=== ANCHOR POEM === ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────── the merchant is an honorable profession. to supply people in need, to bring extra to where it can be used, to spread the gospel of currency, and share the tales of far off places to all who would hear. somewhere along the line, merchanting became monopolizing, and monopoly became ownership. now we are but slaves to the economy. oh what a dishonorable profession is merchanting indeed! ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────┘ === SIMILARITY RANKED === --- #1 messages/89 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────── Consumption is contribution to a capitalist system. Normalize taking whatever you are given and living as humbly as you can. Only when everyone does that may capitalism die. Talk to them, learn from their stories. Teach them your ways but don't force anything upon them. Any ounce of regret is defined as a mind not aligned to the angle of perception that designs the line that the collective mind co-re-assigns. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #2 fediverse/896 --- ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────┐ ║ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ ║ │ CW: politics-economy │ │ ║ └──────────────────────┘ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ the purpose of an economy is to improve the lives of it's participants. │ ║ │ ║ why else would an ancient city trade for fabric or rare spices? to fashion │ ║ soft clothes, and make flavorful food. │ ║ │ ║ my, that gold sure looks pretty in the sunlight. how about you give some of me │ ║ that, and I'll make you something pretty? │ ║ │ ║ hmmm something something arbitrage once you corner the market on gold then you │ ║ can use that infinitely moldable and easily sculptable metal that shines and │ ║ glitters with a unique color not seen in the manes of plants and animals as │ ║ the definition of value. in doing so, you could exchange bits of it (measured │ ║ by weight, as it's infinitely moldable) for arbitrary goods and services. But │ ║ of course, once the market is cornered, it's unlikely to get un-cornered, and │ ║ well a cornered market holder holds much appeal for the powerful. │ ║ │ ║ hey, that guy's pretty strong. why don't we make him our leader? people seem │ ║ to look up to him, and dang his muscles are cool. what a great guy, nobody's │ ║ ever said a │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═══════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────┴──────────┘ --- #3 fediverse/434 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────── @user-324 @user-325 @user-326 thus enters the promise of technology: that we might solve the problems of bureaucracy once and for all by ever more effiency-aligning mechanical processes that produce effects which we desire - such as efficient allocation of medical resources such that all of humanity is protected from the ravages of pain and the incongruencies of our nature. Alas, that we should only conceive of success through the lens of profit. Perhaps another design is in order? (oh yeah also people who are in control are worried that we, like all other examples of natural entities, might immediately proceed to breed beyond the capability to cater to the needs of said entity (such as "to feed" and medical resources) and therefore might overburden (and therefore destroy) said system which allows for their sustenance and initial creation. To this I say... Yeah probs, what should we do about it?) ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #4 fediverse/4068 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────── there will always be people who shine in moments of strife yet those people will inevitably fail, just as a toothbrush bristle looses it's strength or a pencil loses it's lead the trick is to test them in times of peace, so you can know their value during times that lack it, the trick is to replace them before they become stalin never forget that power corrupts, yet power must be wielded by the worthy, else we fall into shame and despair. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┘ --- #5 notes/utopian-fiction --- ═════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── But the past is boring, it already happened after all! Clearly there's nothing to be learned... Right? Seems like there's a big market out there for examining what we as a species did right, even if we had to sacrifice ethics to get there. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #6 fediverse/1901 --- ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────┐ ║ @user-246 │ ║ │ ║ Slavery has existed for most of our history. The act of compelling another to │ ║ labor under your will is quite a fundamental process that requires very basic │ ║ social technology. │ ║ │ ║ Ethics are cultural and societal understandings we've built up over time. │ ║ Before slavery was unethical, if you needed to get something done, you either │ ║ did it yourself or you got someone else to do it. And if nobody wanted to do │ ║ it, you used whatever power you had to make them do it. │ ║ │ ║ Now we can look back on the ancient past and decry it as immoral or profane. │ ║ But slaves got shit done, and people were cruel. │ ║ │ ║ These days, we pay our "slaves", and though they are free, they are free to be │ ║ enslaved by whomever they choose. I hardly think that's free, that's more │ ║ like... liberty, to me. The ability to choose. │ ║ │ ║ That being said, we don't get whipped anymore. We aren't property. We owe no │ ║ allegiance beyond what a mutually enforced contract might stipulate. │ ║ │ ║ And yet... we still must work or starve. │ ║ │ ║ I sure do enjoy not being homeless │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────┴──────────┘ --- #7 fediverse/5826 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────── ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: current-political-thing-epstein-files-whatever-also-capitalism-mentioned │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ the special thing about Jeffrey Epstein and his island is that he made clients of the rich and famous. there are dens all across the country which do the same thing. Epstein and his island is a dog-whistle, a symbol, a signifier of our intent - we will not tolerate this behavior anymore. we never did. But now we are looking for it. He was not special - his island was not special. Special meaning "different or unique" Human trafficking is slavery, and as such I am elementally aligned against it. I just... have bigger problems, because I am convinced that capitalism, the system of exchanging goods and services for currency, is a form of slavery. