!

Some may argue and say that although COVID-19 has impacted our social lives, social media was already on the verge of doing so. While I do understand that argument, I strongly believe that there’s a significant impact when a person is left with no choice. Although social media has indeed been affecting our social lives, it is so because these are choices that we as people have made (though conscious or unconscious). But COVID-19 has placed us in a situation that we have no control of, we have no say, we have no freedom nor any flexibility, and that’s where the frustrations begins.

Fast forward to a year later, here we are still living under threat. A threat to our lives, both physical and mental. Again, whether you believe in COVID-19 or not, there’s no denying that people are dying, people are suffering, and our way of life has been affected. But what’s really worrisome to me is that many of us focus on the tragedy of the now, and neglect those of tomorrow. There have been countless souls that lost their lives (physical) due to COVID-19 up until now. The tragedy of death has directed our focus solely on the physical and distracted us from also seeing the urgency of all the victims who have and are losing their lives through the mental aspect. For death isn’t the only way we as humans can lose our lives.

It confuses me to realize, that we live in a world that acknowledges the effects of caging away animals for any extended period, but does not acknowledge the effects on us as people. Yes, it is necessary for protocols to be in place, but how are we really saving people if we are only saving the physical and neglecting the mental?
Children are suffering, teens are suffering, parents, adults, professionals, we all are in our way. It’s tough to see that kids aren’t able to free themselves up to the world, engage and explore. Worrisome to know that teenagers, especially those going through puberty, aren’t able to find means of constructive outputs nor are they able to socialize or create experiences and bonds. Frustrating to accept that adults aren’t able to enjoy the pleasures of a relief or an output that allows them destress from a confined work day. Heartbreaking to know that people living abroad aren’t able to meet new people, aren’t able to socialize, are all alone with no answers, only more questions.

Families aren’t able to live traditionally, children aren’t able to touch their parents or grandparents, birthdays and holidays become lonely gatherings. Depression, frustration, loneliness, stress… tragedies such as funerals or emergencies are experienced through a text or over a camera. This is no regular life, this is far from a life…

We are living in a world that we do not recognize. But if we do not look out for each other, if we do not create measures or a support system that focuses on the mental well-being of our people, even if we get back the world we once knew, how many people will we not be able to recognize?

Call a friend, call your family, check in on them, make sure they are okay. Reach out to someone if you need someone to speak to. Stop telling yourself that you’re okay when you’re not. None of us are, and the only way that we can survive this is together!!!

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Last Of A Dying Breed

I wish I could say that we’re the last of a dying breed,

Generations of mental and emotional suicide,

Keeps us from understanding what life really means…

What our life really needs,

How holding on to the pain really feeds,

On our hopes and dreams,

Our self-esteem…

Too much pride, we rather struggle alone than to win as a team,

Damn!

I’ll say it again…

I hope we’re the last of a dying breed.

See, we live in a generation where an expression of self,

Is an admission of guilt…

Guilty that what we feel is suffering,

Guilty that what we feel is pain, 

Guilty that our brain is different,

Guilty that we’re afraid to be labeled with ignorant names.

But why should we care about how YOU feel?

When we’re the one struggling with a pain that’s so real…

A pain that’s eating us away but we still choose to conceal,

Man, fuck this stigma. I’m tired of hearing that “this isn’t a big deal”.

See why I hope that we’re the last of a dying breed?

You see, this is killing me…

The idea of losing the best parts that we never got to see,

The idea of living up to an image that we gotta be,

In an environment that contradicts that our choice is FREE!

A combination of disaster that changes our psychology,

Decisions based on the trauma of our history…

Affecting our progression, that’s our misery,

It’s about time we start dealing with our tragedy!

I said it…

I hope we’re the last of a dying bread,

So it’s about time that I tell you what I really mean…

When you feel, be sure that you really feel!

When you heal, be sure that you know it’s real!

For holding on to pain doesn’t give you closure,

And ignoring it doesn’t make you any stronger.

Crying doesn’t make you any weaker,

Nor does embracing your conscience when it tells you to speak up!

So feel, heal, love and cry,

For no longer should sad faces hide behind a smile,

When there are ways we can really feel alive inside…

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BREATHE

Powerrrr

I – can’t – breathe,

As the air leaves my lungs in such a hurry,

My mind, my soul, my body – shook!!!

