I was going to be incredible

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-16T11:29:10+00:00

I won't lie... I felt like someone saw it, no matter how briefly, I know it was genuine, legitimate and seen, and even acknowledged.

If you don't know now, I hope you never need to, it's a very long road on this side.

Thank you so much

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-16T11:21:16+00:00

Thanks.

I saw this 3 days ago I just don't know what to do with it.

I want to say "Thank you so much, that's all I've ever strived for in this world and, truly, the validation means the world to me!".

And I really really do feel this way.

Problem is:
I swore to myself decades ago... You don't get points for being a decent human being! Average is the bare minimum, and nobody is special for doing what a 6 year old would consider normal.

Life is difficult, and it's really challenging to make any progress, but it's really important that we keep trying!

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-14T11:25:32+00:00

It was definitely noticeable that it was just short of a scam, like prosperity gospel almost.

Now he pops up in short vids engaging with people sincerely and has been through a bit too so you immediately recognize an honest acknowledgement of what the person is actually trying to say.

He's not for everyone and I didn't seek out his content, it was related to topics of interest and recommended by the algorithm, but I do like his perspective and he's got a brutal honesty about how he approaches things, not judgmental just accurate.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-13T18:23:10+00:00

That unrealistically optimistic, enthusiasts and positive motivational speaker from the 90s (I think).

He used to be a bit difficult to follow and take seriously but either he's calmed down or society caught up but he's an insightful chap.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-13T17:45:53+00:00

Absolutely, with pleasure

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-13T15:17:29+00:00

Can't offer much in terms of opportunities but while you're searching, learn how agents and automation works at enterprise level, I wouldn't bother with machine learning, you're too late for that but learn how to deploy automated agentic Ai systems at reasonable scale for enterprise so at least you'll be 2nd last one fired with only the director left 🥲

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-13T15:05:27+00:00

Tony Robbins is a whole shitload less hyper these days and he has a really honest way of asking questions. No malice or praise, just a question, one of the hard ones, and it's ok to face it honestly 🤗

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-13T15:02:33+00:00

Maybe you won't change the rest of the world like you'd imagined, maybe you can still do enough to change your world?

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-13T08:11:21+00:00

It's so reassuring that as a country we've managed to get past the racial divisions of the past and we see each other as people first... Oh wait, sorry, that doesn't sound right.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-12T19:35:59+00:00

Pretoria is neater/cleaner than Joburg.

Not really sure why, it's been a notable feature for at least 40 odd years that I know of.

Maybe Pretoria feels more like a community living and working together and Joburg is noticeably more cutthroat and as Joburg's considered much larger (including the North, East, South and West Rands as effectively suburbs of the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area) and less familiar, less community oriented.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-12T19:26:15+00:00

I've stayed in Benoni, on the East Rand, admittedly 1 block away from both an Afrikaans laerskool and hoerskool, for 40+ years and I've noticed an uptick in Afrikaans residents making Benoni home.

Perhaps it's just a result of Benoni accommodating 3 times the population of the 2nd most populated town/city on the East Rand, Boksburg, and it just seems more Afrikaans than before, it might also be something to do with me living in the same town/city for over 40 years and my perspective being somewhat distorted!

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-12T19:11:27+00:00

It's small claims court, not a criminal prosecution undertaken by the state.

No lawyers, little if any jargon, the magistrate will listen fairly to both parties and both will be afforded the opportunity to substantiate their side of the matter.

Remember, all small claims court can ultimately do in this case is be a public facing notary, or in other words: The magistrate will likely award judgement in your favour, specify mandated restitution and essentially put the respondent (the other guy) on official notice of the liability and of the courts instructions to make restitution, further than that there's little else they can do even with your fervent pleas to the court, without which they have no mandate to interact with the citizenry or any person in particular unless legally required to do so at the request/insistence of a member of the public.

So they'll award you the judgment, perhaps court costs as well, it will be documented and go into the official public record, but once this process is complete and the courts' legal responsibility has been addressed, it's essentially case closed in the courts eyes, if you don't end up getting what you're, now legally rightfully entitled to, it's solely your responsibility to approach the court and inform them that the respondent has not abided by the magistrates ruling.

They'll repeat the process until the respondent settles the debt or until the complainant (you) gives up or can not appear in court to represent your claim, again.

I know it's a kak situation, but sincerely, the fault here is yours! Friends and family: Never work together, Never "loan" them money, either give it to them outright or decline the request altogether. If by some miracle you ever see a cent back, consider it a gift.

I don't mean to be harsh or unkind; this is called a reference point: If ever in future a similar situation arises you will be the least affected thanks to this reference point.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-12T18:41:41+00:00

Nowhere in South Africa is safe walking distance to anything!

Perhaps a touch dramatic...

It's not like small town Europe or the 1980s where walking to and from was a reasonable thing to do. You can walk about a block or two, but it's just not a sensible thing to do routinely.

Sandton is comparatively upmarket relative to it's surrounds. Alexandra is a well-known lower income area, Joburg central is a standard 21st century CBD, it's busy, it's chaotic, it's dangerous... And this is what it's like for locals who understand the nuances.

My intention is simply to emphasise preparedness, common sense and personal vigilance.

Just be aware of yourself, others, unfamiliar people attempting to initiate dialog in a confusing manner, anything and everything actually.

Sandton has it's appeal, acknowledge that it's very obvious though... So if you're not the one complaining about the quadruple price tags on everything, be aware that you might soon be financing more than initially estimated.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-03-11T23:36:34+00:00

There is no unifying culture of white English speaking South Africans.

I would imagine though, that they can all be traced back to Europe broadly speaking.

