Libb

First, I take a breath. More often than not, I will take more than one.

No matter what I'm doing I will always make some room to breathe. At the very least, I will go out for a long walk every single day of the year. Just walk. No distractions, no social noise, no music, no podcast, no nothing but me, my head, and that tiny thing called 'the world outside' ;)

Even better, when whatever it is I'm doing is stressing me out, I will make it multiple times a day because I don't work well when I'm stressed, so it's not a waste of time. And it also helps me stay in shape so it's even less a waste in that regard.

Last but not least, I learned to work less. It's not how hard you work or how tired you end up being that should matter, it's what you have done and much you like it ;)

I would set it back to the early to mid-90s, when I first experienced it...

Am I one of those old fart trying to say it was better in the good old times? Yes, and no.

Back then the Internet was limited, it was hacked together and there was no professionally designed website with pretty animations, security was... not much, there was no mobile web and, as a matter of fact, no 'app' at all since smartphones were not yet a thing. There was not even script languages like Javascript or PHP to develop all those shit... amazing dynamic features we're now surrounded with. So, yeah, it was limited. But...

There also was also no social media, no monetizing, no tracking, no corporate mafia-like CEOs trying to took us hostage or to milk us to death, and hands in hands with their politicians friends, trying their worst at transforming our free societies into some fascist dystopia that if they succeed (and it looks like they could) will make look all the XX century monstrosities mere child-play.

There were already evil corporations and assholes politicians back then, sure, but for the most part the Internet was people, not businesses. And it was not populated by those armies of braindead, tantrum-obsessed and hysterical morons we now consider the normal 'user'.

Trolls were already a thing, obviously, but there were not millions of them waiting to be mobilized through social media like a good army of haters ready to go stampede into oblivion anything nice or daring anyone could be willing to do. It was ok to not be nice, to not be liked, and to take risks.

I mean, it was actual people with their qualities and flaws, people that were willing to share content they were interested in and to discuss it. People that were not expecting to make a fucking cent out of every single fart they would make online. Nor to gain any Likes...

So, yeah it was rougher, so much more limited and a lot less cool. It was also a lot less polite. But it was so much more free and less full of shit.

(end of that old fart rant, promise)

I don't understand why this matters that much

Maybe because some apps will only work on certain phones (say on iOS or Android) and maybe because depending the phone you are using maybe someone could suggested another solution than switch app? ;)

Spend less time online, do less digital activities.

I do more IRL, in-person, activities. Any kind of activity most of us somehow forget we used to do well before Internet and digital was a thing can still be done without the Internet and without a computer of any kind.

In-persons is intimidating but it also helps keep away the armies of online trolls and haters that online thrive to hurt other people. Provided one behaves like a decent human being, it's very rare people IRL will hate on anyone for goofing up or for not agreeing with them. It's ok.

I also do as much as I can the analog way, without anything digital. It helps. Be it to write or sketch, or do stuff with my hands. Heck, even me using a paper agenda instead my phone will regularly trigger surprised/interested questions from people that otherwise would probably never have talked with me to begin with ;)

Now I have automatic backups.

Nodding approvingly ;)

Verre d'eau, suivi d'un café (ou deux).
Thé en journée.

Nice :)

I bought a ready to assemble one myself (so it was just a matter of following the instructions to assemble it). It was not cheap but that was almost 10 years ago and it's still working great. Imho, the second best money I ever spent—quality shoes being the first one.

I would encourage anyone to also spend money on a quality standing mat as it will help the legs, feet and back not getting tired too quickly.

Thx, once again.

To be clear, I was half trolling (half only) with my rhetorical question but reading your comment I would not be surprised to realize we agree on a lot of things.

What truly worries me is the speed and the extend at which so many anti-eu parties have become politically meaningful.

I mean, I don't care at all if they're being funded by a foreign country but I do care to realize our own population is now that gullible and clueless as to believe their shit. I mean, do people have never read a history book?
I also don't mind those parties existing, people are more than welcome to have their own ideas and to try to convince others to support them, even when I consider those ideas not the best ever. But them becoming a legit political force means they're convincing enough of us to support their ideas, which should be the real issue. Imagine a flat-earther becoming to new head of a major science department: their silly ideas is not the issue, it's how they managed to get to that post that should worry all of us.

Meanwhile, we have so few legit political leaders standing for the EU that are able to convince anyone. That's not good.

Exactly like I worry to see illiteracy and hostility towards culture in general become the new normal among younger generations in the EU, too. Nothing good can come out of that trend, only more hate and more violence. Here again, it could help if people would read a history book, once in a while... but for that younger people should be taught how to properly read and then how to use what's written in a book.

As for the EU membership, I'm one to think there should be a tiered EU memberships. Doing so, we would be able to welcome more new members quicker and then we could give time to all parties to get to know one another better and get used to living together and, well, get enough time to make sure we can all agree on some fundamental values and principles... like that should be the case in any lasting union (says I, after almost 30 years and counting with my spouse). The sad thing is that this tiered thing exists already but, unsurprisingly, only for the monetary aspect of the Union. It’s so... easy to hate on the EU sometimes, no wonder many won’t refrain of doing so.

Since brexit leaving the EU hasn't looked like a very attractive option but still there is a lot of discussion on whether the EU should be smaller (e.g. having borders controlled by each individual member-state) or bigger (e.g. having a single combined army).

Brexit... The morning I heard the news, it was so... I was... I just could not believe that thing really happened and that any politicians could be that incompetent and dishonest and willing to screw their own people so badly. To me, that Brexit campaign was but a scam devised so they would be allowed to redistribute power between the various groups but it never meant to end as an actual exit out of the EU. Obviously, I was wrong.

Whether we like or not, whether we think there is a reason to worry or not, the huge political shifts we've recently been witnessing coupled with the constant and ever growing hysteria in the media and with the fast growing illiteracy in the population, all things we now seem to consider the new normal, those should decide a lot of that for ourselves.

There are people happy about what it is becoming*

Thx for helping me improve my lacking English. Much appreciated (I mean, really ;)

The EU is not a finished project :)

Are you sure about that?

I mean, looking at who people are actually voting for (here again, an existential grammar doubt if you don't mind me asking: should I instead say 'who they voted for' or 'who they vote for' as it's an ongoing and repetitive action but also an already finished task since, obviously, we can count their votes?) Back to what I was saying: people are voting not for the EU and have been voting not for the EU more and more openly. And to me votes is the only data worth considering when discussing politics, not what people may say out loud. Their vote is them being honest with themselves, not trying to look good.

Like with our dear US-friends swearing they hate on Trump and on his politics but still have elected the dude twice.

Should we think Trump is really just that, a sad accident that happened twice (almost) in a row in the history of the USA, or wouldn't it be safer to consider the possibility that, maybe, a majority of the US population is indeed supporting what they voted for twice and that they want their country to become exactly what it is becoming? And they want their leaders to treat the rest of the world like they're doing?

As a fervent EU proponent myself, I wish to see some meaningful election giving me hope we still have some common future as a Union, and not just because we share some common borders.

I suppose you're asking if I'm French? Yes. And, yes, it's a French operator (Bouygues Mobile)

The European Union could help safeguard those borders.

Since we/The EU will be soon buying even more US weapons, I seriously doubt that.

What was once a region of the world populated with so many smart and bright people has now become the proud land of the dumb. The EU is like a headless chicken running around. And it seems rather happy about what it has become, I'm afraid to say so.

And, yeah, I used to use one like that.