It’s important to have an outlet when you’re indignant. Otherwise, the feeling can fester and intensify. The next thing you know, you’re throwing an adult temper tantrum at Toys ‘R Us and being labelled a “Karen” by internet commenters. It’s not a good look.

There are plenty of outlets for indignancy: Exercise, smashing unneeded objects, meditation, yoga. One of my favourite outlets, though, is watching other people vocalize their indignancy. This probably isn’t very healthy — but it’s oddly cathartic. Somehow, watching someone say what I wish I could say to the world around me — consequence-free — is almost as good as the real thing. And it’s certainly cheaper than therapy.

Here are my go-to videos that help me “cool off:”

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If two individual things are pleasurable, why not do both simultaneously?

That’s the thinking behind what I’ll call “pleasure pairing.” It’s something I do often — sometimes without knowing.

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Since time immemorial, most humans have been preoccupied with survival.

Day in, and day out, they toiled to meet their immediate needs: Food, water, shelter.

I’m fortunate enough to have ample food, water, and a roof over my head. In fact, if I play my cards right, those immediate needs will be covered indefinitely with very little effort on my part. But as you ascend the hierarchy of needs, one’s goals become less explicable and easily defined. And now, for the umpteenth time, I face a weighty question: Where is this all headed?

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Over the last few months, I’ve been trying to reconnect with the things in life that have brought me joy, peace, and comfort. Angelic women — or women in general — is one of them.

These women are “angelic” because, at various times in my life, they’ve arrived unexpectedly and uplifted me through radiant compassion and kindness — particularly in times of need.

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Let’s say you’re facing two doorways to two separate rooms. You have to enter one room, but you can’t enter both.

Room One

Room One contains guaranteed suffering. If you enter Room One, you will suffer, but the degree and duration of that suffering is random and varies. You could be beaten, raped, or tortured one-hundred times over. Alternatively, you might just have a small nagging pain in your elbow. This collective suffering might last five seconds or the rest of your life. You won’t know. However, you also have a chance of receiving small, pleasurable rewards, which are also random and vary in frequency and number. You might get ice cream, a funny dancing monkey, or a pleasant song. At the very least, you might receive moments of respite from the suffering.

To summarize, Room One contains:

• Guaranteed, but undetermined suffering
• Possibility of receiving small, pleasurable rewards
• Possibility of receiving moments of respite from the suffering

Room Two

Room Two contains guaranteed nothingness and safety from suffering. It’s empty. Modern science has no reason to believe that anything will happen to you in there. You will not suffer. You won’t experience any uncomfortable or comfortable sensations.

To summarize, Room Two contains:

• Guaranteed nothingness
• Safety from suffering

Which do you choose?

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