Creative challenge: Fight or struggle?

Thanks to my voters, love, Cat. Here’s the new topic.
Deadline is August 30th. I’ll be dropping one of my own little struggles 😁

Photos, art, writing... whatever you're into. Even a recording works.
Struggle... honestly, there's been so much of it lately, it's the first thing on my mind.
The struggle of roosters, tigers, or just random people online. The fights you have over your choices. Fighting for love. Fighting for health. Fighting against things both seen and unseen.
Let’s try to fight for some creativity amidst all this chaos and stay positive in a place that's turned so toxic.
🙂

Great topic, Cat.😍
I won't get ahead of myself... this requires some careful thought.👍

Great topic, Cat 👍 here’s a quick one—not sure if I’ll have the bandwidth for something more substantial later. 😁

Chloe Cooper10, think about it and upload 😁 🙂

Lou, you're such a poet 🙂. Thanks 🙂

Life is a constant struggle. And honestly? The struggle is what makes life worth living.

Thanks, much appreciated. ☕

Look, what do I know? I’m just out here trying to maintain some peace and quiet in my own little corner of the world.
Lujza 🙂

You guys are the best 😁 Milo, can you expand a bit on how to find peace in this world 🙂, and Walter Baker2, how do we handle the struggle for Lou?
Anyway 👍 I honestly have no clue what else to say 🕺

The struggle of roosters, jealous women, insulted men, the submissive, the immature, the strong and the weak... what’s truly the worst part? I asked myself in my infinite wisdom (every bit of irony here is intentional).
My Castor and Pollux are usually enough to keep themselves busy with their own struggle, much like my sun and moon, a fire constantly fed by her breath. Plus, with Mars sitting right there in that Leo 🥳, as the old timers say, it’s a situation where Cat is hitting her head against a brick wall until the wall finally gives way... I've got plenty of will and grit.
Look, I'm an egoist 😁, so my struggles are always centered on me, myself, and I. After living through what feels like centuries in this fragile world, you realize people are basically just scenery—replaceable, disposable, and not worth getting attached to. The idea of casting pearls before swine haunts me... we give our best to a world that can't see past its own selfishness and weakness.
With my limited mental capacity, regardless of religious or national identity, what really gets under my skin is when a woman acts like a wolf toward another woman 😁

Men tend to spot strength and pick the weak ones. That's just evolution. Or maybe it's just cowardice, I don't know, though so far I've been blessed with a full suitcase of cowards.
I fight to ensure I'm not defined by my body, because let's face it, there's no such thing as an "attractive wise old lady," and as the years pile up, I can only run away in stupid ways. I want to live life fully before my physical limits trap me, before I hit a moment where I say, "I could have, but whatever..." Besides, boobs aren't what define Lara Croft, right?
It’s not being deep to say I despise anyone just because they’re prettier, hotter, or younger. That’s on me, I guess; I'm imperfect. I can't buy into the argument that someone is "cool" just because they have the same hair color, eyes, or zodiac sign as me (though Geminis are the best) while simultaneously ignoring the fact that the person is a total psychopath.
I just don't get the urge to constantly hunt for someone else's weaknesses just to put them down, or dig for flaws just to insult them, acting like a total jerk to others while thinking I'm some kind of saint.
My words reflect what my heart is full of. In mine, I'm fighting to keep out the filth of this nasty everyday life.
This whole bit about Catameš doesn't stem from ancient Babylon or have any grand purpose.
Basically, Milo started and finished the topic in a haiku style, so I'm just trying to kill some time and stretch this out for a few more days. 🤷
One last bit of wisdom before I go...


The only thing worth fighting for is being yourself. Nothing is more attractive than being unique; clones—at least in terms of empires—all look exactly the same.
And my favorite quote, which I can't for the life of me remember where I read:

Michelle Bennett14 said:After living in this fragile world for centuries, you realize people are basically just part of the scenery—replaceable, disposable, and not worth getting attached to.

Yeah. But you can't see that when you're actually bonded to someone—like a close friend. In those moments, it feels permanent. You’re already picturing them as your maid of honor or that perfect person to hit the coast with... yet look at how many people change from childhood to adulthood. We just keep falling for the illusion that *this* specific connection is the exception. It's human nature. Maybe evolution wired us this way just so we could handle losing people without completely breaking down. Who knows...

The whole idea of casting pearls before swine haunts me... we give our absolute best to a world that can't see past its own selfishness or its own weaknesses.

Right. It's a contradiction most of us deal with constantly. On one hand, you want to leave the world better than you found it—in whatever way you define that. On the other, you see how flawed people really are, and how much damage they do to the very people trying to make things better.

It still bothers me most when women turn on other women... 😁

I don't think predatory behavior is gender-specific. But I get it. And honestly... it's probably just evolutionary conditioning.

Michelle Bennett14, those old-timers are actually giving you solid advice for once. Just take a breath. You can’t go around trying to overhaul the entire world; at the end of the day, the only thing you truly have control over is how you treat yourself—if you even bother to do that. Pick your inner circle with more intention. Watch people, listen to what they say...

The whole struggle for a woman has always struck me as a joke; you give it a shot, realize it’s a losing game, and move on. I see most people leaning right into that chaos. You've got ten women fighting over one guy—it’s honestly laughable to me. Some even seem perfectly fine with sharing him, which, frankly, strikes me as nothing short of twisted. It’s basically a pack of wolves circling each other just to get to the same man.

