Issue #05: hope
and what we could do with the heavens we get.
Dear Reader,
To be honest, I don’t have any stories to tell you at the moment. Actually, I do, but they’re too private and I’d like to keep them for myself. And I really don’t want to bore you by romanticizing the small, mundane aspects of my life.
But!
I am happy to introduce to you two new columns for this newsletter. First, we have “Fickle Thoughts and Burning Passions” by Stranger, a little ‘stream of consciousness’-esque series of short essays. And then we have “Project Phoenix” by Lynelle, a bite-sized, biweekly guide to personal development.
We hope that you like them and that they become more reasons to read the newsletter. And so, without further ado, I should end this letter and let you read our new columns.
See you on the other side, Reader!
“And if we can imagine the art of fiction come alive and standing in our midst, she would undoubtedly bid us break her and bully her, as well as honour and love her, for so her youth is renewed and her sovereignty assured.”
From the Selected Essays of Virginia Woolf
Manifesto of the Damned
We are damned. No good deed goes unpunished. Every wickedness knows no bounds, and the world itself hinges on an uneven scale. Existence has been doomed to such arrogance and merciless cycles. People live on in juxtaposed realities where their actions speak for the greater good, only to bring about our doom ever closer. You may refuse to agree with what these speak about, but at this point, you are just lying to yourself. You choose to be callous to a despicable end even as the whole world burns around you. Why? Because you chose to have hope, not ignorance but hope. You chose to have what we all need nowadays: hope. Either it be voiced out or found in the simple good things people share to us each day. Things don’t have to be this way and we do our best to change it in whatever way we can. We are damned, but we do not have to be. Sometimes, we only need a bit of a push and reassurance, and if you do well… I believe in you, you need to believe that you can and you will. Because this stranger chose to believe in you.
So soar high, my dear, and have faith in yourself.
The Danger of Comparison
"You can't compare an apple to an orange and say one is better than the other… They're just different." - Shelby
With the power of social media in today’s world, comparison becomes such an easy thing to do, to the point that it becomes a very natural thing for our minds to run into — whether it’s comparing ourselves to others, or comparing person A to person B, and so forth...
Comparing people becomes some sort of way to kill time…
A way to “entertain” ourselves.
But from what I’ve observed in our society — including myself and the people around me — comparison corrupts one’s mind. Worse, it builds walls between our relationships. Both our relationships with ourselves because of the negative self-talk that’s caused by toxic comparison, which damages our self-esteem, and our relationships with others because of the prejudice we’ve unconsciously created about them when we compare them with one another.
With that, I think that starting to eliminate toxic comparisons (some of which can look harmless at first) in our lives is a step towards having healthier relationships.
It can start by simply refusing to participate in conversations that compare other people, being more mindful of our thoughts, and being more intentional about how we think about ourselves, the people around us, and our environment.
So dear reader, I want to end this by offering you to ask yourself this:
“What step will I take to rise above the dangers of comparison?”
Hello!
Here is your reminder that harmless, little things about yourself shouldn’t matter to anyone but you. Those things can be your hair, make-up, nails, clothing, piercings, et cetera (You get the gist, right?). Anyway, what I want to say is, these little, physical things that alter your appearance are mundane, and are in no way important to anyone but you. These things don't define who you are as a person inside, so they most certainly should not affect other people, lest they choose to (unless, of course, lines are being crossed, like cultural appropriation).
This seems complicated, but it’s really not! Trust me. As long as you stay in your lane, you’re good! Feel free to venture into different unrestricted styles (yes, that’s possible while staying in your lane) like punk or maybe cottagecore? Up to you! Go shave your head! Go dye your hair! Get that septum piercing! Wear that dress! Shave your brows, maybe? These things are personal choices that don't affect anyone but you.
You are not causing harm on anyone, you are not intending evil on anyone, you are simply a person making personal choices, and for whatever reason is no one’s business but yours.
These are the things that make people beautiful, to be able to choose and resonate with a certain style, and use their creativity to apply it onto themselves. These are not things you should be ashamed of or sorry for. And if it makes you happy, then that’s such a bonus. I’m not saying you should do things, anything, just because they make you happy. All I’m saying is, harmless, little things like these are part of a moment that won’t last forever; they are an exception. Happiness is fleeting, and I believe we should all get a taste of it at least once in a while, especially in a world where made up rules that make people miserable are forced upon the general society in the name of fulfilling the long living standards created by the white men.
Go look however you want, because people will perceive you however they wish to, no matter what. At the end of the day, people believe what they want to believe. Humans are and will never be satisfied, even to a deity they know and love, as the days go by, they thirst for nothing more but their love. You will never be satisfied with how you look, and people will never be satisfied with who you are as a person. To feed into this endless, petty cycle, is not such a crime, since one party is minding their own business, while the other is meddling, entering a celebration they weren’t invited to.
End of the School Year
On the morning of my 18th birthday, I learned something from my favorite Disney princess, Ariel. She did not give up her voice for Prince Eric- but for a chance to be part of the world. Like her, we grow and try to find where we fit in it.
But before you are a part of a bigger world, you are a part of a smaller one: your school or University.
The possibility of time travel only lies with traveling towards the future, and not going back to the past. The past is what it’s supposed to be. Look back and take delight with the people you were once with, with the things we used to do, and the kind of story and reality we used to live in. Look back and watch it all play like a movie with no last full show. The people who first believed in you, those that helped you. Look back to the memories that you can’t find anywhere but here. To the experiences that didn’t happen anywhere but here. Look back and hold on to the feeling- whether it’s pain, joy, or sadness. Look back and capture that feeling and then use that to keep you going in a different venture.
Even if we are only ships that sail pass each other, each one of us has similar stories with different versions. And if no one has told you yet, that itself is a part of the world.
“You are given the task to kill the moon. ”
Write: a short story, poem, or essay. (200 to 1500 words)
Draw/Design: poster(s) depicting or inspired by the prompt
Snap: photo(s) including description/context
Skye Diche // Steph D.
Skye loves literature and arts. As a kid, her days were spent alternating between sketching and writing. She aims to create meaningful things.
By other side, I meant this.
(And if you still haven’t figured it out, yes, I am the same writer in Dear Reader. I say hello; I say good-bye and Godspeed.)
Today, I feel hopeful of the future. I woke up, cured from my two-day sickness, and looked at the clouds from my window. I lay quietly, heavy-eyed, and made shapes out of the clouds. I made a baby, a turtle, a wounded god, and I hope that someone out there saw the same heaven as I did this morning.
We live in uncertain times, where clouds are ever-changing and don't always remain white, but I have never been more sure of my future. I don’t know about the in-betweens, but I know I’ll make it there. I have full trust in the One who made the heavens this morning, because I know He’ll make it tomorrow too, and the day after that, and after that, and after that…
I can never control the clouds, but whatever heaven I get later or tomorrow or in a year or in a decade, I’ll take it. Take it also.
We don’t choose the clouds, but we do make the shapes.
See you in the next issue,
