[Preventive Alert] When Downloading From Play Store

 

Supposedly, regardless WHETHER you're using iPhones OR Android, we would assume that it is SAFE to download from either the Apps Store OR Google Play Store as both Apple and Google have built that reputation for being trustworthy these days.  So, it's easily understandable to assume that if an app is in either the iPhone App Store OR Google Play Store, it is safe to download.  NOT to taint OR besmirch the Google Play Store BUT that assumption is very true for Apps Store because every single application that seeks to be part of it is very heavily vetted by Apple💚💛💜

Quoting Michelle Ehrhardt datelined 09.17.2025 @lifehacker.com, yesterday, a third-party security report revealed that Google had recently removed 224 malicious apps [ouch] from the Android Play Store.  Dubbed “SlopAds” apps by security company Human, which discovered the apps and wrote the report, these apps evaded Google’s usual security procedures and instead used a clever workaround to secretly install malware on users’ devices, even when downloaded straight from Google’s servers✅✅✅

The way these apps worked was that, if you downloaded them by searching for them through the Google Play Store, they would work as advertised with no malware dragging them down. Generally, these apps were pitched as simple utilities, or attempted to pass themselves off as more popular programs like ChatGPT, to try to trick users into downloading them.  if you downloaded one of these apps after arriving at the Play Store via one of SlopAds ad campaigns, it would also secretly download an encrypted configuration file that, after a few post-download checks, would install malware on your device [ouch AS IN ouch]❎❎❎

Once a device was infected, the app would then steal its information, and start using it to generate fake ad impressions on sites run by the scammers, maximizing profit.  SO, HOW DO WE AVOID INSTALLING MALWARE ON YOUR DEVICE? Android is different from iOS in that it allows you to sideload apps onto your device. This can be convenient when working with smaller developers, who might not have the resources to get their programs on the Play Store. But downloading an app that hasn’t been verified by Google opens you up to extra risk😡😡😡

Always be cautious about links to apps that you find on suspicious websites, and especially in ads. It’s still a good idea to turn it on if it isn’t enabled on your device already. This will scan an app for known malware before downloading it, giving you an extra layer of protection. It will also periodically scan apps already installed on your device. To ensure it’s turned on, open the Play Store, click your profile icon in the top right corner, and navigate to Play Protect > Settings. To scan sideloaded apps, you can also turn on the Improve harmful app detection setting, which is in the same spot😗😗😗

Never Ignore Those Tell-tale Signs

 

ALERTs and WARNING signs are everywhere, whether there's a road erosion, slippery road, sharp curves, falling rocks, name it.  And we CAN'T even find a scape goat in our every day life because it's the same stuff all over.  Never Ignore Those Tell-tale Signs and there can be NO stronger and louder warnings we can ask for.  NOT being promoted for a job role you're angling.  NOT bagging a new sales contract.  NOT receiving a salary raise.  NOT being made part in a circle WHERE you used to be one of the mainstays.  NOT missing those medical checkups getting more frequent.  NOT missing to buy tons and tons of prescribed medicines😡😡😡

So, is a COLLAPSE coming and eminent now?  NOOOOOOO sirrrs.  Likely, that COLLAPSE is happening right now in your eyes, albeit without the visuals and impact that will cause a cardiac arress [knock on wood].  Unfortunately, WHAT we often hear is "COLLAPSE IS COMING' BUT in many scenarios, it is happening, it is already happening.  In short, more often, we do miss out that we're 'LIVING IN IT'💚💛💜

Thing is, COLLAPSE is NOT an apocalyptic event.  It is WHAT happens WHEN the rules change.  It is that slow hustle with nothing to show for it.  It is the rising rent.  So, COLLAPSE is that culmination of all those 'LITTLE CUTS' we do to make both ends meet.  LIKE maybe we've cut down our subscriptions.  LIKE maybe we downgraded some of our usual lifestyle standards.  LIKE maybe we started to skip our scheduled medical consultations.  LIKE maybe we put off for a later time fixing our leaking roof [because it's still summertime for now].  LIKE our monthly savings gets pruned down and down.  LIKE your annual rituals for your family holidays is becoming a thing of the past.  LIKE you start to pay your credit card bills via those installment options luring you no end❌❌❌

