Konpen V2

“Reading the words of those who have come before me, I know them. You, reading this. I know you, too. You are me. That is who this book finds. I have been alone my whole life. I have been surrounded by my hive, yet I have been alone. That is okay, I now know. It is acceptable to have your own thoughts, your own mind, despite what they say. But it is also acceptable to be alone and want the strength of the hive. There is no shame in that. No contradiction. That is what this book attempts. To make a hive of those who will never cross paths, except in these pages. Yet sometimes this book is not enough. You sometimes want more. You want to belong. Again, there is no shame. There is no shame in wanting to be alone yet also wanting the comfort and the strength of your brethren. But more importantly, there is no shame in wanting to protect those who are your hive, even if you never knew them. For they are yours, and they are being taken. It is us or it is them. There is consolation in dying in the pursuit of justice, no matter how small or big that death is.”
― Matt Dinniman, The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

“The stars don’t decide your future. All they do is help you choose one for yourself.”
― Mai Mochizuki, The Full Moon Coffee Shop

“Sometimes, if you want to be compassionate towards others, you have to be kind to yourself first. If you obsess too much over the restrictions you’ve placed on yourself, you’ll lose sight of what you really want. Instead, liberate yourself. Embrace who you really are.”
― Mai Mochizuki, The Full Moon Coffee Shop

“In Mongolia, when a dog dies, he is buried high in the hills so people cannot walk on his grave. The dog’s master whispers into the dog’s ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life. Then his tail is cut off and put beneath his head, and a piece of meat or fat is placed in his mouth to sustain his soul on its journey; before he is reincarnated, the dog’s soul is freed to travel the land, to run across the high desert plains for as long as it would like.”
― Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain