On the way to my very first circle, I had an intense conversation with a friend about whether I should break up with my then-partner. It was very sad, and by the time we arrived at the circle, I felt like I was about to cry. I shoved down the feeling, put on a neutral, […]
How common is sex trafficking in the western world? There’s a lot of concern about it, particularly in recent Onlyfans discourse. In some circles, sex trafficking is implicitly viewed as an epidemic, something we should make strong moves against. It’s hard to get data on how common it is. People might not consider what happened […]
I’d guess probably not? Penis size is correlated with height, and height is also correlated with race, so it’d be weird if there were no correlation whatsoever between penis size and race, just based on sheer physical size differences alone. Maybe it’s a super slight correlation, but we should see something, right? My friend said […]
A while ago, a monk told me confidently that a spiritual guru who was well respected in my community, was definitely not enlightened. After this I got interested in what people meant when they were talking about enlightenment, so I asked anyone who reported being enlightened to talk to me. I didn’t only use the […]
As you probably know, I grew up in an isolated, homeschooled environment. I’d moved up to northern Idaho in an attempt to go to college, but my parents were very “use your bootstraps” people and wouldn’t help me financially or cosign on any loans. They also made too much money for me to qualify for […]
When I was ass deep in sex(y) work, I heard a common story: “I’m married,” they said. “I love my wife more than anything, but we don’t really have sex anymore.” One guy (married), dipped his toe in after he found out he had terminal cancer. Another was a caretaker for his wife who had […]
Let’s get enlightened! Let’s take it seriously. Cross your legs, pinch your fingers together, it helps. With enough effort, you too can attain nirvana, loss of all suffering, total peace. You might need to squeeze your eyes shut. Everything about this is Very Important and it is Very Important that you try very, very hard. […]
Psychedelics seem to crop up among the people and writings I’m interested in, and I’ve read your accounts of acid effects a few times now, the latest due to Jacob Falkovich’s recent essay. You describe feeling like you’re drinking raw truth from the universe’s faucet, which seems in line with many others’ experiences, with the […]
In the beginning was the world, and the world was made of atoms, and the world was atoms. Truth Existed, as something objective and elusive, to which I could be closer or farther. With my first (good) acid trip, I was blown apart by beauty and purpose, and saw how much of a participant I […]
I’m starting to dislike using preferred pronouns for nonbinary and genderqueer people. This is a really controversial thing to say my social circles, where many nonbinary and genderqueer people are my friends. To be clear, I still use preferred pronouns. I like doing things that make other people happy, especially if they care about it […]