History repeating

When writing, translating, communicating, trying to grasp the essence or scope of something, it's often useful and revealing to look at antonyms instead of synonyms; in other words: what that word, idea, phenomenon, or policy isn't. So. 

Antonyms for diversity: homogeneity, sameness, similarity, uniformity.
Antonyms for equity: bias, favoritism, prejudice, unfairness.
Antonyms for inclusion: deletion, discrimination, elimination, exclusion.

Since workplaces, schools, countries, are made up of people, and people are, as we all know, not the same but different, it is an odd, oppressive and questionable idea to try to squeeze a workplace, school, let alone an entire country, into one mold dictated from above while dismissing and disregarding whole segments of a society.

This kind of insular thinking leads to shrinking; the shrinking of everything that drives successful economies and societies: arts and science, innovation, investments and infrastructure, governmental and institutional stability and predictability, the quality and availability of education and the skills of your workforce, the trust of your citizens in their personal and your common future and success.

The most prosperous civilizations in history weren't based on insular thinking, on words, ideas and policies such as exclusion, prejudice or homogeneity; they owed their success to welcoming different and diverse people and ideas, daring to be inspired and influenced by them. Corruption, concentration of power and wealth, pitting citizens against one another, and sectarian violence, on the other hand, are surefire ways to destroy a flourishing country and culture.

It has happened all over the world across the ages. Who's to say it won't happen again? How far can a government go in the name of defending a nation and its values before it distorts and eventually abandons those values, destroying that nation in the process?

Pardon my French

...but a simple Well done, you felt lacking in both umph and candor, so here we are, swearing our congrats online. (I would have sent you that card but wasn't quite sure where to, so here we are, making our excuses online. Yes, I do believe that's the royal we. Why wouldn't it be? *cheeky grin*)

Safe travels and shine on. ✨

Ready to ring in fall?

No.

Enjoy yourself (it's later than you think)

July, sweetie darlings, going, going...almost gone. How has yours been? 

Summer in Scandinavia, you gotta grab it with both hands, because before you know it, it will be wiggling away not to be seen for a looong time. I've also been enjoying the company of my boys every chance I get, because before you know it, they're wiggling away not to be seen for varying amounts of time. As they should. And I just turned a year older, overnight! Crazy, I know!!

So don't be mad I haven't been here sharing it all with you. I've been enjoying it all as fiercely as I can, as much as one can in this burning, drowning, warring world of ours. Still love you and admire you, still rooting for you, promise, even when I'm not going on about it, I'm a behind-the-scenes-and-under-the-radar kind of girl anyway. As you should know by now. Still in doubt? I don't know what to tell ya. No, wait. I do know.

You make me believe I can be what you see in me.

There. Any questions? 

Any answers?

The way we live now

Befuddling Alice in Wonderland Day, dearest denizens, when you're expected to believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast.