I recently started watching the new Star Trek series, Starfleet Academy, which I'm so far finding to be a very fun and unique addition to the ever-growing Trek universe. For those unfamiliar with it, it's set in the 32nd century, directly after the final season of Discovery, and it reprises some of that series' characters. I was excited to see snarky engineer Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) among the academy's faculty, and Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) is back as Starfleet's commander-in-chief. They've also dipped back into the past and brought back The Doctor, who has added an aging subroutine to his program but is otherwise much the same wisecracking, opera-loving hologram I came to know and love on Voyager.

Starfleet Academy is a departure from past Star Trek series in a number of ways. The name is a clue to a big one: its primary focus isn't the crew of a ship or station, but cadets in the newly reopened academy. While there was some space galavanting in the first episode (and may be more in the future, since the USS Athena is on-hand as a “mobile classroom”) the second and third are set entirely on the Starfleet Academy grounds in San Francisco, making it the first Star Trek series to use Earth as its primary setting. The overall tone of the show is different from other series, too. It still has that trademark Star Trek utopian optimism, though that takes on a unique flavor in the post-burn world of the 32nd century. At this point in the timeline, the Federation is rebuiding after having been nearly destroyed during the Burn, a catastrophic event that made warp travel impossible for roughly 120 years. In Discovery and Starfleet Academy, we're seeing a humbled Federation, one that's rediscovering its purpose after a long disruption, which honestly feels like the kind of message the world needs right now: that a hopeful future is possible, even after everything seemed like it was ruined irreparably.

That's one of the things I like the most about the recent shows, though—they're all unique and have a clear point of view that's distinctive from the rest. This is a departure from the TNG/DS9/Voyager era, where the three series flowed smoothly into each other and all had a similar flavor, even if they did each have a distinctive personality. The Star Trek shows of the 2020s span nearly a millennium of in-universe time (2256-3191) and their dominant tone ranges from fairly bleak and laced with regret (Picard) to straight-up comedy (Lower Decks). 

That variety also makes it a bit tricky to compare and rank them, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. Rather than trying to compare them from a quality or “how much I like it” standpoint, I considered them from more of the craft angle, focusing on things like the worldbuilding, narrative arcs, and character development. These go hand-in-hand with a sci-fi series like Star Trek, where alien cultures are established through their interactions with the crew. It's too early to know where Starfleet Academy will fit into the list (Star Trek series have historically not risen to their best within their first 3 episodes) and there are two animated series I haven't watched (the original animated series from the '70s and Prodigy). Otherwise, here's my ranking of every Star Trek TV show thus far, from the least effective from a craft standpoint to the best. 

9. The Original Series. 

The original Star Trek does get props for being the show that started it all. It also is definitely a product of its times. Viewer expectations in the '60s were different than they are today, especially when it comes to the seriousness-level of sci-fi as a genre. 

All that being said, objectively from a modern standpoint—it's not great. It's fun, campy, entertaining, and chock full of iconic moments that have become pop culture touchstones. But the character development is light even for the core crew, with much of their emotional arcs and histories developing more in the movies than the series, and it often takes a very surface, trope-driven approach to the various alien cultures that the Enterprise encounters on its travels. There are a lot of good reasons to watch the original Star Trek, but it's not the one I'd study for worldbuilding. 

8. Enterprise

I'm something of an Enterprise apologist. There are definitely some aspects of it that make it worth watching, and many of those are unique worldbuilding details. It gives a glimpse into the earliest years of human space exploration, before the existence of universal translators, when transporter technology is still new and somewhat buggy and an away mission needs to be followed by time in a decontamination chamber. They also spend some time developing the political landscape that leads up to the creation of the Federation, and it's fun to see an intergalactic landscape where humans are still down around the bottom of the pecking order, trying to prove themselves to more established neighbors like the Andorans and Vulcans. 

Where Enterprise struggles is in pretty much every other aspect of storytelling craft. A lot of that awesome worldbuilding potential I mentioned wasn't really utilized. The plots were sometimes convoluted, sometimes felt contrived, and were often poorly paced, and a lot of the dialogue is...rough, we'll say. Enterprise ends up being one of those shows that falls into the “neat idea poorly executed” category.

7. Lower Decks

Let me start off with saying: I adore Lower Decks. It strikes the perfect balance of having new characters to fall in love with and cameos from other series to keep the show connected to the broader Trek universe. In fact, from here on up in the list, every single show is one I'd recommend pretty much anyone to watch (one of the reasons I didn't want to bother with a pure enjoyment ranking). 

Lower Decks does a lot of things right. The humor is spot on, the characters are distinctive and likeable, and the storylines are exactly the level of convoluted and absurd that you want in a sitcom set on a starship. For anybody who writes speculative humor, I'd say that Lower Decks is a must-watch. But it mostly plays in the same parts of the Trek universe as previous series, rather than expanding it further. It's certainly not bad, but it doesn't demonstrate the same degree of craft as the higher-ranking series below.

6. Picard

Tonally, Picard is the least Trek-ish of the Star Trek series. The dominant vibe of most Star Trek series is a future-looking optimism. With Picard, we see our beloved captain now retired and reckoning with his past. Some new characters and ideas are introduced, but for the most part it travels over similar terrain as the rest of the Next Gen-era series and movies that preceded it. 

What gives Picard the edge over Lower Decks is the depth of its character development, which for me is the strongest aspect of this series. Some of the fan service-ey cameos were a bit clunky, but for the most part the characters are fully realized and play off of each other beautifully over the course of the series. I would say that Picard is the best Star Trek series to study for people who write literary or character-driven speculative fiction.

5. Next Generation

Putting Next Generation near the middle of the pack might be the most controversial rating on this list, because on most lists you'll find it up in the top slot. And with good reason—it's got strong characters, great dialogue, and some of the best storytelling across sci-fi television (with the exception of a few clunker episodes, but any show that runs for 7 seasons is going to have a few duds). 

The reason I have Next Gen a bit lower is simply because it doesn't have the same depth of world and character development as the shows in the top 4 slots. While there are some narrative arcs that span multiple episodes, the early seasons especially still take predominantly an episodic format. The character development is light and sporadic until later in the series, and many of the aliens encountered are one-offs with fairly shallow, trope-based identities. It does have some shining worldbuilding moments, including some for the conlangers of the world, but it’s not as consistently deep in that regard as series higher on the list.

4. Strange New Worlds

Strange New Worlds is another spin-off series that plays with familiar characters. It's set on the Enterprise in the years before Captain Kirk takes the helm, when it's still under the command of Captain Pike. But the main thing it does differently than spin-offs like Picard or Lower Decks is that it shows the familiar crew members from a new angle. We get glimpses of Kirk as a brash young officer, see Uhura come into her own as a promising cadet, and get fresh insights into Spock's background. The most interesting twist, though, is the character of Pike. From the start of the series, he knows his career will end with him paralyzed by a terrible training accident, foreknowledge that colors all of his choices and adds another layer to his character, beyond just a reinvisioning of a figure from the past. 

Strange New Worlds is on the other end of the spectrum from Picard—I would say it's the most Trek-ish of the modern Trek series. It truly embodies the spirit of the original, but with modern storytelling conventions, better dialogue, and deeper development of both the characters and the world they inhabit. The development of the Gorn as a multi-episode villain is one particular highlight, and though they have their share of alien-of-the-week episodes, even the cultures in one-off episodes tend to be more fully realized than they were in past series. 

3. Voyager

Though it takes place in the same general timespan as Next Gen and Deep Space 9, Voyager quickly found a very on-brand way to expand the Star Trek universe beyond the places past series had already trod. In the first episode, Voyager is suddenly transported to the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 lightyears away from Earth. This immediately gives the series stakes and a sense of direction that the other shows lacked. The crew of Voyager isn't just out exploring—they're on a mission to get home. 

On top of this, the exploration of the Delta quadrant gives Voyager a lot of opportunities to discover new species. It takes full advantage of this to introduce some unique characters, like the Undine (species 8472), who come from an external dimension known as fluidic space. They also do some new things with established species, like the introduction of Borg who have been freed from the collective. Altogether, I would say it's one of the richest of the Star Trek shows from a worldbuilding perspective, and matches the other series of its era for character development and storytelling. 

2. Discovery

I know Discovery has gotten some hate, and it did have a bit of a rough start (though it's certainly not the only Star Trek series I would say that's true of). When it comes to expanding the Star Trek universe, though, it's automatically at the top of that list. It filled in a key time period of the pre-Original Series era of the core Federation: the Klingon War, an event that's referenced often but was never shown to this level of depth. While the depiction of Klingons in the series was controversial, the extensive use of the Klingon language is a definite point in the series' favor from a worldbuilding perspective. On top of that, it took an extended foray into the Mirror Universe then zoomed hundreds of years into the future, to show the viewers a completely new era of the federation. 

And then there's the spore drive. Does it completely make sense according to actual science and the laws of physics? Not really. But it's a very cool and unique idea, and I also have mad respect for the deft maneuvering to introduce such an off-the-wall technology in a prequel and adequately explain within the show why that technology is never mentioned in other series that take place in the universe's future. When it comes to alien cultures, every worldbuilder should watch the arc around Species 10C and how it explores first contact communication. I would also say that Michael Burnham's character arc is one of the most dramatic of all the Star Trek protagonists, and many secondary characters like Tilly, Saru, and Hugh get similary strong and satisfying arcs.

1. Deep Space Nine

Deep Space Nine comes very close to being the perfect sci-fi television program. It has its fun, alien-of-the-week episodes, which admittedly do often utilize a similarly shallow culture building as Nex Generation in the early seasons. What catapults DS9 up to the top slot is the fact that it's set on a stationary space station. Because of this, it spends significant time exploring the Bajoran and Cardassian conflict, then later the various cultures involved in the Dominion War. Viewers are also introduced to the Prophets, an advanced species that lives inside the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant near Bajor. To the Bajorans, the Propets are essentially their gods, central to their theology. Past Star Trek series lightly explored religion in one-off episodes, but DS9 was the first one to explore the topic in-depth.

The rest of the craft in DS9 is as strong as its worldbuilding. Every member of the core bridge crew gets a satisfying arc over the course of the series, as do what might seem like peripheral characters, like Garak, Quark, Rom, and Jake. The dialogue is sharp, the pacing is on-point, and the finale is suitably epic for the scope of the story being told. If someone wants to study Star Trek at its best, I would say DS9 is the way to go. 

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There is a strange tragedy that can happen to a life when it grows up surrounded by the wrong voices. A creature can be born with strength in its bones and fire in its lungs, yet never know it, simply because it learned how to survive before it ever learned who it was. The old story about the lion raised among sheep is not just a parable about animals. It is a mirror held up to the human soul. It reveals what happens when identity is shaped more by environment than by design, more by fear than by truth, more by habit than by calling.

The lion cub did not wake up one day and decide to pretend he was a sheep. He did not choose weakness. He did not reject power. He simply grew up in a place where power was never modeled. He learned what he saw. He absorbed what he was surrounded by. He adapted to what kept him safe. Slowly, instinct was replaced by imitation. Strength was replaced by caution. Hunger was replaced by grazing. He learned to walk with his head low instead of his chest forward. He learned to move with the flock instead of leading anything. And the most dangerous thing was not that he lived like a sheep, but that it felt normal to him.

Comfort is often the greatest thief of destiny. When life feels manageable, we stop asking what we were made for. When survival becomes the goal, purpose quietly slips out the back door. The lion was not miserable. He was not in pain. He was not being attacked. He was fed. He was protected. He belonged. And yet, something inside him was asleep. There is a kind of life that feels safe but never feels true. There is a kind of peace that is really just the absence of challenge. There is a kind of happiness that is really just the numbness of untested potential.

Many people live exactly this way. They are not broken. They are not hopeless. They are not lost in some dramatic sense. They are simply underliving. They are surviving when they were meant to reign. They are blending in when they were meant to stand out. They are staying quiet when they were meant to speak. They are grazing when they were meant to roar.

We are shaped by what we grow up around. A child raised in fear learns to measure every step. A child raised in criticism learns to doubt their voice. A child raised in chaos learns to brace instead of build. A child raised without encouragement learns to keep dreams small so disappointment will hurt less. Over time, this shaping becomes identity. The mind says, “This is who I am,” when it is really saying, “This is what I learned.” The heart says, “This is all I can be,” when it is really saying, “This is all I have seen.”

The lion’s world was defined by sheep, so he assumed he was one. And when the real lion finally appeared in the valley, something happened that had never happened before. His body recognized what his mind could not yet accept. He trembled. That trembling was not fear of danger. It was fear of truth. Truth has weight. Truth disrupts. Truth does not ask permission to rearrange your self-image. It simply stands there and exposes the gap between who you have been and who you are.

The real lion did not attack him. He did not mock him. He did not shame him. He did not force him. He called him. “Hello, lion.” And the sheep-raised lion replied with the most tragic sentence in the story. “I am not a lion. I am a sheep.” That sentence is spoken every day in different forms by human beings. “I am not strong.” “I am not gifted.” “I am not chosen.” “I am not capable.” “I am not worthy.” “I am not called.” “I am just ordinary.” “I am just broken.” “I am just like everyone else.”

Identity confusion does not sound dramatic. It sounds humble. It sounds realistic. It sounds cautious. It sounds responsible. But underneath it is a denial of design. The lion was not lying when he said he was a sheep. He was describing his behavior. But behavior is not identity. What you have been doing is not necessarily what you are. How you have been living is not proof of who you were created to be. Survival patterns can mask true nature for a long time.

The real lion did not argue with him in circles. He did not lecture him. He did not debate philosophy. He took him to the river. He showed him his reflection. He let reality speak. That moment at the water was not about persuasion. It was about revelation. For the first time, the lion raised among sheep saw himself without the filter of the flock. He saw his face without their fear. He saw his body without their posture. He saw his eyes without their anxiety. He saw his form without their limitations.

In Scripture, water is always connected to truth and transformation. It is where reflection happens. It is where cleansing happens. It is where calling is revealed. The Word of God functions in the same way. It is not first a list of rules. It is a mirror. It shows you who God is, and in doing so, it shows you who you are not and who you are meant to be. It strips away the borrowed identity you picked up from pain, culture, fear, and disappointment, and it replaces it with divine design.

When the lion saw himself, something inside him woke up. It was not taught. It was not practiced. It was not rehearsed. It was remembered. Power surged through his body. Instinct rose up. Breath filled his lungs. And he roared. The sound was not learned. It was released. It had always been there. It had simply never been invited out.

The valley shook. The sheep trembled. And the lie collapsed. From that day forward, he could never live as a sheep again, because once you see truth, you cannot unsee it. Awareness changes everything. Revelation creates responsibility. Once you know who you are, you cannot pretend you do not.

This is where the story stops being a story and becomes a calling. Because spiritually, many people are lions living like sheep. They believe in God, but they do not trust Him. They read Scripture, but they do not apply it. They pray, but they do not move. They know verses about courage, but they live by habits of fear. They know verses about power, but they live by patterns of avoidance.

The Bible does not describe believers as timid creatures hiding in tall grass. It calls them children of God, heirs with Christ, temples of the Holy Spirit, more than conquerors, ambassadors, chosen, royal, set apart. These are not sheep words. These are lion words. They imply authority, purpose, movement, and responsibility.

