Document2

"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world,..."

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:24:59 +0800

“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they’ve all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds… Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.”

- Neil Gaiman

marielikestodraw: dirtydirtychai: asexual-not-a-sexual: Here...

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:34:06 +0800

marielikestodraw:

dirtydirtychai:

asexual-not-a-sexual:

Here are some reaction badges for when people troll you with their bullshit and ignorance.

These are glorious.

Ahahha perfect

robot-heart: (via Dan Flavin: Untitled 4. | Flickr - Photo...

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:33:49 +0800

robot-heart:

(via Dan Flavin: Untitled 4. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!)

thefingerfuckingfemalefury: I’ve also never heard of a...

Tue, 07 May 2013 21:06:40 +0800

thefingerfuckingfemalefury:

I’ve also never heard of a gay/lesbian couple disowning their own child or throwing them out on the street for ‘coming out’ as heterosexual

Just saying

queerability: Treating HIV early can reduce the risk of...

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:42:33 +0800

queerability:

Treating HIV early can reduce the risk of transmitting it to HIV- partners by 96 percent.

From Fenway Health

Human Rights Campaign: Largest LGBT Donors Are Drone Manufacturers

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:41:12 +0800

Human Rights Campaign: Largest LGBT Donors Are Drone Manufacturers:

socialismartnature:

In the 1960s and 1970s, queer liberation (what we now call “LGBT equality”) was seen by its advocates as an all-inclusive movement intrinsically bound to other social justice movements: there could be no justice for queer people without justice for people of color, women, workers, those in other nations, etc. Accordingly, queer activists worked hard to build coalitions with all those determined to fight for justice.

Nowadays, the LGBT movement does more branding than coalition building.

Steven W. Thrasher, who has been nationally recognized for his LGBT journalism, called out national LGBT nonprofits and advocates, colloquially referred to by some as the glitter industrial complex, in a Gawker article, contending that the LGBT activists and nonprofits “have been bought, paid-for and sold to the highest bidder.”

It’s true: corporate America runs the LGBT movement, or at least the part of the LGBT movement that gets press time and donors. Their sponsorship keeps the LGBT movement from addressing the issues that matter most for the LGBT community and beyond.

Thrasher highlights that many of the biggest donors to the Human Rights Campaign, the multi-million dollar nonprofit that receives the bulk of donations for LGBT issues, are drone manufacturers. These donors profit off of the United States’ use of drones to kill civilians, including children, with little oversight or accountability. Drone manufacturers are far from the only ethically dark gray to black donors to LGBT advocacy organizations: a brief perusal of any major LGBT organization’s list of donors reveals that corporate black hats like Bank of America, BP, Coke, and Nike all provide major cash to LGBT nonprofits.

… Progress for queer people means nothing if it comes at the expense of others also marginalized and fighting for justice. Gay advocacy paid for by companies that poison the land, treat their workers unfairly, and assist in the killing of children from other nations is worthless in the long run. If we truly want a world where LGBT people are equal, we have to recognize that such equality is contingent upon justice for all people.

Not when health care is provided to every same-sex couple, but where health care is accessible to all; not when violent homophobia is eliminated, but when violence based on hatred of any group is eliminated. It might sound Utopian, and it might not be achieved through high profile fund raising dinners. But the alternative, inequality and corporate exploitation draped in a pride flag, is neither progressive nor equal.

mizhallelujah: elainemorisi: aiffe: chainofaffection: “Have...

Sun, 05 May 2013 12:07:23 +0800

mizhallelujah:

elainemorisi:

aiffe:

chainofaffection:

“Have you ever come across a homeless individual and felt totally uncomfortable?

You see them and you know they are in need, but you are not sure what to do. You know that handing them money is not the best thing. But, you also see that they clearly have some needs. Their lips are chapped. They are hungry. They are thirsty. They are asking for help.

How can you help?

Here is a simple idea - blessing bags.