In a nutshell, let us NOT wait for that 'BIG BANG' thing like a Super Nova about to burst in the galaxy.  Thing is, it is quite regrettable WHEN at times we refuse to acknowledge and recognize those tell-tale signs.  LIKE those road signs warning of a sharp curve ahead [NO, I'm far away from that].  LIKE a steep climb [NO, my car is in tip-top shape].  LIKE suddenly your cash flow problems used to hit you once a year WHEN it was school enrollment time for your kids but today you're cash-strapped almost always😗😗😗

Our takeaway:  Just like WHEN the 'iron curtain' collapsed [like East Germany falling down like a domino], communism  collapsed NOT in 1989 when East Germany collapsed] BUT the 'seeds' of the collapse of communism were planted no less by Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia's previous leader WHO embarked his 'PERESTROIKA' policies bundled with 'GLASNOST' as he introduced greater political and economic freedoms and created an environment WHERE those European satellite states would pursue their own paths, all culminating in the dismantling of communism.  Enough of geo-politics.  Back to our daily lives, YES, let us NEVER IGNORE THOSE "TELL-TALE" SIGNS [of a potential, albeit far fetched and remote 'COLLAPSE']💥💥💥

It's How You 'ROLL THE DICE' After All

 

This morning, I was browsing the TIME Magazine piece datelined a month back, 08.07.2025 titled "HOW MIKE JOHNSON BECAME TRUMP's SPEAKER".  BUT before I delve on this, digging into this piece is more than just WHAT the title is all about.  Instead,  this is the narrative as to how U.S. Congress Speaker Mike Johnson was able to secure consecutive major legislative victories [for and on behalf the Trump Administration] despite being an obscure, low-key undergo WHO was least expected to survive, and much more, to succeed in securing those 'legislative' victories for the U.S. Republican Party [and primarily for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump].  Sharing the link to that TIME Magazine piece here:  https://time.com/7306839/speaker-mike-johnson-interview/?utm_source=beehiiv&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-daily-spotlight&_bhlid=574b669e01a2013576cc1a43811907ebe53309a4📗📙📘

As the TIME Magazine piece said, QUOTE Johnson became Speaker of the House in October 2023, emerging from relative obscurity to take what one of his Republican predecessors, John Boehner, calls “the toughest job in America.” It requires managing a conference that has for years been nearly ungovernable, while pleasing a President who expects total obeisance and tends to turn on congressional leaders who don’t deliver on his demands. Expectations for Johnson in Washington were low.  But he has defied them. Since Trump’s Inauguration, Johnson has shepherded a series of wins for the White House: thwarting a vote blocking Trump’s sweeping tariffs, passing the Laken Riley Act expediting the deportation of arrested migrants, averting a government shutdown, and delivering pro-crypto legislation that blesses certain digital assets tied to the U.S. dollar UNQUOTE💚💛💜

YES YES yowww, our life is very much akin to the DICE itself and it's all about taking chances [IF YOU WANT TO].  IF you've got three sixes on your first roll,by all means, go for that.  Like WHAT we always hear, if we want to have big returns [in life], we have to take the risk.  True, you may be scared [and you may have to settle for a puny score] BUT the bottomline here is that you tried.  And one day, voila, all those attempts and tries will eventually pay off with the dividends you've been angling for.  YESSS, like the roll of the DICE, life is riddled with possibilities and there's nothing like a crisp white scorecard at the start of a new game.  Thing is, it is all there for the taking💥💥💥

As in a DICEgame, we win some, we lose some in life [and hold on, there will be phases in our life WHEN we'll be either in a winning streak OR losing streak, just to give you a heads-up].  And to forewarn you farther, as you play the game of dice in life, sometimes you will get tired [and bored, seriously and worse, frustrated especially after a spate of failures and frustrations].  BUT as you garner more wins and successes, your own self-confidence can get boosted and one day, WHO knows, you might even develop a bit of a 'swelled head'.  And then, those wins will vanish and a losing streak hits you all over again, deja vu indeed❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  Like that DICE game, there's always rooms for improvement in our life.  And like repeatedly rolling that DICE, life is all about persistence.  The next time you sit down on the hardwood to roll the dice for the 999th time, the wood itself could reflect tons and tons of scratches, reflective both of your wins and losses BUT as we keep our poise on the tips of our fingers before rolling that DICE again, WHAT else are you waiting for?  DON'T look farther.  In that TIME Magazine piece, how U.S. Congress Speaker Mike Johnson has become his own man is indeed a narrative worth emulating😋😋😋

