Dropped Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Does anyone know what fish and plants went in it?? Really expensive ones buy the sounds of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Really expensive ones buy the sounds of it. coelacanths? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexyay Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Some people complain about being put into pigeon holes then spend all their energy creating more holes to be pigeon holed in to. Leave the pigeons to deposit on the statues or be made into pies I say, and just be who you are with no label other than that given by your parents. I don't want to get into any arguments or anything and am not disagreeing with you, but am hoping I may be able to shed some light to help people understand why others use "labels". --- Lets say, at the age of about 5, you notice there's something different about you. You are what's called an "Alanmin". No one knows this and you've heard it's a bad thing - your Uncle is an Alanmin according to your parents and they feel uncomfortable about it. Your friends call each other "Alanmin" as joke and it doesn't sound like a nice thing to call people. So you grow up, keeping it quiet, feeling kind of confused because no one else seems to be this way. Once you reach about 13, Non-Alanmins, aka everyone else (lets call them NAs) are everywhere and they are, well, really expressing their NA selves. You wish you could join in but despite how hard you try, you just can't seem to change yourself to be like them. One day you confide in someone you trust. Unfortunately, they weren't as trustworthy as you had thought. First your friends start becoming hesitant about being around you. "He's, well, an Alanmin, you know?". Quickly, it gets out. You're still in with your group of friends but you stop getting invited to their homes, sleepovers etc. Soon, people you didn't even know start looking at you - turning their heads and whispering. There's that annoying group of guys who sit in the same spot and harass people - well, you've become a target. Every time you walk past, they yell at you with different names for who you are, "Hey, Smellanmin!*", notifying all those who may not have already known. You feel pretty ashamed. You didn't choose to have this name. You don't want this - you want to have fun and be normal, like all the other NAs. You have one friend who came forward and offered their support - you appreciate it, but how do they know what it's like? They offer up comments like "Couldn't you, like, try to stop being an Alanmin?" and you know their intentions are good, but they just don't "get it". You feel isolated in your troubles and are starting to feel like you don't want to be around people much any more. They don't really seem to like you. One day while you're walking on your own, that weird-kid-who-doesn't-talk comes up to you and mumbles something, "Hey, um, so I heard you're an Alanmin and um, I'm one too". You stop in your tracks. You're not alone. The two of you continue walking and start to talk to each other, confide in each other and share your experiences. Finally, there's someone who gets it. There's someone like you who knows what it feels like. He gives you the name of a group he's been going to. "Alanmin and proud" it's called. You feel uncomfortable about the name they're using, something you've been trying to hide for so long, but you go one day. And then the next week, and then the next week. You're starting to feel better about being an Alanmin. Over time, when someone asks, you give them the truth rather than mumbling the opposite. You feel confident enough to tell your parents, and they slowly accept you for who you are, although they were worried at first. Eventually, with the help of the Alanmins around you, you start to feel confident about who you are. Despite all you've gone through, you've an Alanmin and you're proud about it. You're happy to let people know when they ask, and may even have a little badge on your bag about it. A couple of young Alanmins, just as confused and shy as yourself, have come up to you asking for your help - experiencing that first realization that they're not alone and there's people out there like them. That scared kid still lives in side of you, but you've learned that there's nothing wrong with who you are and you're proud to be helping others feel better about themselves. And then life goes on etc etc, you live just like the NAs in most aspects but you're still happy to wear that Alanmin label loud and proud. --- *I don't think you smell (well, I don't know, but I won't hold it against you), but I thought that was a darn good pun. That's a long read. But the above is a pretty mild example - obviously it differs for everyone and not everyone experiences the same thing, but hopefully it gives a bit of an insight as to why people use labels. It's a lot of writing but it's pretty important to me, personally. Hope that was of some help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 :gopo: As I see it, labels are useful and can be very empowering, inasmuch as they help someone to self-identify and/or find a community of similar people. Labels can also cause offence, which is why self-labelling is fine, labelling others is not so good. For me, I'm a christian, but I got sick and tired of having to explain that I'm a christian BUT I don't believe the universe was created 6-8000 years ago, I don't believe homosexuality is a sin, I don't believe the Bible is the literal and inerrant word of god, I don't believe that christians go to heaven when they die and everyone else is condemned to eternal torment in hell etc, etc. When I stumbled upon the progressive christian community, it was a lightbulb moment for me - yes, there are other christians who are like me, and now I have a label that I can choose to use to describe myself, which describes what I am, not just what I am not. I don't know if I'll always call myself a progressive christian but, for now, it is a label which is helpful to me. Sorry this has gone way off topic (The cost of that fish tank is ludicrous!), but I have a dear friend who is part of the LGBTQ community and the christian community, so I know through him how difficult it can be when you have struggles with your self-identity, and how helpful it can be to find a community of similar people - and sometimes you need a label to do that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 I hear what is being said (I must have read it all out loud) but I still think every person is different and every person is unique, wether god created them or they popped out from under a cabbage and if people can't find a label for you who has the problem. I have been different all my life, still am and still don't care what other people think or want to label me. I am who and what I am so like it or lump it. Have a good xmas wether you believe or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likoma Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Seems like a cool tank. Good exposure for the soothing effects of a nice looking aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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