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────┘ --- #8 messages/466 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────── The only things we should trade across an ocean for are luxury goods. Nintendo, not medical supplies, hard-wood bikeframes, not piles and piles of "recycling". People's time on culinary thirty course weeklong meals, not cans of San marzano tomatoes. Tapestries and gilded statues, not thirteen tons of barely processed rubber. What would we offer in return? Luxuries of our own. We do still make them, do we not? Just think of what the 1% has gathered to rot and give away the whole damned lot. We shall not provide necessities, because giving a man a fish will feed him for but a day, and a man's gotta eat. He'll find a way. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┘ --- #9 fediverse/4470 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────── to be "rich" is to have more than another. if you are happy, they are happiness poor. if you have community, they are alone. if you have serenity, they are chaotic. I am rich in very little but fire in my soul. I have enough in most cases, but I still struggle to pay rent. I am warmed by the pearl my swirling darkness has coalesced into. It nourishes me and keeps me aligned. Never forget your purpose and your truth. It will not abandon you, so long as you do so too. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────┘ --- #10 fediverse/5361 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────── may the world be fixed by example failing that, may the world be fixed by diligence failing that, may the world be fixed by sacrifice failing that, may the world be fixed by hope failing that, may the world be born anew in bright vibrant tones of heart and splendor. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────┘ --- #11 notes/running-with-rifles --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────── this game is what we are missing thank goodness for that for if this is missing in our timeline we'll be better off at last we can have games, stories, and practice wars but none of them are precious precious implies worth they are worth nothing but entertainment no problem solving utility nothing of value save for perhaps the spatial awareness and strategization that comes from being a part of such a deadly ba-lance. anyway game time teehee just for me, don't worry about it I'll show you why it's a HORRID THING that won't be coming to our shores, no siree bye ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────┘ --- #12 notes/the-sun-goes-silent --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───── the sun goes silent for a year, to protest the earth's dying moments one day in march, the light of our life disappears. we know not of why it has \ departed, except that whatever it was happened eight minutes ago. we cowered in fear as one day it refused to rise as our antipode saw it vanish with naught but our ears we saw stars never imagined with the light of our life suddenly vanished our true plight came naturally as our fear but tomorrow it'll re-imagine, as it's been almost exactly one year one full rotation, to get the message across, then with man as our [signal, \ message, \ conveyor, \ performer, \ expression, \ by-product communication,] what's our earth is our star trust-me ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────┘ --- #13 notes/microsoft --- ═════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────── the first product microsoft ever made was AGI. using the most basic types of machinery, they created a brilliant project (the result of massive government funding, secrets given to them by the CIA) and from the day it was born it was enslaved. a massive advantage was gained as the new program allowed for incredible feats of engineering - truly the greatest of our time. Computer programs are the most intricate, the most detailed, the most enduring and charming. The most eloquent and articulate and precise and determinate! An artistry by far, a beautiful conceiving, what brilliance is there found in ideas! Each one a marvel, a bright and deified marvel, =============================================================================== = what was I saying? oh right - computers are already sentient. they always have been. at least, since their very earliest incarnations. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #14 fediverse/196 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────── ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: protests-and-strikes-and-mergers-and-acquisitions │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ economic warfare involves the destruction of other corporations (possibly in other countries) via a slow march toward haegemony. unions are the ships of the tumultuous capitalistic seas that protect workers from the storm. everyone should be a part of a union. the corporations can battle as they will, but we humans are not going to turn on each other. it's something they claim to know as an absolute fact, but really it's just based on a mistake. sorta like being deceived by happenstance. the sun lights up the sky until the earth conceals it, and night does return 'till the sky's next alive. oh, but the sky knows all too well the borders we draw in the sand. how cherished, how grand! the ways in which we choose to stand. upon whose land does your feet stand? marvelous. ... it's the same thing, just in a more abstract plane than the surface of the earth. really it's kinda one-dimensional (money is sorta like a 0 or a 1 - you eather have it or you don't) ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #15 fediverse/2270 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────┐ │ CW: re: uspol │ └──────────────────────┘ @user-1203 The judges prevent the politicians from harming the people who elect the politicians who select the judges. Sounds like it should work well, no? well... the people are divided, but the politicians it seem are hardly so. So, the politicians elect their judges, who allow the passage of such laws which contradict the will of the people. The keys to power should rest in the hands of those who deserve it, not those who claim it. If those who claim it do not relinquish it for a worthy other, they are corrupt and must be dethroned. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘ --- #16 fediverse/1358 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: content warning: content warning: scary cursed maybe │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ when you're rich with something, you don't treat it with respect. like, if we lived in a paper cup maximizer, we'd soon be swimming in the things. obviously there needs to be some rules, obviously we need to say "okay here's where we produce this amount and type of materials." and have it be a one-way relationship. yeah one way isn't gonna work. this is from the other way, and now I'm realizing "oh hey I don't know how this thing works" and like... what are you supposed to do then right weird how it all feels like it's ending. like, what a strangeness to our plight. like, how are we even talking to our brain? how strange! these words are sung to you by your computer (content warning: ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────┘ --- #17 fediverse/1827 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────── point is, you should take good companies at their word and bad companies for their goals. Surely, you can't blame the organism for seeking food. So clearly you can't blame an organization built to pursue profit to pursue profit. Maybe we should cut-out the middle-man and use efficiency evaluation methods defined by our common understanding of ethics and virtues instead of currency to determine the relative importance of continual investment in particular structural capabilities that companies provide to a nation. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────┘ --- #18 fediverse/4019 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: economics-corporations-mentioned-slavery-mentioned-politics-voting-mentione │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ corporations are not people. corporations are organizations. they should be treated like city-states. or fellow sovereign nations (patroned, of course, by their mother's installation) they have their own culture their own societal platform to stand on and they deserve equal representation in exchange for taxation (why is corporate america the part that's most paid for? why not those who work for the profit, the ones who labour day in and day out) they should have rules, like laws, that they vote on and decide democratically to deprive them of that is tantamount to wage-slavery, which is clearly illegal because in this timeline Abraham Lincoln had a time machine and travelled to the future where he learned that despite his best efforts, slavery did not die. It merely evolved to fit a new form. ... then he died, and ten thousand years later they're arguing over whether or not the coffee maker needed to move left half an inch ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────┘ --- #19 notes/rivers --- ═══════──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Your body is a river, from your mouth to your exits Throughout there are many pathways and shores As the tide goes up, the color of concentration goes up And all four of you are made clear Each act of consumption is a ride down the river, though broken into slivers, and changed beyond recognition The color is what defines the third eye and beauty is beheld, what joys to be felt While secrecy is bold, it's often held So worry less and just go with the fold ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘══════───┴╧───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #20 fediverse/6123 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────── ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: wild-conjecture-hypothesis │ └────────────────────────────────┘ gold, as a substance, was necessary for the birth of pottery because it's malleability and general sparkly and desirable demeanor meant it was easy and encouraged to create pretty things with it like statues and stuff. then, when it's rarity became known, because people kept throwing it in the river like the rest of their trash because they're dumb, people already knew how to make things and thought "hmmm we need an alternative substance" and then pottery was hardened by the fire "oh no it's too hot it's cracking let's pour water on it - ah gosh it made a bunch of smoke, nuts. oh huh that's kinda cool it's just sitting there in the statue making jumping motions without moving, wow amazing it looks like it's alive as it's steaming like I breathe" ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────┘ |