This was such an easy project. We are now going to keep a few “Blessing Bags” in our car so that when we do happen to see someone on the streets who is homeless, we can hand them a Blessing Bag. I first learned of these bags from my friend, Julie. I am using the picture of her bags (see above) because the ones we took were taken in horrible lighting and turned out really grainy and hard to see what is inside of them.

If you’d like to make your own Blessing Bags, this is what you would need:

Gallon size Ziplock bags

items to go in the bags, such as:

chap stick

packages of tissues

toothbrush and toothpaste

comb

soap

trail mix

granola bars

crackers

pack of gum

band aids

mouthwash

coins (could be used to make a phone call, or purchase a food item)

hand wipes

you could also put in a warm pair of socks, and maybe a Starbucks gift card

Assemble all the items in the bags, and maybe throw in a note of encouragement. Seal the bags and stow in your car for a moment of providence.

This would be a great activity to do with some other families. Each family could bring one of the items going into the bags (ex: toothbrushes). Set up all the items around a table and walk around it with the ziplocks and fill the bags.”

http://kwavs.blogspot.com/2011/05/blessing-bags-how-to.html

Hey, words from an actual former homeless person here.

Those people you see who make you uncomfortable? Those aren’t homeless people, they’re beggars. Well, some of them are also homeless. Some of them are not. NOT ALL HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE BEGGARS. (Also, they’re not all addicts, though some are. You literally know nothing about a beggar’s life except that they are beggars.)

Beggars have a uniform like any other kind of worker. They have to look as bedraggled and dirty and pathetic as possible. If you gave a beggar a chance to shower and wash their clothes, you would be damaging their earning potential. They make their money by manipulating the feelings of people who don’t know much about poverty. That means they have to play to stereotypes, some of which are like a hundred years out of date.

When I was homeless, I did not beg. (I stole, dealt with charities, sometimes even worked. Yes, you can be homeless with a full-time job. I’ve worked 60 hours a week and been homeless. And I mean sleeping in a car or a tent homeless, not on somebody’s couch homeless, though that’s an under-counted form of homelessness. I asked for food once or twice, but I didn’t look like a beggar.) I kept myself clean. I looked like anyone else. That person you pass in the store, on the bus, someone who looks just like anyone else, they could be homeless. The sales clerk who helps you for minimum wage. They could have lost their apartment because you can’t pay rent on that salary.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with begging. And it’s true that some people do actually just look like that because due to mental illness or addiction they sincerely can’t take care of themselves. Some of them are honestly nothing more than scam artists who have no real need, though, playing off people’s sympathy for those who genuinely do need help. But let’s assume that you were giving these to an actual homeless person.

- soap is not that difficult to come by if you are so inclined to have/use it. Many public bathrooms have it. Homeless shelters will give you a bar of it. If you have $10 or so for a truck stop shower, soap is provided. Running water is a lot more difficult.

- believe it or not, they may already have a toothbrush and toothpaste, and if they don’t, it’s unlikely they have any interest in using them. Homeless people commonly cache useful items wrapped in plastic in a bunch of hidden places. If you want to help the homeless, next time you find one of those caches, don’t throw them away. I mean, think about it. If you had to start living on the street, would you stop brushing your teeth? I didn’t either. Plus, if everyone gave homeless people one of these packs, they’d have more toothbrushes than they did teeth. Same with the deodorant—one stick lasts a long time, and they give them to you in shelters. This kind of mismanagement and waste is incredibly frustrating. People are willing to flush money down the toilet to avoid helping you TOO much.

- food is nice! But keep in mind that not everyone can eat stuff you give them. Dietary restrictions like diabetes and Crohn’s unfortunately don’t go away when you become homeless. Maybe this is why they were hoping for cash? Also, some (though not all) homeless people have access to food already through food stamps, soup kitchens, charities, etc. A granola bar is nice, but they likely have other problems. If they need food, they will usually have a sign asking for food, or ask for it verbally! Otherwise food might not be a problem for them.