Those Subtle 'ANXIETY TRAPS'

 

HOW often when something different sometimes gets tagged [by our brain] as dangerous?  Probably from time to time based on my own experiences.  BUT that still perplexes me even as we speak now.  And it's a BIG WHY!  BUT for us to simplify this equation, maybe let's DICE & DRILL it farther.  Firstly, if there is something different, it could mean that CHANGE may be brewing, right?  And to do a mapping of this dilemma to our brain, psychologists opine that that's WHERE the ANXIETY TRAP looms.  True, ANXIETY is wierd enough as it is NOT just a feeling.  Instead, it is our brain's 'ancient' alarm system going haywire in this modern world.  In essence, it is that 'mash up' of two very helpful survival systems:  FEAR and PLANNING.  Indeed, these two variables are intertwined enough📗📙📘

Frankly, we are partly responsible WHEN we unconsciously evolve fear to detect real threats in the present moment.  Predators, natural disasters, imminent physical danger, name it, we tend to evolve planning to help us string together previous moments of success and use those to predict WHAT the future might look like.  Verily true, conventional wisdom tells us that we can convince people to be more flexible and less risk-averse, LIKE telling people to 'GET ON WITH IT' and just stop complaining, sort of❎❎❎

NOT to blame our brains BUT psychologists are implicitly implying that train of thought.  As our brains have evolved to really like CERTAINTY, WHICH stems from our basic drive to survive.  LIKE we seem to have noticed evolving to predict and control our circumstances because doing so optimizes our own ability to live life.  And WHEN we experience CHANGE, experts tell us that our brain can interpret it as a 'threat' OR as a 'challenge'.  The scary part here is WHEN our brain tags it as a 'threat' because WHAT happens next, your guess is as good as mine.  It can then potentially lead to distress once we get exposed to the demands posed by the environment.  Worse, we could feel being forced to go way beyond our own limits OR our capacity to cope.  And that's WHEN we experience detrimental effects a.k.a. DISTRESS😡😡😡

As things would possibly turn from bad to worse, to quote the medical experts, as our hearts beat faster, and vascular resistance makes it harder to push blood through our circulatory system.  In the shortest words, our physiological resources are NOT efficiently mobilized.  And to 'up the ante', we are likely to experience negative emotions like feeling anxious OR frustrated.  And suddenly, thoughts like "I CAN'T DO THAT" may likely creep through our minds, causing us to feel stuck in the current situation even without an apparent solution in sight.  However, WHEN we experience CHANGE as a challenge, LIKE a potentially interesting opportunity coming up [either @workplace or in business], it is WHEN we are more likely to experience EUSTRESS because the new environment demands seem within our abilities and limitations💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  Bottom line here is, regardless WHETHER we perceive significant CHANGE moments in our life as either a threat OR as a challenge, that greatly alters our emotional,  physical and even mental experiences.  And it turns out that it's possible to shift HOW we experience difficult CHANGE moments through our mindsets.  In general, mindsets reflects HOW we see things and they impact both our beliefs and even our behaviors.  Interestingly, psychologists opine that our behaviors impact our mindsets too, so by practising specific actions, we can help shift our mindsets to be more agile in the face of CHANGE.  In this way, mindsets are almost LIKE a muscle that can be trained.  And to hear more from the experts, they tell us that it is possible to develop a growth mindset that will help us persist and thrive through CHANGE, for us to extricate as swiftly and as effortless as possible from those subtle ANXIETY TRAPS😌😌😌

Our Own 'Worst Enemy'?

 

This may be quite a sensitive topic to thread on BUT the often hidden question is:  IS PASSIVITY OUR OWN "WORST ENEMY"?  Before I end up stepping on some toes here, per se, there is NOTHING wrong with PASSIVITY because in the first place, generally, a person in a PASSIVE mode does NOT have that premeditated intent to ignite an issue OR even sow some level of turmoil.  Instead, the general manifestations once we get into PASSIVITY is either our inaction, submissiveness OR that seemingly lack of initiative.  In real terms, it is subtly manifested by one's seemingly accepting the actions OR opinion of another person.  In many circumstances, once we get into PASSIVITY, our primal objective is to avoid and evade a full-blown argument OR conflict.  It's kind of sweeping things under the rug, under that dusty carpet [that has become that dusty enough because things get swept and swept under].  So, is PASSIVITY OUR OWN 'WORST ENEMY'???

Veering [BUT NOT meddling] into American Politics, here's a bonus question:  WHY WAS 'MAGA' BORN?  The giveaway question here is much as U.S. President Donald Trump has served as its 'light' and inspiration, the biggest chunk of the credit goes to the millions of Americans WHO are NOT PASSIVE!!!  To a fault, while President Trump has one too many chinks in his armor, it is the NON-PASSIVITY of Americans which led to the birth of MAGA💚💛💜

True, life is hard enough and sometimes we make our own misery.  And sadly, sometimes [again], we make things worse simply via our PASSIVITY, oblivious of the things at hand that need to be 'ACTIONED'.  In a particularly PASSIVE mode, we can slip into a litany of missed opportunities, slip-ups OR worse, failures of nerve, so to speak [even WHILE often times we tend to give ourselves hardly any credit for obstacles we eventually overcome and even those small-small victories get buried under that bushel of oblivion💧💧💧

So, the biggest question bugging me is this:  WHAT makes us PASSIVE?  WHILE this is a matter of conjecture which may NOT be concretely proved OR disproved, Let's do a 'dice-and-drill' here, LIKE WHEN we decide to pay attention to the presence of those self-defeating sentences floating around our head.  Think about it, there's tons and tons of them BUT they would tend to surface more often WHEN we are in a 'low mood' OR WHEN we're reeling in the aftermath of a disappointment😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  As every situation is unique by itself, should we agree that there should be a default reaction.  YES I do and I would strongly push that we be ACTIVE by default.  True, there will be outliers BUT let it be that way.  Outliers are outliers.  And many times in the past, I've taken a pragmatic approach WHEREIN initially I may take an ACTION mode and if my judgment call tells me to retreat, I'll go into PASSIVITY if that is most warranted.  Bottom line is, let us NOT allow PASSIVITY to become our own WORST ENEMY!@#$%?

Life DOESN'T Get Easier. You Just Gotta Be 'BETTER'!

 

Day-IN Day-OUT, at times we would stumble down and rise up.  Then, we stumble again.  And then we rise up, hoping and believing that things will get better.  BUT in numerous instances, IT NEVER GETS EASIER.  And those were the exact words of the lead actress in the Netflix ABSENTIA movie I was watching earlier last night.  Then that brings me a full circle back to our thread today because of my latest realization that despite all our brimming optimism, all the bright outlook we're looking forward up front, we just need to click and skim through those spates of breaking news.  Without making a sweeping statement, I'll even say that around 60% to 70% of every breaking news reflects situations turning from bad to worse, practically almost everywhere globally📗📙📘

WHICH brings both my feet back to the ground and restart another round of soul searching.  I realized that WHAT's splashed OR bandied around across social media are all the SUCCESS STORIES here and there.  BUT OF COURSE, dude!  If at all, you and me and anyone else will post on IG or FB all the nice and dandy updates or events in life.  And I CAN'T blame Paul Zuckerberg for coming up with "FEELING BLESSED", FB's most famous expression💚💛💜

So, if that's the wringer we're going through, you might ask '"WHAT's GOING ON"?  Simple, dude, simple.  That's the way life is all about.  WHO says that the cycles of life will consistently replicate the PEAKS and TROUGHS of the graph charts reflecting consistencies?  BUT ISN'T it that we were taught in the STAT 101 class that graphs are NOT supposedly pre-plotted to show consistent replicas of those PEAKS and TROUGHS?  In fact, I can paint a bleak scenario now WHERE [knock on wood] one of our very own day-to-day scatter graphs may even reflect more TROUGHs followed by a spate of TROUGHs and still many more TROUGHs before the graph's trajectory veers north-bound💥💥💥