Yet many Christians have been spiritually raised among sheep. They have been taught that faith means staying safe. They have been taught that obedience means staying small. They have been taught that humility means hiding. They have been taught that devotion means blending in. Over time, faith becomes passive instead of active. Prayer becomes private instead of powerful. Calling becomes theoretical instead of lived.

The enemy does not need to destroy your faith if he can convince you to domesticate it. He does not need to steal your salvation if he can neutralize your obedience. He does not need to silence God if he can keep you from acting on what you hear. A lion that never roars is not dangerous. A believer who never steps forward is not disruptive. A calling that stays in the heart but never reaches the hands does not change the valley.

Jesus did not come into the world to create cautious followers. He came to create witnesses. He did not say, “Stay comfortable.” He said, “Follow me.” He did not say, “Protect yourself.” He said, “Take up your cross.” He did not say, “Blend in.” He said, “Be light.” He did not say, “Hide your lamp.” He said, “Let it shine.” Every invitation of Christ is an invitation to live beyond fear. Every command of Christ assumes courage.

The sheep-raised lion always had strength. He just never exercised it. And this is the quiet tragedy of many lives. They are not empty. They are unused. They are not powerless. They are undeployed. They are not without gifts. They are without courage to use them. They are not without calling. They are without belief in it.

Roaring is risky. Roaring changes the atmosphere. Roaring announces presence. Roaring exposes difference. When the lion roared, the sheep trembled. That is not because the sheep were evil. It is because they were unprepared for authority. When you step into who God made you to be, some people will feel uncomfortable, not because you are wrong, but because your obedience highlights their avoidance.

This is why many people prefer to stay sheep. Sheep do not challenge the valley. Sheep do not disrupt routines. Sheep do not draw attention. Sheep do not require courage. Sheep survive quietly. But lions transform landscapes. Lions move things. Lions change what is possible in a place.

The Lion of the tribe of Judah is not called that by accident. It is a picture of kingship, authority, and victory. To belong to Christ is to belong to that lineage. That does not mean arrogance. It means assignment. It does not mean domination. It means responsibility. It does not mean pride. It means purpose.

The roar of the lion in the story was not about showing off. It was about alignment. His outer life finally matched his inner nature. That is what obedience does. It brings the inside and the outside into agreement. It makes your actions line up with your identity. It makes your walk reflect your calling.

Many people wait for confidence before they act, but confidence often comes after obedience. The lion did not roar because he felt powerful. He felt powerful because he roared. Movement awakens what stillness keeps asleep. Faith grows when it is used. Courage strengthens when it is practiced. Identity becomes solid when it is lived.

The valley did not change when the lion believed he was a lion. The valley changed when he acted like one. And that is the difference between inspiration and transformation. Inspiration feels good. Transformation reshapes reality. It is not enough to think differently. You must walk differently. You must speak differently. You must choose differently. You must live differently.

This story is not telling you to become something new. It is telling you to remember something true. You are not what fear taught you. You are not what trauma shaped you into. You are not what disappointment labeled you. You are not what culture reduced you to. You are what God created you to be.

When you finally look into the mirror of truth, you may feel the same trembling the lion felt. Because truth always disrupts comfort. It always challenges routine. It always exposes the gap between potential and practice. But that trembling is not a warning. It is a signal that something inside you is waking up.

God does not reveal identity to shame you. He reveals it to free you. He does not show you who you are to condemn you for who you have been. He shows you who you are so you can stop living as less.

There is a moment in every serious spiritual life when God says, “Look.” Not look at your fear. Look at your reflection. Look at what I made. Look at what I placed inside you. Look at what I called you to carry. Look at what you have been avoiding. Look at what you have been minimizing. Look at what you have been treating as ordinary when I designed it as holy.

And when you see it, you will feel a choice rise up inside you. You can go back to the flock and keep grazing, or you can step forward and roar. You can go back to comfort, or you can move into calling. You can go back to fear, or you can walk in faith. You can go back to blending in, or you can become who you were meant to be.

The lion did not stop being in the valley. He stopped being defined by it. That is the goal. Not escape. Authority. Not withdrawal. Influence. Not isolation. Transformation.

Your life is a valley. Your family is a valley. Your workplace is a valley. Your generation is a valley. And valleys do not change when sheep move through them. Valleys change when lions wake up.

This is not about personality. It is about obedience. It is not about dominance. It is about faithfulness. It is not about noise. It is about presence. It is not about proving something. It is about fulfilling something.

There is a roar inside you that does not sound like anger. It sounds like prayer. It sounds like courage. It sounds like truth. It sounds like obedience. It sounds like forgiveness. It sounds like service. It sounds like hope spoken where despair has been loud.

The valley does not need more sheep. It needs awakened lions.

And the mirror is still there.

The mirror is still there.

It waits quietly, like truth always does. It does not shout. It does not chase. It does not force. It simply reflects what is real when someone is brave enough to look. The lion did not become different at the river. He became aware. Awareness is the doorway to transformation. It is the moment when a person stops explaining their limitations and starts questioning them. It is the moment when you realize that what you assumed was your nature may only have been your training.

This is why God so often brings people to still places. Scripture shows Him meeting people at wells, by rivers, in deserts, on mountains. These are not random settings. They are places without distraction, places where reflection can happen. Noise keeps us from seeing ourselves. Routine keeps us from questioning ourselves. Discomfort is often the first mercy God uses to get our attention. The valley was quiet enough for the lion to finally hear something other than sheep. The river was still enough for him to finally see something other than habit.

Many people pray for change without ever pausing long enough to see what needs to change. They ask God for strength but avoid situations that require it. They ask God for clarity but refuse to sit still. They ask God for purpose but stay in patterns that prevent discovery. Identity is rarely revealed in crowds. It is revealed in moments of encounter.

The lion could have turned away from the water. He could have said, “This is uncomfortable.” He could have said, “I like who I am.” He could have said, “This is too much.” But curiosity opened the door that fear had kept shut. And in that reflection, the story of his life began to change direction.

That is what happens when God calls someone out of hiding. It does not always look dramatic on the outside. Often it is a quiet internal shift. A thought that says, “Maybe I am more than this.” A prayer that says, “Lord, show me who I really am.” A moment that says, “I cannot keep pretending I was made to live this small.”

From that moment on, the lion did not suddenly know how to hunt. He did not suddenly rule the valley. He did not suddenly master his world. He simply began to walk differently. His posture changed. His awareness changed. His decisions changed. He no longer took his cues from sheep. He began to learn from lions.

This is where many people stumble. They want the roar without the walk. They want the authority without the obedience. They want the courage without the discipline. But identity is learned through action. The lion became a lion by walking like one. He became strong by using strength. He became bold by stepping forward. The same is true in spiritual life. Faith that is never used stays theoretical. Courage that is never practiced stays imaginary. Purpose that is never obeyed stays hidden.

The Word of God does not just describe who you are. It trains you how to live as who you are. It does not only say, “You are chosen.” It says, “Walk worthy of your calling.” It does not only say, “You are free.” It says, “Stand firm in that freedom.” It does not only say, “You are light.” It says, “Let your light shine.” Identity always comes with instruction. Revelation always comes with responsibility.

The sheep-raised lion had learned one way of moving through the world. Now he had to unlearn it. This is one of the hardest parts of spiritual growth. You do not just add faith to your life. You remove fear. You do not just learn courage. You unlearn avoidance. You do not just receive purpose. You release excuses. Growth is not only about becoming. It is about shedding.

Many people think obedience is about doing more. Often it is about doing less of what kept you small. Less hiding. Less hesitating. Less waiting for permission. Less pretending you were not called. Less telling yourself stories about why you cannot. Less rehearsing fear in your mind.

