Hello, kiddo!
Welcome to another issue of Stuff Around the Internet.
This week was my first week back at work and it was brutal. I am happy that I made it to Sunday without crying too much.
On Wednesday, I wrote my first short story which I titled 7 years of normality. People messaged me to say nice things about it (thanks!) so you should definitely check it out if you haven’t yet.
Unfortunately, I was also extremely busy thus I hardly had the energy or mental capacity to actively look for new things to watch or listen to. Nonetheless, I re-watched Lilo & Stitch (Brazilian Portuguese dub) on Disney+ and I enjoyed it as much as I did as a kid.
What a masterpiece.
Anyway, enough chitchat. Let me show you some curious things I found online this week.
Censuses are Still a Thing
I had forgotten entirely that governments still did censuses to map out trends in their population. We are now at a point where the Office for National Statistics is creating interactive maps showing all sorts of things, including the percentage of LGBTQ+ people in your neighbourhood.
For someone who enjoys data like me, this feels like Christmas. I haven’t had the time to play around with it, but one element that stood out as a sore thumb is that Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea have a very high percentage of people who are economically inactive (39%). Coincidentally, these are also the richest boroughs in London.
For comparison, Manchester, which is a city with a historically high unemployment rate, reported 40.8% in the same category.
Funny, isn’t it? Some can’t work and they will continue to get poorer. Some don’t have to work and will continue to get richer.
Are you in a Shadow Career?
Sometimes, when we’re terrified of embracing our true calling, we’ll pursue a shadow calling instead. The shadow career is a metaphor for our real career. Its shape is similar, its contours feel tantalizingly the same. But a shadow career entails no real risk. If we fail at a shadow career, the consequences are meaningless to us.
This is an interesting way of understanding why so many of us prefer stability and security over risks. Failing at something that is spiritually meaningless does not hurt, compared to failing at something that really matters to us. We avoid pain more than we seek gains.
However, this is not the “only” reason why people are risk-averse. Not everyone can afford to pursue their calling.
Sometimes, you are not working your “shadow career”, you are working your “pay-your-bills” career. You have to put food on the table, pay rent, repay your debt, look after your dependents, etc. There is no margin for error, no real opportunity to take a 6-month sabbatical to go after your dreams.
That is frustrating, sure, but it’s also noble and smart. Having the emotional and financial intelligence to honour your current obligations while sacrificing your ambitions is not fearful, is admirable. In a world that is becoming self-centred and narcissistic, I applaud those who can consider others before considering themselves.
If that is you, I salute you. Keep doing what you are doing. Things will get better, eventually, and your calling will still be yours to pursue later down the road.
On the other hand, if you are among the fortunate who can chase their calling right now, please do it with passion and devotion. Don’t waste your privilege - make it count for the rest of us!
Before leaving…
Since I hate social media (and social media hates me), mostly all the subscribers of my letters have joined thanks to those gentle humans who share my writing with friends and family. I owe you a debt of immense gratitude.
Please, keep sharing these posts with whoever you think might enjoy them. If you would like, add a personal touch to your message, something like:
Hi girl,
I saw that your ex-boyfriend is now posting pics with another girl.
I know it must hurt you like crazy so pls try to stay away from Instagram.
Don’t do that to yourself.
Instead, find something nice to read, like this:
tshbae.substack.com
Love, xx
That’s all for now. Remember to:
Drink water and reduce the sodium intake in your diet.
Call and message your loved ones.
Mind the gap between the train and the platform.
See you on Wednesday!
Peace out, kiddo.
Cesar.