- I’ve given medicine to beggars when it was asked for. Medicine can be super useful if you have a need of it. But when you don’t have a place to put your shit, you realize what a luxury it is to be able to store shit you don’t need at the moment. At best, it could go into one of those caches, if that individual uses caches, or into a shopping cart if they haul one of those around. Or in a car if they have one.

You know what’s useful, lightweight, and portable? MONEY.

You know what money can be used for?

- the nightly fee of some pay-shelters to keep you out of the elements.

- minutes for a pay-as-you-go phone, which can be used for emergencies, scheduling appointments with therapists, doctors, and addiction counselors, even searching for jobs or housing. There is a TON of bureaucracy involved in getting help when you have nothing, and that shit burns through your minutes. Payphones? What is this, 1980? I still have and use a phone I bought while living in my car. It was $10.

- gas for a car, if they have one. (Commoner in rural areas.)

- a hot shower at a truck stop.

- medicine, including prescription medication.

- items that protect against the elements, in their size!

- transportation. News flash, no bus will let you on for pocket change.

- items you might not even think of, like pet food (some homeless people have pets!) sanitary napkins (even if they don’t look female—remember how the homeless rates go up if you’re queer? Yeah.) condoms (possibly for sex work? Not something you want to assume though!) diapers (adult or otherwise! seriously! You don’t know their lives!) or pretty much anything else THAT IS BOUGHT AND SOLD WITH MONEY.

Does that include cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol? You bet it does. But you know what, if that’s what they need, you’re in no position to judge. I’ve never been through withdrawal, but I’ve seen people go through it, and it’s complete shit. If that were you, yeah, you wouldn’t want to get drug sick, are you fucking kidding me? Offset it with a contribution to a rehab center, whatever helps you sleep at night.

And all this is assuming the person giving you a case of the guilts is actually homeless. When they may not be. And other people you don’t notice around you almost surely are.

That uncomfortable feeling you get, though? That has a name. It’s called INEQUALITY. It means that you know you have shit other people don’t have access to. You probably have resources so that even if you were in trouble, there’d be safety nets. You have the kind of money that you can buy a bunch of care packages to assuage this horrible guilt you feel every time you’re in bed in the rain and you know someone else out there isn’t. Those feelings are right. The world shouldn’t be this unequal. We shouldn’t have houses standing empty while people live on the street. We shouldn’t have food sitting in warehouses till it spoils while people starve. We shouldn’t be punishing people for trying to medicate away the pain we gave them.

If you want to REALLY help the poor, go buy a pen and paper and write to your representatives. Stop blaming “generational welfare users” for being “leeches on the system.” Tell them you want to see real aid going to people in your community. Tell them to fund the mental health system, which is inadequate for the demand and constantly getting slashed. Tell them you don’t want to see food stamps cut for bad grades! Tell them a stitch in time saves nine, and if they helped people who were losing their homes, maybe there wouldn’t be so many homeless. Tell them to decriminalize drug use and prostitution. Tell them to support programs like Insite. Support universal healthcare, because you’d be surprised how many people end up homeless due to illness, either in themselves or a family member. If you’re ever in a position of power, such as a landlord or employer, don’t discriminate against people who don’t have a current address. Also don’t discriminate against marginalized groups by race, gender, orientation, ability, etc. These people are more likely to end up homeless because of this BS. Check out charities in your area doing actual outreach with the poor, many of whom are not beggars and not visible. And if you’re going to give a beggar something, either ask them what they need or just give them fucking money.

You can’t make that uncomfortable feeling go away with the wave of a magic wand. You can’t buy exemption from the fact that you HAVE and others DON’T with some soap and granola.

And if you’re going to give a beggar something, either ask them what they need or just give them fucking money.

Reblogging for A+ commentary.

Being Asexual: Observations and Challenges

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:13:00 +0800

(I’ll probably continue updating this post over time.)