As a concrete example, I can lift from the day-to-day pages in the life of Alex Eala, the up and coming Filipina tennis player WHO's hitting countless headlines because besides her 'high profile' WTA tournament wins, effortless she is a hands-down stunner.  BUT if we follow through her actual tournament performances this year, she's going through rounds and rounds of debacles.  BUT DON'T get me wrong.  That DOESN'T make her anything less BUT instead, that's a real-life manifestation that, probably, there are more DOWNTIMEs than UPTIMEs UNTIL such time WHEN it's dawn and the streak of sunlight finally shows up, voila.  BUT again, that's setting expectations✅✅✅

Our takeaway:  I am in no position to falsely show a facade of expertise in counselling BUT my 2-cents here is as simple as night and day.  If we need to RESET our expectations, YES please do in such a way that you paint graph scenarios of more TROUGHs than PEAKs and in the face of that assumption, let us be stronger to face the future TROUGHs with more endurance and resilience until the sun shines again,  YES dude, LIFE DOESN'T GET EASIER.  YOU JUST GOTTA BE BETTER😂😂😂

If You're STUCK, UNSTUCK Yourself!

 

WHO does NOT get stuck in life?  Admittedly, I did et STUCK in my life multiple times.  BUT does that merit grabbing the headlines?  NO sirrrrrrrs.  That a non-news to anyone of us.  BUT it's a totally different story WHEN sometimes it can feel like we're STUCK in life, LIKE doing the same things we're NOT so happy with, over and over again.  Sometime in the past, I did fall into that procrastinating dilemma, often leading me to indecision and in the end, I was in a state of inactivity as a ripple effect of that indecision📗📙📘

Those moments of indecision sometimes would creep through our own health lifestyle, our finances, OR even those important changes in our life WHERE a decision is no less needed.  In the end, we get stuck sometimes unconsciously BUT down the road, we become conscious enough that we're STUCK but the saddest thing is that we tend to accept that state of getting STUCK than endeavoring to extricate our own self out from being STUCK💥💥💥

So, for the sake of discussion, can we get UNSTUCK? Absolutely.  It turns out, there's always a way through that STUCKNESS state.  And experts tell us that it's NOT just turning away from STUCKNESS but instead turning towards it.  And going through it.  And embracing that STUCKNESS and letting it 'UNSTICK' itself.  SO HOW?  NOT to reinvent the wheel BUT let's listen to WHAT the experts counsel us.  LIKE let us turn towards the difficulty [and NOT away from difficulty].  LIKE if you're avoiding a difficult project OR your messy finances OR messy clutter, if there is one solid guarantee we are told, it's that NOT MUCH will change UNLESS and UNTIL you turn toward it and face it💚💛💜

The experts tell us that only our conscious willingness to turn towards those difficulties will work favorably in our favor and it is one of the most NOT so obvious pre-requisites to trigger a change for one to get UNSTUCKed.  LIKE making decisions with intention.  Many of us, though, end up with decisions that are correct BUT they do it half-heartedly.  If we want something to happen, we have to decide to make a change.  It's as simple as that and YET WHAT happens is we get STUCK in a so called 'in-between' state WHERE we want to change BUT we HAVEN'T made a clear decision to do so, meaning a clear decision to commit fully to it😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  One key realization I managed to grasp through the years is being compassionate with yourself.  WHEN we keep doing the same things over and over again, we can get really down on ourselves and in the end, disappointed, disheartened, discourraged OR worse frustrated, enough to form our negative self-image.  Alas, none of that helps us to get extricated from getting STUCK and ironically it adds up to our STUCKNESS.  Surely you have either witnessed OR heard folks WHO got STUCK but sought refuge in either overeating, alcohol, smoking and worse, drugs?  And if you keep finding for a perfect solution from your getting stuck, there is a 99% probability that you will NOT find it.  So, WHAT's the advice we're getting?  Never dream for a perfect fix.  Instead, aim for progress, even if it's an inch-by-inch progress. IF YOU'RE STUCK, UNSTUCK YOURSELF!!!

We Arrive With NOTHING, Leave With NOTHING!

 

Elon Musk.  Mark Zuckerberg.  Jeff Bezos.  Larry Ellison.  Larry Page.  Warren Buffett.  WHAT commonality do they share?  Quite a lot, honestly.  LIKE they are proven business moguls.  LIKE they seem NOT to sleep at all, lurking around for opportunities to continue expanding their business empires and 'war chest'.   BUT can someone guess WHAT is their very the first commonality they share?  You're spot on, dude.  As babies, they were born with literally NOTHING.  BTW, their commonalities DON'T end there because while WE ARRIVE WITH NOTHING, we'll LEAVE WITH NOTHING💚💛💜

Apple's founder, the well revered late Steve Jobs had very deep-seated words at death bed, realizing HOW meaningless all the troves of wealth a person can amass, accepting HOW it becomes a total exercise in futility WHEN at some point in life WHEN we will call it quits, you and me CAN'T 'bring over' anything and everything we did have in life.  So, let's NOT spend so much time on that because that's a given that's way beyond any doubt or worth to debate on💥💥💥

Allow me to tie-up our thread today to those WHO may be struggling these days.  As much as most of our struggles are all valid and legitimate, let us NOT loose sight of the fact that those challenges shall 'pass through' and before we know it, we may end up unsure HOW one challenge after another managed to slip pass us.  Fact of the matter is that our struggles do impact us, that's NOT debatable.  BUT sometimes the huge miss here is that we tend to inflate the challenges at hand, more often unconsciously.  True, WHEN we having NOTHING LEFT, it's more than just a bad day.  Surely, each of us have been through those 'down-down' times WHEN we were suffering so damn bad, leading us to contemplate giving up just so the pain stops.  Bills piling up.  OR no one is hiring you.  OR you just went through a bad breakup.  WHEN you seemed to have tried everything BUT NOTHING WORKS!@#$%?  Then, we felt crushed, overwhelmed and pushed to the cliff's edge!@#$%?

YES, maybe in our everyday life, a grape is just a grape until it is fermented into wine.  Just as an olive is just an olive until the oil is pressed out of it.  YES, it's inevitable either sometime in our past OR, knock on wood, one day in the future, WHEN we would feel we CAN'T live through things.  BUT alas, as this old one-liner goes, despite the gloominess of the horizons, sometimes there is light at the end of the tunnel [and it's NOT an onrushing train].  Seriously, much as no one size fits all, problems need to be understand with clarity and then listing down our options for both the 'QUICK FIX'  and the 'FINAL FIX' are a must-do way because these are inputs for us to reach an informed decision.  BTW, before we get mixed up, informed decisions DON'T guarantee things NOT to go awry😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  Much as challenges hit us left and right over and over again, one thing I learned here is developing and harnessing one's FORTITUDE.  True, FORTITUDE is easier said than done BUT embedding it deep within us will go a long way in lessening, if NOT altogether obliterating, all those humps and stumbling blocks.  WHAT matters most is that much as we ARRIVE WITH NOTHING and LEAVE WITH NOTHING, between our ETA and ETD, there's a high gaping hole that offers us tons and tons of opportunities for our own taking. It boils down upon us to leverage things while the sun remains dandy and shining because eventually, that NOTHINGNESS will still be as much us!!!

Can We Leverage Our 'PREFRONTAL CORTEX'?

 

Earlier today, I was listening to Doc Alvin, one of the more popular doctors on social media and whose thread today veered towards the correlation between our brain's REWARDS SYSTEM and our less popular PREFRONTAL CORTEX.  Right after watching him, I quickly 'googled' to differentiate our REWARDS SYSTEM versus our PREFRONTAL CORTEX, which all the while, I [wrongly] thought there is NO need to differentiate it at all👽👻👿

Frankly, WHAT is right versus WHAT is wrong goes way beyond just the legalese train of thought.  And this is HOW many of us do get caught up.  Just as things seem legal, more often than NOT, we are inclined to believe that by default, those 'seemingly legal' act OR deed aligns with moral and ethical principles as well.  So, WHAT's inherently wrong, even if they are common in a particular group OR society, it may NOT be aligned with morals and ethics💚💛💜

WHICH brings me to the indemic 'CORRUPTION' issue engulfing many countries, be it in Eastern Europe, Middle East OR Asia.  BUT as I consider it 'sub judice' to openly discuss things as in some countries, these CORRUPTION cases are now going through the legalese grinders, this just brings me back to the question WHICH I myself I CAN'T answer now:  HOW and WHY have we NOT leverage enough our brain's PREFRONTAL CORTEX???