Walter Baker2 said:The whole struggle over a woman has always seemed ridiculous to me—you give it a shot, and if it doesn't work, you move on. I see most guys leaning into it too much. Ten women fighting over one guy... honestly, it's laughable.

I agree. It's just chaos on both sides.

A woman will turn into a wolf against another woman just to get at a man.

The best part? That man doesn't even have to know they exist while this "war" is being waged.

Did Jeasam actually pull it off? ☕

briskwalker10 said:Yeah. But you can't see it when you're bonded to someone (like a close friend). You think it's forever. You're already picturing them as your maid of honor or your perfect travel buddy for a trip to Florida. But look at how much people change from childhood, yet we keep convincing ourselves this specific connection is the special one. That's just human nature. Maybe evolution wired us this way just so we could handle losing people without breaking completely. Who knows...

Yeah, it's a contradiction most of us deal with. On one hand, you want to make the world a better place. On the other, you see how fickle people are and how much damage they do to the very people trying to help.

I hate talking about "wolf behavior" in a group setting. But I get it. It's probably just evolutionary conditioning.

People who have lost a lot tend to be more cautious about getting attached. But there aren't really any rules. If you stop expecting things, you might actually surprise yourself overnight.
As a woman, I'd love to believe there's a world full of strong, cohesive women. It's a utopia, I know, but men don't hurt me in quite the same way. 🤷

Walter Baker2 said:Michelle Bennett14, those old timers are right—calm down. You can't fix everything. At most, you can try to make life comfortable for yourself. Just be more selective about who you let in. Watch, listen...

Thanks for the advice. 🙂

electrichawk94 said:Did Jeasam win? ☕

For now, you're winning... but you still have work to do. ☕

Michelle Bennett14 said:Those who have lost big tend to play it safer—to tie themselves down. But then again, there aren't any rules, and there never will be. When you stop expecting things, you might just surprise yourself overnight.

I'm with you on that.

As a woman, I like to hold onto the hope that there can be a world filled with strong, complex women. A utopia, I know, but men don't hurt me in quite the same way 🤷

I disagree. 😁

It really comes down to the individual—it depends on their history, various traumas, and all that...

For instance, I’m an egalitarian; I don't generally divide people into "men" and "women." Usually (almost always), I just talk about people.
The thing is, humans are competitive creatures; it's an evolutionary impulse we all share—regardless of gender. The only real difference is that women tend to be more subtle and sophisticated in their little "wars," which actually makes the whole idea of female complexity even more frustrating...

briskwalker10 said:Preach!

I don't. 😁

It’s subjective, really. It all comes down to someone's past, their traumas, whatever.

Personally, I'm an egalitarian. I don't see men and women as separate categories. I just see people. And let's be real: humans are competitive animals. It's baked into our DNA, regardless of gender. The only difference is that women tend to be more subtle and sophisticated about their "wars," which actually makes it worse because you think there's some deeper complexity when it's just basic instinct.

Fine, you don't divide, but I do. 😁
Maybe it's due to my own experiences. None of us are immune to how we were raised, myself included. I'm not some chauvinist unless someone practically forces me to be one.
But staying on the topic of the struggle—yeah, I will always fight on the side of women. I didn't just wake up and pick a side. We are two sides of the same coin, and things play out differently depending on where you stand.
I want a world full of women who are unapologetically themselves—happy in their own skin and completely independent, holding the strings to their own complicated lives.
We can pretend we've made progress, talk about how enlightened modern thought is or how much "freedom" we have, but any quick look at reality proves otherwise. You're an outlier, credit where it's due. And me? As a hopeless optimist, I guess I am too.
People aren't actually moving toward equality. Women try to act masculine, men try to act feminine. That isn't equality; it's just losing your identity.

Michelle Bennett14 said:Why? It could easily be tied to past experiences—none of us are immune to those kinds of influences, I suppose... including me.

Of course—that’s exactly why I say I can wrap my head around it...

I’m not exactly some chauvinist toward the opposite sex—unless they really go out of their way to make me one...

Fair enough... That goes for me too. As much as I consider myself an egalitarian, if some extreme feminist comes at me... It’s honestly infuriating... So I intentionally drop some blatantly chauvinistic comment right in front of her. That doesn't count for anything... 🤣

Sticking to the topic of the struggle—yeah, I’m always going to be on the side of women. It’s not like I sat down and made some formal declaration to join that side... it just is what it is.

Well, that’s where we run into trouble. One smart woman... your gender... She said...

salomee said:An extreme feminist would be the kind of woman who’d cast her vote for someone like Kolinda over Milanović—even if she found her completely repulsive—just because she’s a woman... 😁

It doesn't matter whether you care about politics or not—you can apply that exact same logic to pretty much any other area of life...

Women are trying to play men's roles, and honestly, we've completely lost the plot regarding gender roles. A woman was designed to be a mother and a homemaker, while men are built for the heavy lifting—you see this clearly in the real world, where you don't exactly see women dominating construction sites or working in greasy auto shops. But now, there’s this massive push for men to stay home, cook, clean, and babysit. It’s just not in their nature, and frankly, most men end up cracking under the pressure or becoming completely feminized in the process.

@Michelle Bennett14/">@@Michelle Bennett14, don't even mention it. It wasn't "too much," I actually really liked it 🙂
I was literally just about to reply to you and add something else, but you beat me to it. I totally get the whole closed-access thing; I deal with that all the time myself 🙂

Hey, honey, did your boyfriend dump you for someone else, or am I just seeing things? Don't worry, my lips are sealed.