To some extent, this feels like a second coming out where I’ve got to get used to saying my label all over again.
The change is as much for myself (sorting out the thoughts in my head, having a better way of communicating my sexual identity) as it is for others (to understand my limits and boundaries)
Some are critical towards labels, but I think that labels help us understand ourselves and each other
I’m still not sure how much things have/will change(d) as a result of my adopting a different label, but I know for sure that I’m still the same person with the exact same understanding of my sexuality as I did before, and any difference would stem from external forces
I’ve only really spoken to one person so far, so I can’t really say whether people in general have been accepting or not. Why is it important to discuss the topic? Because of the lack of understanding and the lack of visibility regarding smaller groups on the LGBTQ* spectrum.
Being asexual (while still being attracted to men) requires a lot more explanation than just saying that I’m gay, because general understanding of how complex sexuality can be is still relatively limited and gay people actually have the most visibility out of any non-heterosexual community (not like that is saying much). But I don’t know whether I want to continue saying I’m gay because that’s not exactly true
It can be difficult to express that one doesn’t have any desire for sex or see any value in it, in societies where sex is seen as a big deal
~~I don’t know if it’s so easy for me to find a partner now~~
I’m not always respected even within the LGBTQ* community
Resources I’ve found helpful so far are AVEN and, well, Tumblr.

So about that label...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:43:00 +0800

I have identified as being homosexual for nearly 4 years now. I’ve stuck with that label consistently for all this time. Lately, I’ve been reconsidering whether I should continue holding on to that label.

The fact that sexuality is fluid is something that I’ve kept in mind, and when I came out as homosexual at 15 years old I knew that transformation would always be a possibility as the process of discovering and thinking about sexuality continues. While we know it is impossible for someone who consistently identifies as being homosexual to switch to being heterosexual overnight, some of us might find that the label that we’ve stuck on ourselves isn’t necessarily the best one for ourselves. When it’s possible for people to change their names in many countries, I don’t see why it is impossible for me to change my label upon realizing that the one I currently hold doesn’t quite describe my sexuality as accurately as I would like.

In this post I’d like to discuss the new label that I now identify with - what it means and what implications it brings to the table.

Homoromantic asexual. That’s twice as many words, a lot more syllables and requires much more explanation than “gay”. Let’s break it down - an asexual person does not experience sexual attraction towards other people. That doesn’t mean that such a person is cold-blooded and is destined to lead a solitary life and die alone. Being asexual doesn’t mean that masturbation is off the table either. Asexual people are still capable of feeling attraction towards other people and wanting to build close bonds with them; the only difference is that they do not feel the need to express that attraction through sex. Some asexual people, myself included, still hope to date other people and seek long-term romantic relationships where intimacy is involved. And being a homoromantic asexual just means that I feel romantic attraction towards people of the same gender.

This change in label doesn’t signify a change in my identity - it’s just a better way of describing it. I’ve always been attracted to people of the same gender (that hasn’t changed a single bit), but the attraction I’ve felt has so far only been physical and emotional (romantic) in nature. I have never felt a need or desire to have sex with anyone, nor have I felt sexually attracted to anybody - not even people whom I’ve felt other types of attraction towards. In fact, I think it is perfectly possible for me to share a romantic relationship with another person and enjoy the intimacy (hugging, kissing, cuddling etc) that such a relationship brings, without any sex involved. I would be perfectly happy if my partner satisfied his need for sex by engaging other men. Both us would be happy living together - he wouldn’t be disappointed that he can’t get any sex from me and I could love him without being pressured to have sex with him.

Sex doesn’t equate to love. Sex isn’t the only way to express love. I arrived at my personal views about sex without even knowing much about what it means to be asexual, and I admit I’ve felt like a bit of an outcast even within the gay community because I could never really identify with the idea of seeking and engaging in sexual encounters. That does not mean that I cannot identify with many LGBTQ* related issues such as civil rights, media representation, bullying and rejection, prejudice and discrimination, societal misconceptions, homophobia and oppression. I still feel strongly about many of those issues, I still see myself seeking same-gender relationships and I’m still as outspoken about LGBT issues and open about my sexual identity.

