This little hobby website of mine has changed as I’ve changed over the years. Before, I wrote about games, anime, and films like any other geek pop culture website. Nowadays, as I’m in my late 30s, I don’t play games and consume fiction enough as I read and watch more real world stuff. For most, it’s doomscrolling; for me, it’s engaging. I’ve been writing more stuff on life and philosophy these days, so the vision for this blog has changed.
With that change, the purpose and meaning for this whole thing has evolved from a side hobby I barely cared about into a more substantial endeavor that I have to take as far as I can. Therefore, I must now put down a definitive expression of what Avoider.net is all about — a manifesto that outlines exactly what kind of content and other projects under this brand should produce — more relevant, more thought-provoking, and more evergreen.
Perhaps it seems too ambitious and high-minded for what I may be capable of, but the point for me is to push the boundaries of what I can do. While this website was still Avoiderdragon.com, it was aimless and derivative, sporadically producing throwaway content. Most of the posts I wrote back then were worth barely any attention and didn’t matter in the long term. However, a few pieces did stand out, and they form the foundation for the writing I’ve been doing these days.
From that, I realized that Avoider.net content must abide by a set of criteria.
Mission Statement
Most content posted in Avoider.net and related social media channels must be in line with one of these five criteria:
1. Create and develop a stronger and kinder philosophy.
Philosophy is all I’ve been thinking of since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Even before that, I would wonder what makes people behave the way they do, but the lockdowns and subsequent events brought about what I see is a further descent into madness. Perhaps it was already set in motion in 2014, but things got even crazier after the pandemic.
People are more desperate than ever, and it’s making them forego kindness and compassion for the sake of their own greed or survival.
I’ve been writing more about philosophy on this blog, specifically on ideas that could become my contribution to the field. It’s not necessarily because I want to be seen as a serious philosopher, but because I simply want to try my hand and mind at coming up with new ideas and possible solutions that may actually yield more new ideas and solutions.
Even if it’s likely that my ideas won’t be taken seriously, the process of learning how to write about this subject has been worth the thought and effort. I wish to develop a stronger and kinder way of thinking and living and encourage others to do the same.
I’m not that well-read in philosophical texts, so I’ve been reading more challenging books to catch up. I’m not an academic and far from being a legitimate intellectual. However, perhaps coming from an outside perspective can help me come up with ideas that are less conventional and in vogue with academia.
2. Provide guidance and support for the lonely, disillusioned, and distressed.
There’s meaning behind the name Avoider — a person on the outside who has been alienated by the world. Nowadays, there’s a stereotype of such people being terminally online, perpetually chaste, and unpleasant to interact with. Conforming to that stereotype — deliberately or inadvertently — does not do anyone any favors.
Such a state comes from a place of trauma and mistreatment. I’m the same way, so I know.
However, from solitude comes opportunities for introspection. When one is able to put away all the sources of stimulus and meditate on one’s strengths and flaws, come to terms with the past, and be able to see more clearly the future, they may be able to find a way to climb out of even the deepest of holes.
As Blaise Pascal once said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Perhaps I may be able to draw from my own experiences and write something that can help others deal with their loneliness, disillusionment, and distress. It’s not to say I’m an expert on this subject, but by writing more about this, I’ll be able to create guides that may help those who need it, as well as come up with more ideas on how to better do this.
3. Encourage a more lateral and less cynical way of thinking.
Cynicism is lazy, defeatist, and seemingly automatic for most people. They think it alleviates them from stress, but what it really does is it narrows the scope of life and dwindles down options by making them too accepting of their unfortunate circumstance as a permanent station in their lives. Becoming a cynic is the most indolent way to look smart, but is actually an acceptance of powerlessness — an effect of learned helplessness.
The world is complex and unfeeling — brutal in punishing the human inability to see the future accurately. Preparation methods and systems in this current era are proving to be more and more inadequate, leaving the majority to fend for themselves with imperfect information and scarcity of resources.
More young people now enter ‘the real world’ ill-prepared, leaving them to struggle in making a decent living and having enough spare time to pursue other interests and live their lives thanks to the current conditions of capitalism. If that sentence left you with the bitter taste of socialism in your mouth, perhaps you’ll have to accept that now as a necessary measure in creating better conditions for everyone, including yourself.