Because…,

I – can’t – believe,

We’re fighting to survive against viruses, nature AND human-beings,

I’m tired – tired of fighting, but how can I survive when…,

There’s – no – relief…

In a world where words have more power than actions,

Except in moments when we’re fed up and we start to give them a reaction,

To the injustice against discrimination,

And what they do? They feed us bullshit news as a distraction…

See how easy it is, for human-rights to lose traction…?

 

But, I hope that you – see,

No longer will we sit back and watch our world become your world,

Talking about land of the free?

Who are you to tell me what’s free when this world also belongs to me?

Yes, ME!

 

I can see you’re scared because you can no longer put my voice on silent,

So what you do is label me as violent…

But fuck you and your labels,

Too long we’ve been on the wrong side of the table!

Too long we’ve been listening to them preach,

To their masses, to their asses, to their uneducated social media conditioned generation who supports the system that has divided us in classes.

But we’re done describing what the past is,

And we’re done leaving shit pass us…

Our pain, our suffering, our history,

400+ years of slavery,

We’re way past paying unfair taxes!

 

So NO, I won’t let you keep us down,

Not figuratively, nor physically!

I’ll be damn if I let you break my energy…

So as I stand up and take a deep breath,

I will show you that…

I – WILL – BREATHE!

In this world, MY world,

 

So when I rise…

I rise with the pain of my ancestors, a fury you DO NOT want to see!

 

Trust me…

I WILL BREATHE!

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What IF

What if…

She wanted more,

A lot more.

Beyond what we saw,

Beyond what we felt;

What we thought was a life full of happiness and wealth.

What if…

She wanted more,

A lot more,

Because what she saw was all a dream

A life that existed as a cover to hide what was real.

What if…

She showed the world what it wanted to see?

Her life – your entertainment, and it was all for free.

What if…

What she showed the world was all a lie?

And the only strength she had, she used not to break down and cry…?

What if…

screen-shot-2015-01-07-at-12-42-20-pm

She was not just a woman, but she was the one wearing the cape,

And the idea of a superMAN was all so fake?

What if…

She wasn’t the one in need of saving,

And respect was the only things she’s been craving.

What if…

She could share her pain with the world and not be judged?

Ms. Misunderstood just wants to be Ms. Understood.

What if…

She was seen for who she is, and not who we told her to be?

Another one of us; a person like you… a person like me.

What if…

She could just let go, LIKE US

Show weakness, LIKE US

Be vulnerable LIKE US

Stop fighting for one day… LIKE US

And feel alive

Feel what it means to smile

Feel what it means to not be empty inside

Feel the climax of happiness like a roller-coaster ride…

What if…

She could be her own person

Create her own life

Set her own rules

Be her own self!

What if…

We didn’t have to ask what if!!

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From Online To On The Offline: The Becoming Of Targeted Advertising

Over the years we’ve seen that what is isn’t always what was, and what will be isn’t always what currently is. Such is the reality of everything that exists, including the transformation of the digital realm.

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Past Method:

If we look closely to trends in marketing methods, we will see a continuous evolutionary transition of different methods of advertising happening. Nowadays technology is being advanced at such a rapid pace that their are so many new possibilities of integration. With these various options it makes it possible to use platforms that already exists, that are effective, and make them even more effective. For advertisers, this is their growth process, this is their goal. For effective advertising can only mean one thing, and that’s increase in awareness, increase in engagement and inevitably, increase in sales.increase-revenue-1

For as long as advertising has been known to be an effective way to sell products or services, outdoor advertising has been at the forefront. This traditional method has always been effective, and to date it still remains effective. By just this means of advertising, it is possible to reach over 50% of the world’s population. If we look at major cities across the world we can say just how popular outdoor advertising is using billboards and posters. tour_img-548493-145

New York city is one of the best examples for that matter. If you examine Time Square Avenue you will see a tremendous amount of billboard advertising. Some of these billboards are in the form of traditional advertising by just placing posters forms over them, and some are already digitized billboards which displays advertisements in more “creative” and engaging forms. Outdoor advertising in the forms of billboards has been a long lasting effective means of adverting and continues to grow.

What Is Happening Now:

Online advertising, although being a growing form of advertising, has its pros and its cons. Because of its high exposure and ability to be effective across multiple platforms cheaper, faster and easier, many companies tend to capitalize on this, maximizing its use.

