There’s a strange little trick human beings do when they don’t want to feel uncomfortable:
We turn our choices into obligations.
We say things like:
- “I had no choice.”
- “They made me do it.”
- “I couldn’t help it.”
- “I had to.”
No, you didn’t.
Linkage
A Few Photos To Remind You That Life Is Beautiful – Ned Hardy
If you want real peace of mind against leaks and burst pipes, the Moen Smart Water Shutoff Valve is one of those upgrades you hope you never need—but you’ll be incredibly glad you have the moment it automatically catches a problem before it floods your house. – Amazon
NASCAR icon Kyle Busch dies at the age of 41 – Espn
A Hacker Group Is Poisoning Open Source Code at an Unprecedented Scale – Wired
Elon Musk found the cheat code for capitalism. The SpaceX IPO proves it. – Mashable
They Look Like Slot Machines. They Pay Out in Cash. And Critics Say They Are Getting Workers Killed. – The Trace
Congo suspends funeral wakes and big gatherings in Ebola outbreak, as WHO upgrades risk assessment – AP News
Historic Photos That Speak Volumes – Ned Hardy
This is one of those rare gadgets that actually feels life-changing because it vacuums, mops, empties itself, and quietly keeps your floors clean with almost no effort from you. – Amazon
Christopher McQuarrie’s ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Sequel Will Shoot in 2027, Says Arnold Schwarzenegger – Hollywood Reporter
Tulsi Gabbard Is Preparing to Resign as U.S. Intelligence Chief – Fox News
How Deepfakes Tore a High School Apart – 404 Media
The world’s 10 richest families – The Week
Anyone Could Forget a Kid in a Hot Car, Research Shows – Consumer Reports
If you want to keep your mind sharp with a quick daily challenge, Brain Training Daily has a great mix of puzzles, word games, memory tests, reaction challenges, that take just a few minutes but actually make you think – Ned Hardy
The Dumping Grounds
What’s It Like To Be Lured Into A Cult
How long were you a cult member, and what was the organization like?
I was brainwashed for a little under a decade. It was a small but fervent, insular organization led by a very charismatic, psychologically imbalanced “prophet.” His message was simple, but convincing: That our only responsibility was to love each other and the rest would fall into place. Not a difficult mantra to embrace! Contact with the outside world was prohibited, but once I was fully indoctrinated I wasn’t even interested in the outside world. I wanted to stay pure and radiate love like my brothers and sisters.
Beyond the Abyss: Crafting Your Comeback, One Step at a Time
Most people think rock bottom is a single catastrophic moment. A divorce. A firing. A relapse. A bankruptcy. A phone call at 2 a.m. that changes your life forever.
But most of the time, the abyss arrives quietly.
It looks like waking up exhausted every day.
It looks like slowly becoming someone you don’t recognize.
It looks like drinking too much, doomscrolling until 1 a.m., avoiding your bank account, and promising yourself you’ll “get it together next week” for six straight months.
[Read more…] about Beyond the Abyss: Crafting Your Comeback, One Step at a Time
“My daughter says I chose my new family over her and I think she’s being unfair”
My wife died suddenly when our daughter was 2. I was drowning and I knew I could not raise her the way she deserved, so my late wife’s sister stepped in. She eventually adopted my daughter and moved to Europe with her. For years my daughter came to visit during the summers, but those visits have become less and less frequent. Now my sister in law says she will not send her here because of concerns about the current administration. She offered discounted hotels if we wanted to visit instead, but for a family of six, flights and food alone make the trip impossible.
[Read more…] about “My daughter says I chose my new family over her and I think she’s being unfair”
“How do I tell my sons that I’m not going to be living with them anymore? “
I’m divorcing my wife after multiple affairs, and once we figure out the finances, I’ll be moving out and getting my own place. We have two sons together. Our youngest just turned 4, and our oldest will be 6 soon.
I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell them that I won’t be living with them anymore. My oldest is incredibly intelligent, observant, and sensitive. He looks at me like I’m a superhero, and I’m terrified he’s going to feel abandoned or think I don’t want to be with him anymore.
[Read more…] about “How do I tell my sons that I’m not going to be living with them anymore? “
Linkage
Fake “FBI Agents” Scammed This Retired Couple Out of $850K – Shield And Fortify
24 Nostalgic Photos That Feel Like a Time Machine – Ned Hardy
If you cook a lot and want cookware that heats evenly, lasts forever, and genuinely makes cooking feel better, these are a no brainer – Amazon
SpaceX files for stock market debut that could make Elon Musk a trillionaire – BBC News
Jeff Bezos says raising taxes on the wealthy wouldn’t help the average American – NBC News
US indicts former Cuban President Raúl Castro over 1996 downing of planes – CBS News
How I Choose Which Cloudflare Employees to Replace With AI – WSJ
The Boys Is Officially Over, and the Internet Has Plenty of Thoughts – IGN
I Lost My Boyfriend to the Manosphere – Cosmopolitan
36 Plumbers Reveal What They Really Earn Each Year – Ned Hardy
If you want to be wealthy without obsessing over stocks, timing the market, or pretending to be a finance genius, I’d seriously recommend this book – Amazon
How Do We Teach Kids To “Read The Room”? – Scary Mommy
Vintage Photos of Mob Molls: The Women Who Lived Alongside New York’s Most Notorious Gangsters – Rare Historical Photos
A $5 Million Donation From Big Tobacco Preceded F.D.A. Vape Decision – NYTimes
SpaceX not the behemoth everyone thought – Axios
Ranked: The World’s Biggest Economies by 2031 – Visual Capitalist
The First Time Everyday Things Actually Happened – Ranker
The Dumping Grounds
Poll of the Day
If Elon Musk eventually becomes the world’s first trillionaire, what do you think that says about modern society and the economy?