The lion had to leave the flock. Not because the sheep were evil, but because their lifestyle no longer matched his identity. This does not mean you abandon people. It means you stop letting fear set your pace. It means you stop letting doubt shape your decisions. It means you stop letting comfort define your boundaries. It means you stop letting the smallest voice in the room determine your direction.

There is a grief that comes with awakening. The lion realized he had spent his life grazing when he could have been living. He had spent his days hiding when he could have been leading. He had spent his energy fitting in when he could have been standing out. Awareness always brings regret. But regret is not condemnation. It is a signal that growth has begun. It is proof that you now see something you did not see before.

God does not reveal your calling to make you feel guilty about your past. He reveals it to change your future. He does not show you your strength to shame you for weakness. He shows you your strength to pull you forward. He does not show you your purpose to accuse you of wasting time. He shows you your purpose so you can redeem time.

The roar of the lion did not destroy the valley. It redefined it. The sheep were not harmed. They were simply no longer in charge of the story. When a lion awakens, the environment has to adjust. When a believer begins to live in truth, the atmosphere around them changes. Fear loses its dominance. Hopelessness loses its voice. Passivity loses its authority.

This is why awakening feels threatening to systems built on comfort. A lion does not fit into a field designed for sheep. Courage does not fit into a culture built on caution. Conviction does not fit into a world built on compromise. Obedience does not fit into environments shaped by fear. When you change, the world around you has to decide whether to change with you or resist you.

Jesus warned His disciples of this. He said that light exposes darkness, not by attacking it, but by existing. A lion does not have to roar at sheep to be different. It is different by nature. In the same way, obedience does not need to argue with fear. It simply walks forward. Faith does not need to convince doubt. It simply acts.

The lion in the story did not stay at the river. He went back into the valley. But now he walked through it with awareness. He was no longer confused about who he was. He was no longer dependent on the flock for cues. He was no longer afraid of his own voice. This is the picture of mature faith. Not withdrawal from the world, but engagement with it from a place of truth.

Your valley may look like a workplace where fear sets the tone. It may look like a family where dysfunction feels normal. It may look like a church where calling has been replaced with comfort. It may look like a culture where faith is treated as private instead of powerful. It may look like a season where you have been surviving instead of serving.

God does not remove you from the valley to awaken you. He awakens you so you can walk differently in it. He does not pull you out of your environment to make you holy. He makes you holy so you can influence your environment. The goal is not escape. It is transformation.

The roar in the story was not just a sound. It was a declaration. It said, “I know who I am now.” Your roar may not be loud. It may look like a decision to forgive when bitterness felt safer. It may look like speaking truth when silence felt easier. It may look like stepping into ministry when comfort felt better. It may look like trusting God when control felt necessary. It may look like obedience in a place where no one expects it.

Every roar disrupts something. It disrupts fear. It disrupts lies. It disrupts stagnation. It disrupts the story that says, “This is how it has always been.” When the lion roared, the valley learned something new. When you live in faith, the people around you learn something new. They see a different way to live. They see courage embodied. They see hope practiced. They see obedience modeled.

The world does not need more explanations of God. It needs more demonstrations of what life looks like when God is trusted. It does not need more arguments. It needs more witnesses. It does not need more noise. It needs more presence. A lion does not convince the valley he is a lion with words. He convinces it by walking like one.

This is why Scripture repeatedly connects faith with action. Faith without works is dead, not because works save you, but because living faith moves. It changes direction. It changes posture. It changes habits. It changes priorities. It changes what you tolerate and what you pursue. A lion who never leaves the flock has not truly believed what he saw in the mirror.

The enemy’s most effective strategy is not temptation. It is identity distortion. If he can convince you that you are small, you will live small. If he can convince you that you are weak, you will avoid responsibility. If he can convince you that you are unqualified, you will never step forward. He does not need to remove your gifts. He only needs to make you doubt them.

God’s strategy is always revelation. He does not argue with lies. He exposes them with truth. He does not shame you for believing them. He shows you something better. He takes you to the river and says, “Look again.” Look at what I made. Look at what I placed inside you. Look at what I called you to carry. Look at what you have been settling for.

There is a difference between humility and denial. Humility says, “I need God.” Denial says, “I have nothing to offer.” Humility says, “I depend on grace.” Denial says, “I am insignificant.” Humility bows before God. Denial hides from calling. The lion was not being humble when he said he was a sheep. He was being unaware. And God does not awaken people so they can become proud. He awakens them so they can become useful.

The awakened lion did not go out to dominate the sheep. He went out to live according to his nature. In the same way, faith is not about overpowering others. It is about fulfilling what God designed you to be. It is not about proving something. It is about obeying something. It is not about self-glory. It is about God’s glory being visible through your life.

There is a holy dissatisfaction that comes with awakening. You can no longer be content with grazing. You can no longer be satisfied with routine. You can no longer pretend comfort is the same as peace. You begin to feel the pull of calling. You begin to sense that your life is meant to count for something more than survival. This is not restlessness. It is remembrance.

The lion did not create his roar. He released it. You do not create your calling. You respond to it. You do not invent your purpose. You uncover it. You do not manufacture courage. You practice it. You do not produce faith. You exercise it.

There will be days when the valley feels loud again. There will be days when the sheep seem safer. There will be days when grazing looks easier than hunting. Awakening is not a one-time event. It is a daily choice. Every morning you decide whether you will walk as who you are or retreat to what is familiar. Every day you choose whether you will live from fear or from faith. Every day you choose whether you will let the mirror of truth define you or the voices of the valley.

The story of the lion does not end with a throne. It ends with awareness. That is the true victory. The lion no longer needed someone else to tell him who he was. He no longer needed the flock’s approval. He no longer needed safety to feel alive. He had found alignment between his nature and his life.

That is what God desires for you. Not just belief in Him, but alignment with Him. Not just knowledge of Scripture, but embodiment of it. Not just agreement with truth, but obedience to it. Not just comfort in faith, but courage through faith.

You were never meant to live as a spiritual sheep grazing in fear. You were meant to walk as a child of God carrying light. You were never meant to hide what God placed inside you. You were meant to steward it. You were never meant to shrink your life to fit your fear. You were meant to stretch your faith to match your calling.

The mirror is still there. The river is still flowing. The truth is still waiting.

Look again.

Not at your failures. Not at your past. Not at your fear.

Look at what God made.

Then walk like it. Speak like it. Pray like it. Live like it.

The valley does not need another sheep. It needs an awakened lion.

And God is still in the business of waking them up.

Watch Douglas Vandergraph’s inspiring faith-based videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@douglasvandergraph

Support the ministry by buying Douglas a coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/douglasvandergraph

Your friend, Douglas Vandergraph

#FaithOverFear #CalledNotComfortable #ChristianMotivation #SpiritualAwakening #WalkInPurpose #LionOfJudah #BiblicalEncouragement #FaithInAction #ChristianInspiration #HopeInChrist

In Summary: * Nearly halftime of the Rams – Seahawks game and the Rams are leading 13 to 10. Most noteworthy today is how San Antonio missed the brunt of this big Winter Storm that's complicating so much of the country. We've had some icing, but what the local weather guys are making a big deal about is the cold. Really? Tonight into Monday morning we may dip down to 18 degrees, and the same thing Monday night into Tuesday morning. But both days will see us up into the 30s. Huh. That's not so bad.

Prayers, etc.: *I have a daily prayer regimen I try to follow throughout the day from early morning, as soon as I roll out of bed, until head hits pillow at night. Details of that regimen are linked to my link tree, which is linked to my profile page here.

