[11] reminder: be more, be better.

this is definitely, decidedly not the post i was expecting to make.

just six months ago (which, like everything else, feels like a century has passed since), i was going to make a post full of positivity, thankfulness, gratitude, and all types of mushy feelings to counterbalance the firmer, harsher tone of my last post. i was going to wax poetic about all the wonderful people that i’ve met, befriended and cheered on through their achievements, goals and milestones.

then, well…the world happened.
and now, it’s harder to just exist.

scandal after scandal rocked several across industries.

racial, economic, and sociopolitical tensions are higher than they’ve been even in recent years.

a global pandemic continues to ravage human lives. millions have lost their jobs and with them, means to provide security, stability, a future, and even a now.

eyes are being opened, but not nearly enough care to see. it’s scary how quickly things change, and how much people’s actions are amplified to an honestly uncomfortable magnitude within the same small amount of time.

i’ve found myself down overall – in addition to heartache, hopelessness, humiliation and frustration from national news, i’ve personally lost a follower base of almost eleven thousand when mixer was put up on blocks, stripped, and its remains shuttled off to facebook; lost several friends and colleagues in mutual friend circles back in june – some from an outright refusal to acknowledge issues as actual or pertinent, and others from what i imagine was a desire to maintain or salvage their own peace and well-being during a global pandemic.

i get it, i really do.

but. it doesn’t alleviate the situation or anyone’s plight except one’s own. some don’t even have that luxury to be able to give space to ongoing harassment and hardship. and still there are those want to look beyond themselves and help others in need. some have been fighting for as long as they can remember, even when not fashionable, trendy or popular, and are understandably tired yet inexplicably find the strength to persevere. many are finding their voice in speaking out from a place of disgust and incredulity. how have we gotten to this point? they ask. how has it been that our fellow man has endured these recent horrors and…untold numbers of the past? how has this been happening the whole time and we didn’t know about it? keep in mind one tends to hear these similarly when referring to violent crimes committed by individuals who often hide their true intent. there’s a reason to hide. sadly, though not shockingly, many are quick to dismiss jagged wounds being prodded, peeled and held open to the stinging air under scrutiny as overreactive, oversensitive, overblown. others have it worse. this is just for clout. i’m tired of hearing about this, everyone else has problems, too. why not talk about those?

well, why don’t we?

it feels the streaming and content creation community has since then been largely split on whether or not the horrors happening all around us both physically and digitally should even be acknowledged; some clinging hard to the idea of ignoring/not allowing discussion in an attempt to provide safe havens to which they and others can escape. while it sounds lovely that people would provide spaces like that, it’s just a little bittersweet for a number of creators (people in general, really) who would love nothing more than to do the same, but aren’t able to because their very existence is threatened due to that same existence.

something that i want to touch on since learning of its existence is the platinum rule. most are aware of the golden rule, and hopefully attempt to use it in most daily interaction. treat others the way you would like to be treated. unfortunately, not all subscribe to this rule, and often there’s not much consideration being given toward the other person’s preference; rather, if your and their definitions of fair treatment don’t add up, there could still be an imbalance in respect and consideration. the platinum rule takes this a step further in that it admonishes the user to treat others as they would like to be treated. after all, isn’t the whole point of the exercise to be considerate of others? what better way to show understanding, compassion and respect than to, well, do that exact thing when contemplating approaching or interacting with someone? take the extra step; do the extra work. it’s appreciated in the service industry when someone goes above and beyond simply what is generally expected. when you are the recipient of that service, often you feel buoyed, appreciated. extend that to people who don’t get as many opportunities to feel the same way.

we have much, much longer to go before we as a society and as a civilization will get better, but it won’t spontaneously happen, and no one else will do this work for us. at the very latest, we must start today for the future we want to see happen. we have to put in the blood, sweat and tears, the energy, time and legwork needed to enact change. it will be slow, it will be grueling at times, and for some it will feel akin to impossibility…but, so many of us have had enough with the way we are looked at, looked down upon, discarded, avoided, glossed over. what harm is there in at least trying? do not mistake this for meekness as soon as someone smiles at you; but rather, understanding that there is more uniting and connecting us than the more harmful, less considerate labels, perceptions and generalizations with which we’ve branded others.