So has anything changed? Not really, apart from a word used to describe an aspect of my identity and the fact that I’ve just made it harder for myself to find someone willing to settle down with me.

I’m Alvin, and I’m a homoromantic asexual.

hairstylin: beautifullyundressed: buphotography: This was one...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:53:08 +0800

hairstylin:

beautifullyundressed:

buphotography:

This was one of my all time favorite pictures I have taken in my few years of doing photography.

The point of this picture and the people with bags over their heads is to represent what society does to genders. First off, people assume gender by body type but in this picture you could have two transgenders, one, both male, both female, or any other combination and we would still be the same… Human.

Now, women are victimized by wearing revealing clothing or not being afraid to show their bodies with pride as well as being comfortable with their sexuality, while a nearly nude male doing the exact same thing won’t be put down for showing off the body they have.

Regaurdless of what you take this message as, I just want everyone to realize that we are all the same kind and we are all unique. People have no right to judge another person by what they wear, or who they choose to be.

(For safety purposes on this picture I had taken a picture of this from my wall)

© BU Photography 2013

I am actually like crying at the amount of notes on this in a 10 hour period. This is by far my best picture I have taken in a really long time.

Thank you guys so much

I’m a guy and at my school, I love calling myself a slut. Everyone labelled me as a slut, but everyone loved it and took it as a joke. However, a girl called herself a slut as well and suddenly everyone started getting angry, bitching behind her back and saying “Why would you call yourself a slut? Omg I hate her”. I don’t know why being a guy makes it anymore different.

“It’s ok to objectify guys, they’re guys, they don’t care.”“Guys can’t get raped, they never don’t...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:42:03 +0800

“It’s ok to objectify guys, they’re guys, they don’t care.”

“Guys can’t get raped, they never don’t want sex.”

“Men should be the ones to do the asking.”

“Men should always pay on a date.”

“It’s okay for me to be sexually attracted to watching two gay men have sex, but not for men to be attracted to lesbians.”

“It’s impossible for men to be victims of domestic violence, they’re bigger and stronger than women!”

“Sexual predators are always men.”

Freedom Bucket

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 20:13:26 +0800

Freedom Bucket:

spockisinthetardis:

lupinebrother:

bigbigbigday006:

spookyplaydate:

halianfromplanetzork:

digatisdi:

When I was in preschool there was this really weird system of time-out where they’d put you in this giant plastic bucket sort of like this one:

And the rule was you couldn’t leave the bucket for ten minutes.

In case you didn’t know, I was what the teachers referred to as a “difficult child” which is code for “walking entity of sass” so I was in the time-out bucket quite a bit.

Once they put me in the bucket for thirty minutes— and I thought that was incredibly unfair so I grabbed the handles and shifted my body repeatedly until the bucket and I were out of the classroom, in the hallway, and through the front door. They found me in the parking lot scooting to freedom in the time-out bucket. The teachers were furious and I said, “Hey, I never left the bucket”

So they called my mum and told her what I did and she just said, “Well, he never left the bucket.”

I haven’t laughed so hard in ages

THIS WILL ALWAYS BE MY FAVORITE POST

TONIGHT, MY BUCKET, WE RIDE TO FREEDOM!

FOR NARNIA! AND FOR ASLAN!

WE RIDE AT DAWN

courtneymilan: I want prints of these.

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 20:12:26 +0800

courtneymilan:

I want prints of these.

"Social justice movements tend to spring up around issues that most people don’t get. Social justice..."

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 05:07:51 +0800

“

Social justice movements tend to spring up around issues that most people don’t get. Social justice movements tend to spring up around issues that, to most people, don’t seem to matter that much. If people understood that the issues mattered, then organized movements to promote them wouldn’t be necessary.

Until their issues are properly understood, most social justice movements, almost by definition, are going to look whiny to most people. If you can’t understand why the things people are complaining about matter, those people are going to look whiny to you. That is, they’re going to look like they’re complaining about things that don’t matter.