Health Metrics: * bw= 224.87 lbs. * bp= 145/88 (65)

Exercise: * morning stretches, balance exercises, kegel pelvic floor exercises, half squats, calf raises, wall push-ups

Diet: * 07:00 – 1 HEB Bakery cookie * 08:00 – 1 ham sandwich, 1 banana, 1 HEB Bakery cookie * 10:30 – magic purple yam dessert * 11:40 – 1 more ham sandwich * 17:45 – fried vegetable patties

Activities, Chores, etc.: * 06:45 – bank accounts activity monitored * 07:10 – read, pray, follow news reports from various sources, surf the socials * 10:00 – tuned into the B97 – The Home for IU Women's Basketball, hoping to hear the Pregame Show then the call of this game between the Indiana University Women's Basketball Team and the Purdue University Boilermakers. * 10:30 – charged car battery jump start charger up to full * 14:20 – started the wife's car and let it run for a few minutes to make sure it'll start for her tomorrow morning * 15:00 – watching the NFL on CBS, Patriots vs Broncos, the game in progress, near the end of the 2nd Quarter * 17:10 – after the Patriots win, I've switched over to FOX to watch the Seahawks / Rams game.

Chess: * 11:20 – moved in all pending CC games

I know many people who use social media only to follow businesses they care about, so that they can hear about specials, promotions, events, and changes to hours. It's true that some businesses don't update their website or provide a newsletter, so I can understand the appeal of using social media to follow them. The situation seems to be getting better, though, with more and more businesses maintaining a healthy online presence outside of the big, centralized social platforms.

I don't want to be too cynical, but using social media for this purpose does seem like opt-in advertising on some level. It's too bad that many with these users will also be manipulated into liking, commenting, buying, sharing, following, radicalizing, and you know, dismantling democracy.

#Life #SocialMedia #Tech

another week cycle is nearing its end. It’s too cold for crocs outside, where the half moon stands pale and alone on a dark blue sky. The white ground is covered by hard-packed snow. Slippery like a sprung trap.

Because of my fitness class, where I arrived last minute to grab the last step board — there weren’t any spots left, except at the very front where you see the instructor only from the side; ”it doesn’t matter”, I said, ”I’m so good at this” — I got a mild headache. There wasn’t any time to fill my bottle.

And I have done some laundry

Some things I am thinking about is that my brain and my feelings have been running out of sync for a long time. Either I realise that I should be angry, instead I have a guilty conscience. Other times I feel strong reactions in my gut long before my brain understands why.

It’s exactly like in Neon Genesis Evangelion: an Eva pilot might face smilar synchronisation problems when running the Eva Unit! Sometimes the pilot is even rejected.

It’s exactly like this right now.

But that’s just how it is.

I’ll try to feel a bit sorry for myself now.

I think I have too much going for me to succeed.

I’m the luckiest man I know!

Our Father Who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy name Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily Bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil

Amen

Jesus is Lord! Come Lord Jesus!

Come Lord Jesus! Christ is Lord!

Spring (Quispamsis)

Meenan’s forward seeing rates of high heaven and Celtic run, Lazarus’ key to upper those believe, in the bounty of constant rain, muzzled by the 1 and groom, all shocks landing Atlantic sky, a better weapon than ICBM, a standing army fit for good, and days of rice to tell the tale, what suffer for- the truth is scoundrel, women join the Western sky, and boats dotting the velvet verse, to pray in Christ for Eucharist and Holy fever everywhere, a dam would burst in general time, as word and worm are here and there, to shoes for more than them and her, classes of being for shores that give, I am a starburst; I am you, and we not are need of a data design, upon this day and upper lip, a Hampton journey tempered- to cc and back, across the fields, to what was salt and see, power of attorney in the middle of night, for mercy on farms and h11, the gladdest gift of Indigenous time, people posthumously known as saints, in something St. Bernard would wait, for American days of 59 below, and Sussex breaks for understanding, all glory but Him, we are prostrate and proud, but mercy not known til March and esteem, men of high office who would stand in for God, to death is this unto great common, vapour and value to modest renew, in May there are fonts of four and more, underknowing to Grand Ile but praying, for water in course to become us, and bluster, and pay, to march and forswear on the Navy, and blue in time for Iran that is small, whose temper is witching and rough, Save the Queen, save the raindrop and orca scare for North landing, and June in time for Sparrow’s worth dawn, and No place beyond Quispamsis is quiet forswear- building fort and dawn and pleasing the East but forswearing the sat craze of balmy dew; striking man and the dirge of the old in ovation, restless dew in an island of few and seeking what style but November, we are solid our walk and pretend our esteem, and King’s Landing pro-bono in bond to our knees.

In Awareness They Are

And sollow to the pen And this speaking heir A tiny they and slander For what knows of Women Upon them chances, poem In things begot like beatings and solemn lacrymation Solid ten and Winter Because we pray at length and run this day- to the origin of bees Pretend thy bloodspan is ⛽️ and abattoir Prehearsing the upstanding jeer Phones to be a pull at the card Unelected and we knew- was the solid plan of who must have died- a long time ago For new and hatched This Appalachianest day For storing days of days and data Unprobably dead, working tales A prayer to know this massive win Apostasy of chancing uprightful and year A wait for the reunion And what might be real to fortunes tomorrow But fulsome disk and knowlet shine In courses due of Sam and printer Looking back the other, timing strength- For images and example The wine is here and do not go…

#fiction #movie

Warning: Contains spoilers

Hamnet is a Shakespeare movie, except it is not actually about Shakespeare. Sure, William Shakespeare (played by Paul Mescal) features, but a bit like Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson in One Battle After Another, he is neither its central character nor commands the majority of screentime. According to my local cinema’s blurb, Hamnet concerns ‘the healing power of art and creativity’. That is not untrue insofar as the movie culminates in a performance of Hamlet, which the movie portrays as Shakespeare’s means of processing his son’s death. Yet to interpret the movie by its finale alone seems to me to deny the centrality of Anne ‘Agnes’ Hathaway (played by Jessie Buckley), and her embodiment of the universal grief over the loss of those who die before their time.

Hamnet’s unflinching portrayal of visceral sorrow has ignited a debate among critics on whether the movie emotionally manipulates its audience to the extent that it could be considered ‘grief porn’. This is a surprising argument to me. Objecting that a movie about the death of a child centres grief feels like objecting that a Marvel movie contains superheroes and mediocre CGI. Rather than fault a movie for our discomfort, it is worth considering if it is not our cultural inhibitions around emotions that is to blame.

None of this matters yet at the beginning of Hamnet, when Agnes and William are just falling in love. Each in their own way, they are both outsiders. Like her hawk, Agnes is a forest creature, representative of a fading medieval tradition of herbalism and (witch)craft. Will is an aspiring poet by night, impoverished Latin teacher by day, who, as the audience knows, will become one of the foremost incarnations of the early modern period that is set to eclipse medieval norms and customers. We are witness to a transition where the rooted magic of plants and place will give way to the illusory magic of show and spectacle. And a transition that, it should be noted, was often carried out by violence against people like Agnes who stood accused of witchcraft.

Agnes’ second pregnancy symbolises this traumatic rupture with the Old Ways when she is forcefully denied giving birth in the forest and instead made to deliver at home – though a birthing stool is still more sensible than the methods 'modern’ science would inflict on future generations of women. Compounding Agnes’ distress is the sudden realisation that she is giving birth to twins, despite premonitions that she will be survived by only two children. From that moment, she is quietly convinced that her unexpected second daughter will pass before her time.

For a time though, things are go well for the Shakespeares, although Will is mostly absent from both his family and the screen, building his career as a playwright in faraway London, leaving it to Agnes and William’s extended family to care for their children. Their domestic life is beautifully captured by director Chloé Zhao and cinematographer Łukasz Żal, conveying a moderate yet not impoverished existence that feels plausible, which reminded me of similar scenes in 2023’s Znachor – despite the latter being set four centuries later.