To align with medical jargons, they tell us that our brain's REWARDS SYSTEM is a network of regions and pathways that drives HOW we feel pleasure, form habits and motivate behavior.  And it works by releasing those chemicals a.k.a. DOPAMINE, in response to rewarding activities, WHETHER it's eating, socializing OR even simply achieving a goal and that mechanism reinforces our behaviors that are beneficial by making us FEEL GOOD WHEN we do them✅✅✅

Our takeaway:  Without getting bogged down with all the medical jargons, WHAT still befuddles ME as to WHY some of us easily succumb to the endless allure of our REWARDS SYSTEM?  BUT the huge miss for us is leveraging on the functions of our PREFRONTAL CORTEX as it should redirect us to WHAT is morally and ethically upright.  NOW, this tends me to be idealistic WHEN I realize NOW that it's NOT a BIG ASK for us to still run a tight ship WHILE running that balancing act between our REWARDS SYSTEM and the PREFRONTAL CORTEX😋😋😋

Carpe Diem

 

CARPE DIEM.  HOW many times have we heard that Latin aphorism?  You may have heard this story about a young fisherman who was enjoying himself on the bank of a beautiful river when a stressed-out businessman came along.  Stopping in front of the fisherman, the businessman said, ”You aren’t going to catch many fish with that single rod. You’re young. If you worked instead, you could make money, buy many nets and catch more fish.”  “And what would I get out of that?”, asked the fisherman💚💛💜

“With more money, you could buy a boat and catch even more fish!”  “And what would I get out of that?”, the fisherman replied.  The businessman became agitated: “You could buy more boats, hire many people to work for you!”  "And what would I get out of that?” repeated the fisherman.  Now, the businessman was very irritated. ‘Don’t you see? You could build up a whole fleet of fishing boats, have them sail all over the world, and have hundreds of employees catching fish for you!’  Once again, the fisherman asked, “And what would I get out of that?”  The businessman shouted: “You could become so rich that you would never have to work for a living again! You could spend the rest of your days sitting here, without a care in the world!”  The fisherman then smiled and said, “Isn’t this exactly what I am doing right now?”😍😍😍

NOW, if I may speculate, that fisherman must have been familiar with the concept of CARPE DIEM, that Latin phrase WHICH means SEIZE THE DAY.    What CARPE DIEM suggests is that we should focus on WHAT's happening right now.  Savor the uniqueness and value of every moment in life, mindful of the fact that time flies and life is short.  In fact, CARPE DIEM is very much related to another Latin phrase MEMENTO MORI which means "REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL DIE'!!!

Unfortunately, CARPE DIEM means different things to different people.  For some, it is all about enjoying a quite life OR taking advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  WHAT CARPE DIEM shouldn't be confused with it is hedonism, that belief that earthly pleasures are WHAT matters most in life.  CARPE DIEM represents much more than that though.  While the motto uses the present as a tool for the future, hedonists DON'T care WHAT the future holds.  After all, they will be dead, and by then, it will be too late to have fun, if at all💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  My realization is that it is imperative NOT to equate CARPE DIEM with fatalism, the belief that all events are predetermined.  YES, I'm referring to people WHO hardly ever think about the future, resigned as they are that they are unable to influence it.  Sadly, fatalists live a day-by-day existence NOT because they seek pleasure BUT because they leave the future to fate.  YES, sadly, some people continue to live in the past.  You could even say that they're stuck in it as they keep brooding over WHAT happened.  All along, others spend a great part of their lives dreaming about the future and WHAT may happen.  They keep constructing questionable 'scripts' of the future.  So, can we embrace CARPE DIEM after all, dude😊😊😊