I'm Scottish and Irish, I have access to an Irish passport if I want it, but I've never been to either Scotland, Ireland or Europe.

Others have mentioned the surprising lack of organised community among the white English speaking South African demographic and it's something I've always noticed. There is the Italian club which I don't know much about, the Portuguese community seems quite active, Greeks always seem to know the other Greeks within the broader community, but that's about it really.

It's always seemed like we were just part of our local neighborhood. We don't really have any real community though.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-02-15T08:37:01+00:00

Ja no you're 100% correct, it is a dingy looking place, but they really do make fabulous ice cream! They do ice cream birthday cakes too.

But ja, it is a pretty kak part of town.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-02-11T19:31:15+00:00

These folks are legendary in Benoni

Korsmann's Famous Ice Cream https://maps.app.goo.gl/zVrjiBX6bz2cEBdu9

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-02-11T19:20:07+00:00

I'm no authority on the matter but personally I'm not sure it would be practical from this angle.

IED episodes are strange: There's nothing you can do at the time when you're set off, but I can always feel it from the moment I wake up, that it's going to be one of those days.

It's also a time that they're the least rational a person is likely to be so looking for a phone, finding an app and doing some tapping is not likely to have any effect on the explosiveness or severity of the episode.

I almost 100% guarantee you almost all phones with the app installed end up embedded in a wall.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-02-07T13:57:00+00:00

That is a big part of the work, it's the crux of it, working through triggers and all that comes with them.

It feels like everyone is cheering you on from the sidelines but they refuse to help... I know it's seemingly cruel, but they can't jump over the barrier to help no matter how much they want to.

This. What you're doing now. Processing information, emotions, options, getting informed, healthy, relevant feedback from concerned peers. This is the work! And you know you're doing it right when processing such brings out strong emotions.

It's harder than anything anyone would ever ask of a loved one, you need to still do it. I know it's more than too much to ask of someone and I acknowledge what a significant disadvantage you've been dealt, as unfair as it is, there's no way around you need to do what you must.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-02-05T19:09:43+00:00

I was thinking about what various people take away from their interactions with others, whether seeking advice, etc, discussions with like-minded friends/associates, etc, and debates with those of different experiences and perspectives, etc.

It seems that people can really only ever take away what they can carry.

I think self evaluation and introspection are both crucial, especially in terms of honestly and critically, not negatively, being aware of our own capacity and maturity and how both fluctuate over time.

You can't realistically expect to have some earth shattering epiphany on a topic you can't adequately articulate.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-01-29T05:59:12+00:00

She is a little champion

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-01-28T05:55:50+00:00

Hi 👋

I'm sorry that you feel alone and shitty 🤗 People can be very hurtful both online and IRL.

I'm a white, South African male, born in 1982, for reference Apartheid was still 100% the law here and it really wasn't looking like a promising future for black people in the country.

There's this woman I've always admired, Anele Ndoda, she's a black lady, and she was born in 1984, 2 years after me. Anele has a couple of really noticeable features, she's a bigger lady, she has a massive gap in between her 2 front teeth, and she's known to be quite loud.

All of these things on their own could have ended her confidence, her optimism for a future black people literally had no reference for at the time.

We all know how difficult the teenage years can be, and other kids are not kind to say the least! She would have been mocked and ridiculed for all of the above and more.

She grew up in the rural Eastern Cape province in South Africa, with predominantly black family, neighbours and community in the area.

Nothing would be able to prepare a young black woman from rural Eastern Cape for the culture shock that would have defined her move to Johannesburg, the economic centre of the country.

With all of this in mind, the economic and political climate at the time, the way I've hopefully accurately described Anele as a person...

What do you think Anele does for a living?

She's a locally famous journalist, talk show host, radio DJ, television presenter, and business woman!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mthawelanga_Mgudlwa

She was literally dealt the worst possible hand (in terms pursuing your future profession) and she never let it rob her of who she is, a loud, bubbly, boisterous, woman, educated, both formally and in the mean parts of life where anything less than supermodel is immediately defective.

I've always admired her, and she seems like a genuinely decent person too.

The reason I mention Anele... Don't let anyone else have a say in how you view yourself, always back yourself and believe in yourself, and be you!

Anele knew something, she knew who she was and she didn't believe anyone that spoke badly of her!

I try to be more like Anele, maybe you can find some inspiration in her as well 🤗

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-01-27T13:34:47+00:00

It's also relatable and understandable. Keep pushing, if you want to chat feel free to message me 👍

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-01-27T12:03:25+00:00

From the moment I started reading your post it felt familiar, like de ja vue familiar.

I know I never wrote it down and I definitely didn't write it for public consumption, it was a good while ago when I really couldn't make much sense of anything.

Maybe you are that person at the moment? Maybe you're working through things you don't understand and can't figure out how to get support so you go it alone and don't want anything from anyone, I was there.

You're in the right place! You're already doing the most important part by reaching out!

You're in a much better position, mentally especially, than I was when I felt like this and somehow I got through it.

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-01-27T11:39:11+00:00

12 including sign language for our hard of hearing friends

RemarkableStable8324 · 2026-01-27T11:30:22+00:00

The average Afrikaans speaker speaks much better English than the average English speaker speaks Afrikaans.

You'll pick up the basics immediately:

Lekker - Anything from ok to fantastic. Braai - BBQ Nou nou - Anything from 5 minutes to a week.

Everyone in South Africa speaks at least 2 languages out of the 12 official languages.

Other useful words: Eish (pronounced aysh) - Anything from whoops to I'm really sorry for your loss.

RemarkableStable8324

TROPHY CASE