I like to post on here every once in a while. I’m so happy to see this place growing fast. I’ve been here since I think it was at like maybe 15k. I don’t say much, but I am always reading, and always trying to get a better perspective.

It’s very ugly out there, guys. I’m sure you already knew that though. In the friend groups I have, things boil down to basically whether you’re handsome/manly/bossy/confident...or you’re not. It’s all tests. Who’s on top? Who isn’t? Who gets respected? Who’s the butt of the jokes? Naturally this is probably how it’s always been. But after a while of seeing it, and hearing about it, it has gotten under my skin. I’m sick of seeing how people have grown to treat each other as commodities.

I’m weird though. I have several friend groups and most of the time they’re alright, but I never stick around for long. I’ve thought to myself that I don’t really belong, that I’m just, you know...there. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to get too close to many people to call them “close friends” as that means you basically have to open up to people. I prefer to hang out for a few hours and then fade away back into my own life. “Where are you going!? So soon?”, I always hear. I can’t deal with people as much as I used to anymore. I hate the hoops. I hate the false feelings. The younger group is sooo primal, and I’m so sorry our young men have to deal with this shit so early (thinking early 20s).

Anyway, being in these groups I can always tell who wants to be the boss. There’s always one, or two, or sometimes more. I don’t want to be that. I just don’t. Not because I’m a wimp or anything, but it really serves no purpose for me. Meanwhile people seem to be told bro you gotta be alpha, that was so alpha...okay. So when there’s billions of ‘alpha males’ around, who wins? The tryhards, or maybe the idiots who have so desperately been clinging to forcing men to be this bossy, arrogant shell of a man? I don’t think anyone wins. All it does is make everyone more aggressive to each other. Is this what they want?

What I’m getting at is you should not be playing these games. They are stupid, and designed to make most of us slip up, or fail, all for other women to fawn over the peacocking that a lot of men so desperately fall into. It makes you nothing more than a pathetic puppet. And for what? If I am in my groups, and nobody knows anything about me, no one has a hold on me. And if folks want to continue the hierarchal social circles, so be it, but I’m not doing it anymore. I haven’t for a long time. As soon as you start doing things to get the approval of everyone else — that they see you’re trying to “play the game” — you lose. It’s a disgusting, sad part of life, seeing the ugly side of everyone. I’m pretty naive too, so I always see the good in people, and it’s hard for me to be writing this because I think most people are better than this...Apparently not.

Don’t play the games. Do what you want to do. I’m pretty sure several people think I’m gay because I don’t do any of that flirting shit. Imagine being so obsessed with yourself that if someone doesn’t check you out, you automatically label them as a homosexual. Just absolutely ridiculous.

Bust your ass. Eat right. Get plenty of sleep. Find something interesting to study, and commit to it. (I’d recommend my own studies to people but everyone is different).

And most importantly, live your own life, and disregard the things that make your life harder.

And just for fun here are some high-energy songs I listen to when I run — reminds me that in the end you are the only one that has control over you. I hope you can get something positive out of all of this.

https://youtu.be/1UThRrUWQts

https://youtu.be/JHOI_yjCPRg

https://youtu.be/Yp6J3bfvm3w