I Believe… [Inconvenient Kindness]

...that most people mistake offense for injustice because it’s easier to whine than to act. You’re not oppressed because someone disagreed with you on Twitter. You’re uncomfortable — and good. Growth starts with discomfort, not curated trauma and self-indulgent hashtags.

...that kindness is only virtuous when it’s inconvenient. Anyone can be nice when the cameras are on and the tip jar is full. Try being kind when it costs you something — your time, your pride, your precious moral high ground. That’s character. The rest is theater.

...that the average person would sell out their deepest values for convenience, applause, or a slightly larger slice of pie. Principles don’t pay the mortgage, and most folks have a price tag hanging under their self-righteous t-shirts. Some are just cheaper than others.

...that most people don’t want freedom — they want comfortable cages with good Wi-Fi and the illusion of choice. Give them a screen, a curated algorithm, and enough dopamine hits, and they’ll hand over their agency like it’s a Blockbuster membership card. Freedom terrifies them. Responsibility even more.

...that the only truly honest profession left is the sign spinner outside the vape shop. At least he’s not pretending to change the world. He’s dancing in traffic, flipping a foam arrow, and making more sense than your startup’s mission statement. He is the last prophet of late capitalism.