Curated desire is something I know too well—the thrill of refining preferences, the pride of “knowing better,” the small rush of feeling elevated by what I can consume,
Curated desire can make me act like my life is improved by the label, the rarity, the price tag, the story behind the bottle, the origin behind the bean, or the brand behind the thing,
And curated desire could ask me, when I’m honest, do I love the pleasure itself—or do I love the identity it gives me, the feeling of being someone with “standards”,
But curated desire is also telling me, I can enjoy what I enjoy without turning it into a crown I wear to feel important…
Just a filter is the blunt truth that humbles me, because no matter how expensive the drink or how curated the meal, it still passes through my body the same way,
Just a filter reminds me that I’m not transformed into greatness by what I swallow but I’m just a simply a human body, tasting and releasing, tasting and releasing,
And just a filter is asking me, if the end result is the same, why do I chase more and more as if quantity will finally make me fully satisfied and whole,
But just kind a filter telling me, I can let this truth strip away the illusion that consumption is an accomplishment…
The polished disguise of ego is when success turns into a new kind of insecurity, where I start chasing finer and finer things to prove I’ve grown up, arrived, or become “somebody”,
The polished disguise of ego is when I judge people quietly, when I compare tastes, when I feel superior because I know the right brands, the right terms, the right “vintage,” the right gear,
And this polished disguise of ego asks me, is this pleasure still pleasure—or did it become a performance I must keep feeding to feel safe in my identity,
But the polished disguise of ego tells me, I can step out of performance and return to simple enjoyment without needing to rank myself…
More isn’t better is a sentence my cravings hate, because cravings always promise the next thing will finally satisfy what the last thing couldn’t,
More isn’t better reminds me that a hundred experiences don’t automatically equal a meaningful life, especially if I’m using them to avoid my feelings,
And more isn’t better asks me, what if the hunger I keep feeding isn’t hunger for pleasure, but hunger for worth and belonging,
But more isn’t better tells me, I can stop confusing consumption with self-love, and start giving myself what I truly need…
Watchwords:
• Pleasure is not identity
• Consumption is not achievement
• I don’t need “more” to be enough
• Simple joy is still joy
• I release the snob trap
Here is Tikatarot, who dares you to answer the question, “Who am I?”..
As and will always be reminding you to dream:
