Housekeeping
Apologies, Filtered Brain Dump, & More
Photo by Ashwini Chaudhary(Monty) on Unsplash
First, I apologize for abruptly not posting. A lot of private-life stuff has taken precedence. If you know me in real life, then you probably already know.
Secondly, as I wrestled with sonic resonance, imposed beauty standards, historical BMI implications, and disordered self-image en masse, something shifted in me. While I still love the beauty industry, I feel this space, Fringed Beauty, of the internet needs to expand. And expansion can look unstrategic, but throughout my life, the rabbit holes have allowed me greater perspective than one singular lane. The same is true by having a diverse group of friends or coworkers. With that said, there are still things I will seek to understand and yet will not because of my own human limitations.
The offer is this; stick with me because things will get notably more interesting than a standard content calendar will allow. Rarely will I give you concrete conclusions. I will ask you to chew on what I’m serving, especially in the AI age where anyone can give polished answers; the more human response is to critically engage and to survive without their brains turning into mush.
As promised previously, I have thoughts about the homogenization of “beauty industry and culture”. It’s forming into a chapter within a novelette (1). Which is exciting, terrifying, and validating. I will be divulging some of these ideas to y’all, a small price to pay for such an amazing readership such as yourselves.
The main idea is an age-old one, but one we’re struggling with immensely with the rise of unprecedented technological advances; what does it mean to be human? Different faiths will have varying answers, and yes that includes non-faiths too. As someone who practices the Christian faith, it means understanding our design, part, and role, in time, in an upward and outward expansion. Which is a jumbled way of saying, on both an individual and communal basis, we are called to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (2), while our love and discernment grow exponentially (3).
Amazingly, this process looks both different and familiar to each person.
Am I defined by my childhood trauma? Who am I outside of my career or relationship status? Is there more than the rat race? Who do I want to be? What am I willing to let go of or “put on” in order to get there? Do I believe what other people say I am? Can I sleep at night with the decisions I’ve made? etcetera.
It’s not “simply” therapy or mindfulness, though they can be helpful launch pads if you do not have an emotional processing in your arsenal (4). And still, even these processes can leave people deconstructed and analytical of their lives, but not enjoying them. So what’s the cure?
To oversimplify, abide in Him (5). Abiding is not dissimilar to mindfulness, nor is it unlike taking every thought through a filter. It is an intuition, not mere consciousness, of knowing the God of the universe, and He intimately knows you. Your doubts, struggles, humor, and morning beverage preferences. To abide in an ever-present, all-knowing God is also to deeply wonder about life’s complexities, philosophies, sciences, and arts. We can agree to disagree if we must.
Yet, the Torah states that we are made in the image of God (6). No, I don’t think you understand yet. Humanity has a distinct qualifier to bear God’s creativity, intelligence, diversity, love, justified outrage, compassion, and expression! Just as we contort our faces with disgust upon a foul smell or relax when we catch a whiff of eucalyptus, our whole selves were designed to reflect what God looks like! (7)
Meaning, we can see the face of God radiate through individuals, and it is this exact same reason why the perversion of our essence is so disgusting. We gutturally know that we’re called toward goodness, morality, and kindness, yet we see leaders, acquaintances, and strangers muddying the mirror. So I’ll ask again, what’s the antidote? Understanding creaturely hierarchy.
Eugh. yuck. Save your thought-leadership for Linkedin, Rea.
Yeah, the holy rebel in me dislikes the first taste too. But like medicine, proper creaturely hierarchy is key to understanding the world around us and the world that comes next.
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Micah 6:8
Philippians 1:9-11
Counsel, psychology, psychiatry, and therapy are helpful tools. I validate their efficacy; seek it out, and take the time to find a provider who meets your needs if you need help.
John 14:17
Gen 1-3
We do so imperfectly & strive toward better; also not saying God is androgynous, see Gen 2 again