Currently, 4.33 billion of the world’s population are internet users, which continues to grow year by year. Because of this, advertisers has taken a high interest in using the internet as one of their main tools for targeting. This high number of internet users makes it significantly easier for businesses/ organizations to reach their targets faster, in more creative ways, and consistently. The fact we as humans rely heavily on the internet, we open ourselves up to being more prone to privacy invasion and data collection, thus making targeted advertising possible. By sharing information, searching different websites, watching specific content, revealing location, personal data is saved in a form of cookies and becomes a means of profiling individual users and analyzing patterns. This form of data-basing our information has become one of advertisers’ major key to boost sales. How-Targeted-Advertising-Works

As beneficial and effective targeted advertising online has become for advertisers, it has also become overwhelming for internet users. According to ‘Effortless Outdoor Media’, In this age of digital saturation, people are becoming desensitized to ads appearing online. As soon as an ad pops up, people close the window or wait impatiently to click the ‘skip ad’ button. Targeted ads are now become a nuisance to internet users for the sole fact that it is disrupting their internet user experience on a regular basis. merlin_143075382_80b4a6c8-91f8-4a35-9d67-c3fa595b3154-articleLarge

What Is To Come:

Social networks such as Facebook and Google are online factors which contributes to ads becoming smarter and easier to target specific users regardless of the different device they are using. By analyzing this trend in targeted digital advertising, this shows that as technology advances, methods will too. It is safe to predict that targeted advertising will soon be present in our lives beyond just our personal devices or online. If we look at the different possibilities of advertising, soon billboard will no longer be a fixed means of temporary advertising, but can be more adaptive and versatile. Integrating the already existing methods, companies will soon be able to have targeted billboards which constantly changes and displays advertisements depending on the majority persons within its proximity.

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What Does This Mean For Me:

I think it’s safe to conclude that there are many effects that this transition will have on me personally, and professionally.

As a professional, this transitioning trend in advertising forces an adaption in this field. There are many factors to now consider when creating ads and also the platforms that will be used. Although we are rapidly growing into a more digital age, we still see how effective traditional methods can still be. As an expert, knowing how to integrate different methods in order to maximize on their benefits is the only way to be an effective advertiser. As an advertising expert, the focus will soon be spread wider. Having to explore new methods of integration which allows to fit the digital aspects into the traditional, while avoiding the degradation of the quality effect it offers. Instead of bringing people online, the shift is now bringing online to people. This forces advertising experts to find creative ways to now balance the overwhelming feel of being targeted online with now pushing even more ads offline.

As a target of advertisements as well, there’s always different perspectives to look at this growing trend from. While from a professional perspective it proves to be a challenging shift, this will also be the case from a personal perspective. Imagine having to be exposed to billboards and posters throughout all cities which monitors all your data and data of other citizens within the area. These ads will be able to selectively target the majority of persons within a certain proximity and advertise their highest interest based on multiple factors such as: where they are, time of the day, why they are where they are, who they are with. Constant shifts in advertising means changing everywhere you go, everywhere you turn, targeting you specifically on a regular basis. Being able to reach targets via smart phones has 1 level of effect, which is proven to become a nuisance. Soon the “in your face” and “everywhere you go” effects of advertisements will no longer an online problem but also an offline problem. From physical to digital, to physically digital, to targeted adaptable advertising. This new trend of advertising simply means that we can no longer enjoy the freedom of escaping the overwhelming feeling of online or no longer simply click the ‘close’ tab.

 

Sources:

https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/seriously-internet-online-ads-can-trail-you-across-devices/
 https://www.effortlessoutdoormedia.com/why-billboard-advertising-remains-relevant-and-effective-in-the-digital-age/
https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/thenow/what-is-targeted-advertising/1/
https://medium.com/specle/outdoor-advertising-is-part-of-the-future-make-it-simple-1cc6fd2236dc
https://www.statista.com/topics/1145/internet-usage-worldwide/
http://bmccoy.net/2015/07/21/you-are-being-watched-stay-off-the-internet-at-work/
https://www.digitwindow.com/targeted-advertising/
https://www.getyourguide.com/new-york-city-l59/new-york-city-times-square-new-year-s-eve-celebration-t82710/?utm_force=0
https://www.information-age.com/cto-digital-transformation-123474055/
https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/increase-revenue/
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