Yet in the end, misfortune strikes as plague sweeps the land, afflicting first Judith but ultimately killing Hamnet instead. Buckley’s portrayal of Agnes’ grief over Hamnet’s death is raw and visceral, as is her depiction of Agnes’ subsequent bitterness at the absence of her husband, whose sorrow is more restrained and distant. This is where the debate over Hamnet’s emotional interaction with its audience, and its reliance on tropes of feminine and masculine ways of expressing grief comes most to the fore.

It is undeniably true that Hamnet seeks an emotional response from its audience, and that the death of a child is not exactly a subtle way to extract this. Some critics contend that this in and of itself invalidates any appeal the movie might make to our emotions. Viz. the BBC:

But as most of us already know that the death of a child is devastating, they seem more exploitative than insightful.

This is an odd line of argument. Most of us also already know that guns kill people, yet there is no shortage of movies containing copious amounts of gun violence. An entire franchise has been built on the premise that a man going on an intercontinental murderous rampage is a reasonable response to him losing his dog.

Rather than attributing our discomfort to Hamnet’s portrayal of tragedy, I wonder if it does not instead originate with our societal and cultural inhibitions on grief and mourning. The welcome triumphs of modern medicine over a host of lethal ailments are undeniable, but also seem to have engendered a collective need to disavow infirmity, illness and death altogether. Our desire to believe that science now holds the cure for any ailment, possibly driven by capitalist imperatives to forever be productive, means we must banish from sight any signs to the contrary. Hamnet is a timely reminder of our not-so-distant past when death was a more familiar companion.

For while Hamnet’s lure is that we are witnessing a grief that is special, its power lies in showing that it is universal. In the end, I’m not particularly invested in whether Hamlet really was Shakespeare’s way of processing his grief over Hamnet’s death. The movie posits rather than demonstrates the connection, and it makes for a satisfying and moving finale, but the story leading up to that point does not require it. Instead, the most poignant scene for me is a rather understated exchange between Susanna and Shakespeare’s mother Mary (played by Emily Watson), where we learn that she, too, has lost some of her children.

Here is universal, intergenerational sorrow. The silent pain, both individual and collective, over the loss of children taken before their time. Of generations of women dying in childbirth. Of brothers and sisters succumbing to mysterious plagues and diseases, chance infections or simple misfortune. Of family and friends taken by and natural calamity.

In The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction Ursula K. Le Guin persuasively argues there is an alternative mode of telling our stories and histories: the story of life, of the bag that carries home the food or medicine, the shelter that is home or community. Despite the centrality of death, Hamnet is what Le Guin would call a ‘life story’. A story about grief, and how we heal from it through community (as we saw in Small Acts of Love).

And it is a story about rage. Le Guin’s carrier bag is also a medicine bundle, representing human efforts throughout the ages to heal, to prevent suffering, or to ease pain where no cure was available. Grieving loss can transform into fury against uncaring gods or the vast universe for whom the death of our loved ones pales beyond insignificance, fueling resolve to spare future generations the same fate. Where these efforts are frustrated not by the impersonal obstacles of nature, but by human forces who seek to prevent or even negate our collective capabilities to prevent suffering, rage is surely the justified response.

At its best, Hamnet reminds us that while grief over the passing of those we love is an inseparable part of what it means to be alive, so is the ability to overcome it through connection, community and love. Rather than denying our mortality and its attendant sorrows by hiding its manifold expressions from our view, we must learn how collectively give them space and process them. Yet where our pain results not from blind, impersonal chance, but the choices of those who hold power over us, we must also resolve to do what we can to spare others from the same fate. To adapt the famous last words of Joe Hill: first mourn, but then organise.

Notes & Suggestions

• To contribute to efforts to provide care and minimise suffering right now, consider supporting Medecins Sans Frontieres, the International Committee of the Red Cross, or similar organisations.
• Joe Hill’s original, oft-quoted exhortation is of course “Don’t mourn – organise!”. However, as we saw in Hannah Proctor’s Burnout, refusing to mourn our losses impairs our ability to organise over the long run.
• Collective action through a union, tenants or neighbourhood organisation, political party, or other campaigning organisation can be a powerful antidote to grief or anxiety.

There are some things that Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has done right. (Right means that I agree with it. If you disagree with it, then it would be wrong, right?) I would not have known about these HOA updates if it weren’t for Deborah Goonan’s website, Independent American Communities.

According to HB 1203:

The bill prohibits homeowners’ associations from issuing a fine or suspension for:

·     Leaving garbage receptacles at the curb or end of the driveway less than 24 hours before or after the designated garbage collection day or time.

·     Leaving holiday decorations or lights up longer than indicated in the governing documents, unless such decorations or lights are left up for longer than one week after the association provides written notice of the violation to the parcel owner.

The bill also provides that homeowners’ associations may not prohibit a homeowner or others from parking:

·     A personal vehicle, including a pickup truck, in the property owner’s driveway or in any other area where they have a right to park.

·     A work vehicle, which is not a commercial motor vehicle, in the property owner’s driveway.

·     Their assigned first responder vehicle on public roads or rights-of-way within the homeowners’ association.

These were some of the things listed in this lightweight bill. Not enough for real change. But enough to look like Floridian homeowners’ cries are being addressed.

We don’t need HOAs using our own money to punish us while applying the rules and consequences arbitrarily throughout the neighborhood. But it isn’t like Florida is known for good politics for the people…well, maybe some people…

Het gebrek aan spreekplicht voor beroepsgeheimplichtigen bij (seksueel) geweld op minderjarigen heeft tastbare gevolgen op het terrein. De parlementaire onderzoekscommissie “slachtoffers” uit 2023 stelde vast dat er “te veel dossiers {zijn} waarin werd gezwegen en niks gedaan werd”.

Het spreekrecht wordt op het terrein uit onmacht ten aanzien van het schuldig verzuim van de procureurs ingevuld als omerta rond kindermishandeling. Meer daarover in een toekomstig artikel.

Ter herinnering

Artikel 458 bis van het strafwetboek had er reeds een lange weg opzitten toen in 2020 het “wetsvoorstel tot wijziging van het Strafwetboek wat betreft de aangifteplicht van bepaalde misdrijven gepleegd op minderjarigen of kwetsbare personen” bij hoogdringendheid aan het parlement werd voorgesteld.

Het parlement heeft het voorstel tot hoogdringende behandeling toen weg gestemd op 15/10/2020 … omdat het een uiterst belangrijke aangelegenheid werd bevonden door de kamerleden die de noodzaak van een grondige behandeling in de commissie justitie bevestigden.

Valerie Van Peel (N-VA): “Hoe belangrijk is het dat wij de discussie nu beginnen en niet pas over een half jaar? Ik denk dat dat voor de hand ligt. Bij de verstrenging die voorligt, moeten de kinderen die we de vorige keer echt zijn vergeten – dat hebben de cijfers jammer genoeg duidelijk gemaakt –, onze eerste prioriteit zijn.”

Servais Verherstraeten (CD&V): “Een uiterst belangrijk voorstel dat een behandeling in de commissie voor Justitie verdient”

De Voorzitster: “Ik stel voor dat de fractievoorzitters zich over dit verzoek uitspreken.”

