I'm glad I have the two larger posters in this shot hanging prominently on my wall, just where my eyes tend to rest when I look up and off to the side whenever I let my thoughts drift while sitting at the computer. I need to be reminded of these messages as often as possible, moreso now than ever. The upper one with the axe is by #BeautifulAngle, a letterpress art group out of #Tacoma, #Washington. I got to hand-press it myself with the design they made at a Wayzegoose event at King's Books years ago, before I moved back to Oregon. The lower right-hand poster is a quote from author and Vlogbrother @JohnGreenWritesBooks, and it relates a theme central to my being. It also reminds me not to wallow too much in the times I've been hurt. I would not have been hurt nearly as often without my idealistic sense of hope. But I also would not have found so much beauty worth living for. Love, hope, and compassion are still, strangely, subversive ways to approach the world and its problems. They're also much harder to practice and maintain than they are to simply talk about. It's easy to talk about it among those who are not significantly different from ourselves. The challenge is in facing complex, difficult situations and still living out these philosophies. The difficulties lie in seeing a struggling human being in those vastly different, and in looking inward and acknowledging the flaws, mistakes, and the myriad times we've caused another living soul pain. We are the heroes and the villains. We are the monsters and the scared children. We are all capable of doing great harm, just as we are all capable of building and sharing a world that benefits everyone. Let's work harder. I'll continue doing my damndest. I hope you will, too. #hope #positivity #resist #AdamTheAlien #Canby #Oregon #musings #Nerdfighteria