However, this isn’t just about the socio-economic conditions of the world. Thinking more laterally isn’t just about what will make you money, but also what will further enrich your life. Most of the long-taught conventional means are becoming either dead ends or cul-de-sacs where you spin round and round ad infinitum until you run out of fuel and will to live.
It still depends on your individual circumstances, and maybe I’m speaking from a place of privilege, but I do think we need to start taking chances on things that were previously thought of as foolhardy and wasteful. I do think these lateral ideas are worth exploring, and I wish to talk more about them here in Avoider.net.
4. Find connections in knowledge and media to learn their relevance in the human experience.
This website started as a blog about entertainment and recreational media. It was mostly a futile effort since I didn’t consume media as much as most people. Even nowadays, with all the free time I have, I mostly read books and articles, watch documentaries, and listen to podcasts. I have to force myself to play video games and watch movies — they’ve become more of a social requirement so I could still join conversations and discussions about them.
And even if I find myself not motivated to consume dry stuff, I watch fights — combat sports are my preferred media genre.
However, with the minuscule amount of pop culture I’ve consumed in my life, what I found to be fascinating is finding the connections between them and my life, as well as the real world. I grew up watching gangster movies and I’ve since found their lessons to be applicable to various situations I’ve encountered in my life.
No, it does not make me want to be a member of organized crime, but I’ve since found otherwise ordinary people to be almost as vile as thieves and murderers for they’re just as capable in treachery and abuse.
While writing about media has since taken a backseat to the topics I’ve since become more immersed in, there may still be a room for them here in Avoider.net. However, I’ll have to write about them in a certain way through a lens that’s different from most other geek or pop culture blogs out there. I don’t think it will garner me more readers, but I’ll do my best.
Also, I’ll make them more interesting than the usual clickaway drivel.
5. Promote learning and creativity through both analog and digital means.
This is perhaps the loftiest goal among all these items, mostly because I’ve only started to really explore my latent ability to make things. While I now have more time and resources, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be able to make things right away since I’ll have to learn new things and refine what I already know. That’s not easy because it takes a lot of effort.
The trouble with learning to make things is that while you may have good taste and know what you want to make, you start with your skills still being far from adequate. Therefore, if your sights are only set way up at the summit, yet you’re still at the very base of the mountain, you have no idea how to get there. You have to take it one step at a time.
While there are now more resources than ever to learn from as you go, they’re scattered and seemingly random. There’s excitement in that, but also confusion.
What I want to do here is not to show exactly how things are done, but give roadmaps on how to learn these things. As of now, I can only do that by chronicling my journey to proficiency, then eventually mastery. When I get to that level where I can clearly see the path to the top, then perhaps I can create more concise and comprehensive guides.
In my view, the three most important skills are learning, communication, and meditation. Those three skills can then branch off to other skills — you get better at learning more skills, you’re better able to share what you’ve learned and ask for help, and you’re better able to regulate your thoughts and emotions so you’re less beset by crippling self-doubt.
I hope to make more content on this and share with others my journey in becoming better at learning and making things through both analog and digital means, as well as becoming a better person overall.
Bonus Item: Write and make more.
This is my life now. My current circumstances are very fortunate, yet also somewhat listless. Without definite goals, I’m just floating in space. Therefore, there’s no other way for me but to just keep writing and creating amid a world of chaos and confusion. Perhaps I can help make it less chaotic and confusing with ideas on organizing and managing the mess.
There’s no guarantee I’ll succeed in this endeavor, but the doing is in itself worth the pursuit.
Vision for Avoider.net
I hope for Avoider.net to be a repository for my learning and creativity, which may serve as a guide of sorts for those who may be lost or seeking something new in their lives. I’ll do my best to build this into something that can help people make sense of this world through various lenses. This is a place where I can try new things out and encourage others to do the same.
If by some chance this thing ever grows beyond my capacity, perhaps I can bring some people in to help with spreading the message of learning, creating, and sharing them with others. If this ever gets enough traction to help hundreds or even thousands of people, I can be satisfied with that. All I really want is to have a repository that’s worthy of interest.
However, I know I shouldn’t aim too low, especially since this website has been up for a long while now. This manifesto is a declaration of intent — I want to take this as far as I can go.
Got Feedback?
Have something to say? Do you agree or am I off-base? Did I miss a crucial detail or get something completely wrong? Please leave whatever reactions, questions, or suggestions you may have in the comment section below.
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Thank you for dropping by.