Stemden voor: Peter De Roover (NV-A); Barbara Pas (VB); Raoul Hedebouw (PVDA-PTB)

Stemden tegen: Servais Verherstraeten (CD&V); Benoît Piedboeuf (MR); Maggie De Block (Open Vld / Anders); Gilles Vanden Burre (Ecolo-Groen); Ahmed Laaouej (PS); Melissa Depraetere (Vooruit)

De urgentie wordt verworpen

De rest van de legislatuur werd er niks verder ondernomen, de CD&V had haar slag thuis gehaald en de omerta kon verder zijn gang gaan. Tot …

de POC slachtoffers van 2024

In de laatste sprint, vier jaar later, net voor het einde van de legislatuur, dook plots in het verslag van de “parlementaire onderzoekscommissie belast met het onderzoek naar de aanpak van seksueel misbruik, in de Kerk en daarbuiten, met inbegrip van de gerechtelijke behandeling, en de gevolgen op vandaag voor slachtoffers en samenleving” op 03/05/2024 een aanbeveling 90 op:

1. De federale regering dient de nodige initiatieven te nemen, zoals het onderzoeken van de mogelijkheid om het spreekrecht in artikel 458bis Strafwetboek (artikel 356 nieuw Strafwetboek) te vervangen door een spreekverplichting wanneer een minderjarige of kwetsbare persoon slachtoffer is of dreigt te worden van zeer ernstige misdrijven, zoals seksueel geweld. Rekening houdend met de bezorgdheden vanuit de praktijk, zou daarbij kunnen worden ingezet op een verplicht multidisciplinair casusoverleg tussen politie, justitie en hulpverlening ter bevordering van de informatiedeling. Daarnaast moet ook gewezen worden op het schuldig verzuim uit artikel 422bis Strafwetboek (artikel 300 en volgende nieuwe Strafwetboek) dat in bepaalde situaties ook tot een spreekverplichting leidt.

Slachtoffers vroegen in hun getuigenissen om beroepsgeheimplichtigen te verplichten aangifte te doen van seksueel geweld op minderjarigen, zoals ook internationale instrumenten België daartoe verplichten.

een “nieuw” wetsvoorstel

Pas weer een jaar later, 11/03/2025, wordt werk gemaakt van een nieuw “wetsvoorstel tot wijziging van het Strafwetboek voor wat betreft de aangifteplicht van bepaalde misdrijven gepleegd op minderjarigen of kwetsbare personen.”

de beroepsgeheimplichtige torpedo

Beroepsgeheimplichtigen steigeren, en komen op initiatief van de “Ligue Bruxelloise Francophone pour la Santé Mentale” (Franstalige Brusselse Liga voor Geestelijke Gezondheid) samen in een open brief op 28/04/2025, die werd aangepast op 28/05/2025, waarin zij eisen dat hun beroepsgeheim blijft bestaan. Geen meldingsplicht van seksueel geweld op minderjarigen aub !

De waslijst aan aangewende misplaatste excuses is een walgelijke spiegel van het omerta fenomeen waar seksueel misbruik op minderjarigen tot op vandaag systemisch aan onderhevig is in onze maatschappij. De boodschap van de hulpverleners is duidelijk: zwijg en onderga, wij niet-slachtoffers weten het beter.

Een week voordat het parlement het wetsvoorstel zou beginnen behandelen, barst de hel los in de pers. De belangen van de beroepsgeheimplichtigen worden gehuld in een vermeend belang te zwijgen bij (seksueel) geweld op minderjarigen.

de toekomst van het wetsvoorstel ?

Het parlement moet voor zulks door henzelf belangrijk en dringend bevonden onderwerp toch tonen dat ze iets doet.

De commissie justitie startte de werkzaamheden rond het wetsvoorstel op 24/06/2025, 5 jaar nadat het parlement vond dat het een “uiterst belangrijk voorstel dat een behandeling in de commissie voor Justitie verdient” en dankzij de CD&V naar de Griekse kalender verwezen werd.

De week erop, op 01/07/2025 bij de regeling van de werkzaamheden in de commissie wordt gedurende 15 minuten beslist tot hoorzittingen en schriftelijke adviezen. Er wordt gevraagd om namen aan het secretariaat door te geven, en men zou kijken wie al of niet beschikbaar zou zijn voor advies. De spanningen tussen politieke fracties wordt duidelijk voor wie tussen de lijnen kan lezen.

De uiteindelijke lijst van adviezen die het parlement zou solliciteren werd opgevraagd, en door het secretariaat van de commissie geweigerd. Geen publieke participatie (pottenkijkers in de ogen van het parlement) aub !

Hoorzittingen

Op 23/09/2025 werden gehoord:

• Nicolaas Vinckier, vertegenwoordiger van de Orde van Vlaamse Balies;
• Jean-Noël Bastenière, vertegenwoordiger van avocats.be;
• Patricia Innaurato en Isabelle Soenen, vertegenwoordigers van het College van de hoven en rechtbanken;
• Tom Goffin, professor aan de UGent;
• Benoît Dejemeppe, voorzitter, en Michel Deneyer, vice-voorzitter van de Orde der artsen;
• Tim Stroobants, directeur van het Vlaams Expertisecentrum Kindermishandeling.

Op 30/09/2025 werden gehoord:

• Christelle Trifaux en Valérie Devis, vertegenwoordigsters van de “Conseil Communautaire de la Prévention, de l'Aide à la Jeunesse et de la Protection de la Jeunesse”;
• Solayman Laqdim, “Délégué général aux droits de l’enfant”;
• Caroline Vrijens, Kinderrechtencommissaris;
• Isabelle Gilain, vertegenwoordigster van “SOS Enfants”;
• Céline Nieuwenhuys, secretaris-generaal van de “Fédération des Services Sociaux”.

De commissie wordt in deze hoorzittingen een bijna unaniem schaamteloos “experten” pleidooi voorgeschoteld ten voordele van de omerta. Nergens is het “te veel dossiers waarin werd gezwegen en niks gedaan werd” waarmee het wetsvoorstel werd ingediend te bespeuren. De experten zullen het wel beter weten …

Tijdens de hoorzittingen halen de experten tal van rechten door elkaar, en wordt een ware omerta mayonnaise, zonder dewelke de friet niet Belgisch is, geserveerd. De rechten en angsten van vrouwen en hulpverleners staan centraal. Het belang van misbruikte kinderen en slachtoffers is duidelijk ondergeschikt aan die van de volwassenen praxis.

Wat sinds dien?

Sinds deze hoorzittingen is het volstrekt stil, en blijven nieuwe gevallen van misbruik voortschrijdend verder gaan. Nu spreken schaakmat staat in functie van de “professionals”, is er weinig tot geen reden voor het parlement om iets aan de omerta te doen, tot … de volgende woede uitbarsting van het volk het probleem nogmaals op de agenda plaatst, om zoals gebruikelijk evensnel weer te verdwijnen.

Nochtans, Koen Geens over het onderwerp:

“Dat hoeft niet klikken te heten. Dat hoeft zorgen voor anderen te zijn. De angst dat wanneer men klikt het onmiddellijk gepenaliseerd wordt is natuurlijk een van de grote redenen waarom het ook niet gebeurt in veel gevallen.”

“later, wanneer een kreupele oude man met een rollator naar de beklaagde bank klimt, en men zegt hij is nog toerekeningsvatbaar… Dat is wat wij doen. Met overtuiging. En met verwijt. Vooral aan de anderen.”

De verplichte aanpak

De aanpak van de oorsprong van het probleem is nochtans de eenvoud zelve:

• spreekplicht voor alle beroepsgeheimplichtigen, en dus voor iedereen in de samenleving zonder “beroepsverschuiling”;
• bescherming en ondersteuning van slachtoffers en hulpverleners;
• persoonlijke verantwoordelijkheid voor schuldig verzuim, in bijzonder voor schuldig verzuim uitgaande van (de almacht van) procureurs.

Deze drie samen zijn essentieel. Over deze verplichtingen van de Staat wordt van zodra wij daar tijd voor kunnen vrijmaken gepubliceerd.