Something to keep in mind when you’re thinking about accusing people in a social justice movement of being whiny: every social justice movement looks whiny if you don’t understand their issues. A lot of the time, the fact that calling attention to their issues is perceived as whiny is precisely the reason why the movement is necessary in the first place.

”

- A Thought on Social Justice and Being Whiny | Research to be Done (via brute-reason)

Meanwhile in Montana: Bill to decriminalize gay sex passes House

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 02:11:31 +0800

Meanwhile in Montana: Bill to decriminalize gay sex passes House:

gaywrites:

Yep. Really.

The Montana House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill which will decriminalize gay sex under state law. Apparently, the state’s “deviate sexual conduct” laws still ban sexual relations between people of the same sex, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

The law currently reads: “‘Deviate sexual relations’ means sexual contact or sexual intercourse between two persons of the same sex or any form of sexual intercourse with an animal.”

The portion of the law was struck down by the Montana Supreme Court in 1997 and has since been unenforced, yet the law remained on the books.

The vote was 65-34 to remove the same sex intercourse language from the definition.

This is actually hilarious. It’s 2013.

Meanwhile in Singapore, we haven’t even gotten there yet. Yes, it’s 2013.

Exasperating.

alphabonesoup: Here it is! I’m not 100% sure if I like how it...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:21:33 +0800

alphabonesoup:

Here it is! I’m not 100% sure if I like how it came out… it almost seems a bit too cutesy for the subject. Maybe I just like drawing cute clothes and bright colours too much!

This is for a contest with the Canadian Human Rights Agencies for their conference in May. All the Advanced Illustration students and Design students had to enter as part of their final. Kinda pissed that they required us to print it off at 24 x 36…. which I think is way too big and expensive ($50!!) for most students and their budget. We don’t even get to keep the posters. And the top prize is only $200. I feel kinda ripped off. :/

EDIT: A couple of people have sent me notes saying that “Transgendered” is incorrect terminology. I apologize, I kind of added the text last minute, and should have known better. I’ve uploaded a fixed version. :)

infinitenap: security guards

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:14:41 +0800

infinitenap:

security guards

elmartinezz: sydneyisdeffonfire: klairy-dust: fairydustandklai...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:31:54 +0800

elmartinezz:

sydneyisdeffonfire:

klairy-dust:

fairydustandklainebows:

brendanshaw:

p3n1s:

femistorian:

This is what a REAL rape prevention campaign looks like

All the awards.

DO ME A HUGE FAVOR AND REBLOG THIS!

This is perfection in a campaign

I love how they included a situation where a guy could’ve gotten raped. People don’t seem to realize that males get raped too. It’s less common, but it happens. That is what sets this campaign apart from others.

I love this.

a heart that beats: thepanicmoon: I want queer people to be able to turn on the tv and see...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:06:43 +0800

a heart that beats: thepanicmoon: I want queer people to be able to turn on the tv and see...:

thepanicmoon:

I want queer people to be able to turn on the tv and see themselves.

i want them to be able to watch a shitty romantic comedy with an obvious plot and see themselves, to watch a serious tv show about vampire killing FBI agents and see themselves, to watch a fairytale kid’s movie and see themselves-

i want queer people to count as people outside of shitty, offensive dramas that see queerness as a gate to more drama, something all-defining and life-ruining, written by writers who don’t care enough to learn what’s a stereotype and what’s reality and still want cookies for putting goddamn cardboard cuttouts on their show-

and i want that queerness to be evident and unarguable.

i don’t want shitty backhanded references to a dude’s “friendliness” with his best friend-

i don’t want half-hearted mentions of a main character’s gay friend in an attempt to prove that the character and that the show aren’t homophobic-

I don’t want queerbaiting, that straight viewers can claim was just a joke,because it was, it’s just a joke the show can profit off for “representing” someone they don’t even fucking count as enough of a person to deserve to be treated with respect-

And i want queer ladies and queer dudes and genderqueer queers and i want them to be different races and classes and have different goals and opinions and lifestyles and fashion choices and interests and lives and challenges, because queer people are not one, shitty, poorly done stereotype

I want to count as a fucking person

i want every single queer person to count as a fucking person

a person whose story isn’t a joke, isn’t something to be ashamed of, isn’t something you see once in an afterschool special about not bullying people, until they get “turned straight” or “fixed” or “just hadn’t met the right person” or fucking kill themselves or turn out to be the villain if they “stay queer” because being queer means one has to be ‘punished’ for it-

I want us to fucking count, and i want the media to acknowledge we count.

boy on a boat

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:19:59 +0800

The boy woke up with a start.

Months had passed since his story was told and it seemed that nothing had changed. He was still in his little boat, bobbing about in the middle of the ocean. Months had passed since he last set foot on solid ground. Months had passed since he first realized how much he missed that someone who would be there. He had all but given up hope of ever being rescued; his voice had quickly grown hoarse from all the calling, and when his voice returned to normal he decided that not only did he did not have any more energy to shout at passing boats, it simply was not worth the effort.

Still, the boy didn’t let his situation get him down. “Instead of trying to be rescued,” he thought, “why don’t I try to survive on my own?” He learned to adapt to living alone on his little boat in the middle of the ocean. “I am doing just fine,” he repeated to himself almost every day. “I don’t need anyone at all.” He had managed to obtain a fishing line and a solar-powered water maker from a cruise ship that was happy to help but otherwise refused to allow him on board on account of the fact that he was not dressed appropriately. He became used to the silence and the solitude - well, almost. “Perhaps it would be nice to spend the days with somebody,” he contemplated. “Time would pass much quicker, and we’d have so much fun being stuck on this boat.”

Yet, each time he thought about being with somebody, he recalled how his voice had become hoarse and why he had given up on shouting at passing boats in the first place. “I am doing just fine,” he repeated to himself almost every day. “I don’t need anyone at all.” As the days and nights passed, he missed that someone less and less. He thought of that someone less and less. He no longer spent time thinking about whether that someone missed him too. He no longer expected that someone to be thinking about him. He had lost hope in that someone coming to rescue him.

Slowly, he found himself forgetting how it felt to spend time with another person. The mere act of going out with friends became a distant memory. He struggled to recall who those friends even were. “Why am I losing my memories?” he exclaimed to himself one morning. “What’s happening to me?”

The boy desperately tried to save whatever was left of his memories. He spent days lying in his boat, trying to recall what he used to do, when he was just an average teenager trying not to be too awkward in school. He spent nights inscribing everything he could remember about that someone on the inner walls of his boat. He started having dreams, having visions. He saw his brother bring home a friend from school so they could tackle their homework together. He saw someone from the past trying to comfort him as he sobbed in a restroom. Each time he woke up from one of these dreams, he could not help feeling like he had lost something by being alone in his boat in the middle of the ocean. Tonight was no different.

Strangely, he could never bring himself to cry. He wondered if this was a result of being dehydrated - he could never seem to get enough water to drink. All his feelings seemed to be stuck in his chest, unable to go anywhere. As the days wore on, he continued trying to convince himself that everything was alright, that he was getting along just fine. But as the solitude wore on, he slowly realized that he no longer could identify when he felt sad. He wondered aloud if he could really claim to be “feeling sad” if sadness had become the new normal.

The boy was certainly not a zombie for no reason other than the fact that zombies do not exist, but some days he genuinely felt like one. And as he sat alone in his boat accompanied by none other than the moon, the sky and the sea, he thought about death, dying and how he could not see himself growing old. It certainly would not be too difficult to achieve - how hard could drowning be? But as the boy stared at the expanse of water before him, he could not do it. He imagined his parents back home and how devastated they would be, how he would singlehandedly kill all their hopes of him returning home some day. He imagined everyone who had made a difference in his life and how they would feel upon receiving the news. “Besides,” he reasoned, “drowned bodies don’t look pretty when recovered.”

On that thought, he resolved to survive. One day, he would be ready to call out to somebody again.