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alle informatie op deze site, zoals maar niet beperkt tot documenten en/of audio-opnames en/of video-opnames en/of foto's, is gemaakt en/of verzameld en gepubliceerd in het belang van gerechtigheid, samenleving en het Universele Recht op Waarheid

children for status is een onafhankelijk collectief dat schuldig verzuim door de Staat ten aanzien van seksueel geweld op minderjarigen en kinderhandel oplossingsgericht documenteert en aanklaagt

To recap, in my neighborhood, we used to pay $50 per month for CDD fees and also $50 per month for HOA fees. As of January 2026, the HOA fees are $103 per month. There are 717 homes here.

• 717 x $103/month = Holy shit! We’re rich!

Back when I attended that one meeting, I learned that only 40% of the homeowners in the community paid the HOA fees (and this was before the neighborhood was complete). OMG! How did we survive in this community? And what became of the people who were not paying their fees?

When you close on your home, you also get your 150-page HOA document and you become part of a club…or maybe it is a gang. Usually when you join a club/gang, it is to reap benefits for yourself by having a large entity fight on your behalf for the things you want and need. Think workers unions. Alternatively, you could join a club-gang in order to boost your self esteem and have the backing of others to hate on a bully other people who you deem lesser than yourself. Think of the KKK. But do you ever envision yourself joining a clubgang that you pay into that will fight you?

Everything is dandy while you are part of the in group:

• You have a nice lawn that you run your water bill up with and poison the earth with chemicals.
• You attend the neighborhood holiday events accepting Jello shots from strangers who could poison you or maybe they have cats on the kitchen counter.
• You workout in the gym, wiping down the equipment and leaving things neat and orderly.
• You shower, then swim in the pool and don’t leave condoms and diapers in or around the jacuzzi.
• You roll your neighbors garbage bins from out the street where the trash collector dropped them two feet from the curb.
• You walk around the neighborhood, smiling at suspected serial killers and people who would live somewhere “nicer” and more homogeneous if they could.

And then you run into a snag, or two snags, or threes snags, or continuous snags in your life and you turn into enemy of the State, I mean, HOA. Your HOA is not your advocate nor your friend even when they declare in an e-mail:

The board is not above nor below the community we are one.

They can and will use their resources, I mean your resources, to fight against you.

10 Must-Have Spring Outfits to Elevate Your Aesthetic

Discover 10 Must-Have Spring Outfits to Elevate Your Aesthetic. Refresh your wardrobe with these on-trend looks and stand out this season! Spring is the season of renewal, and your wardrobe deserves the same fresh start. As temperatures rise and layers get lighter, spring outfits become all about balance comfort meets style, simplicity meets personality. Whether your aesthetic leans minimalist, romantic, edgy, or effortlessly chic, the right outfits can instantly elevate your look.

In this guide, we break down 10 must-have spring outfits that are timeless, versatile, and perfectly aligned with current fashion trends. These outfit ideas are easy to mix and match, making them ideal for everyday wear, weekends, workdays, and social outings.

1. Tailored Blazer with a Fitted Tank and Straight-Leg Jeans

A structured blazer instantly elevates any spring outfit. Pair it with a neutral fitted tank and classic straight-leg jeans for a polished yet relaxed aesthetic. This look works well for casual office days, coffee dates, or city strolls.

Style tip: Choose lightweight fabrics like linen or cotton blends to keep the outfit breathable.

2. Flowing Midi Dress with Minimal Sneakers

A midi dress is a spring essential that blends femininity with ease. Opt for soft florals, muted pastels, or solid neutral tones. Pair it with clean, minimal sneakers for a modern, effortless vibe.

Why it works: This outfit transitions seamlessly from daytime errands to casual evening plans.

3. Oversized Button-Down Shirt with Tailored Shorts

An oversized button-down shirt brings a relaxed aesthetic, while tailored shorts keep the outfit refined. This combination is perfect for warmer spring days when you want comfort without sacrificing style.

Color ideas: White, light blue, beige, or subtle stripes for a timeless look.

4. Lightweight Knit Sweater with a Slip Skirt

Spring weather can be unpredictable, making light knitwear essential. Pair a thin sweater with a satin or silk slip skirt for a balanced contrast between cozy and sleek.

Aesthetic boost: Stick to monochrome or soft neutral palettes for an elevated, fashion-forward feel.

5. Cropped Jacket with High-Waisted Trousers

A cropped jacket adds structure and visual interest to your outfit. Combined with high-waisted trousers, it creates a flattering silhouette that feels modern and intentional.

Perfect for: Casual work settings, brunch, or travel days.

6. Classic White T-Shirt with Wide-Leg Pants

Simple does not mean boring. A high-quality white t-shirt paired with wide-leg pants creates a clean, minimalist spring outfits that feels effortlessly stylish.

Fabric matters: Choose breathable, well-fitted materials to keep the look crisp and refined.

7. Matching Co-Ord Set

Co-ord sets are one of the easiest ways to look put together with minimal effort. Whether it’s a knit set, linen set, or printed matching outfit, co-ords are ideal for spring layering and styling.

Versatility tip: Wear the pieces together or style them separately to maximize your wardrobe.

8. Denim Jacket with a Soft Maxi Dress

A denim jacket remains a spring staple year after year. Layer it over a flowing maxi dress to add structure and warmth during cooler mornings and evenings.

Aesthetic appeal: This combination blends casual and romantic elements effortlessly.

9. Neutral Trench Coat with a Simple Base Outfit

A lightweight trench coat is a must-have outer layer for spring. Throw it over a simple outfit like a t-shirt and trousers or a knit dress to instantly elevate your aesthetic.

Why it stands out: Trench coats add timeless sophistication without overpowering your look.

10. Statement Top with Classic Denim

Sometimes all you need is one standout piece. A statement top—whether it features unique textures, sleeves, or subtle detailing—paired with classic denim creates a balanced, eye-catching spring outfit.

Style balance: Keep accessories minimal to let the top take center stage.

How to Elevate Your Spring Aesthetic Effortlessly

To make the most of these spring outfit ideas, focus on a few key principles:

• Prioritize quality fabrics for better fit and longevity

• Stick to a cohesive color palette that reflects your personal style

• Mix timeless basics with trend-driven pieces

• Pay attention to proportions and layering

• Choose versatile outfits that can be styled multiple ways

Final Thoughts

Building a spring wardrobe doesn’t require constant trend-chasing. With these 10 must-have spring outfits, you can elevate your aesthetic while staying comfortable, confident, and true to your personal style. The key is thoughtful combinations, well-chosen basics, and a few standout pieces that make your outfits feel intentional.

Spring is your opportunity to refresh, refine, and express your style—one outfit at a time.

6 January 2026

Green wood: Originally conceived as an enlarging and flattening of a small scene reflected in a bulbous green vase at my new Wood Green house. Learned that “green wood” is the phrase for freshly-chopped wood that hasn't dried out yet (nice alignment with a cut flower stem). Floating feeling of little lights traveling from a surface tension to darker depths. But the painting itself became about dueling material impulses. Thick application versus thin staining, muted tones versus the strong light source(s), measured marks versus ones made with physical momentum. Palette indebted to Joe Brainard's Whippoorwill (1974, the one at The Met). A close examination of that painting, at least from what I can glean in reproduction, reveals a careful, considered back and forth between the warmth of the early layers and the cool topmost ones. The eye also boomerangs across the composition—controlling and playing with that movement is a way to work. And at the bottom of the image, the brown masses that are the floor and the sofa frame sandwich the loveliest slivers of color in the tiny space between them—I hoped something similar would happen in my work, and I think it kind of did in a more obvious way with some red watercolor peeking through. That handling of color, of restrained use in small space, is attractive and something in itself. Happened in On diversion too.

Night Salmon

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