Working “996” 💰

In China this April, a 31-year-old former factory worker named Luo Huazhong drew the curtains and crawled into bed. Then he posted a picture of himself there to the Chinese website Baidu along with a message: “Lying Flat Is Justice.”

By June, American news outlets were describing the “lying flat” trend as a natural consequence of China’s hypercompetitive middle-class culture, where employees often report working “996” weeks — 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week — a lifestyle praised by the founder of the online shopping giant Alibaba, Jack Ma, and other captains of commerce.

Painted in Acrylic, digitalized for products

Not only work can be a false idol, but many other desires too. Having a perfect body is a good example, or acquiring a bigger house. Goals we constantly seek can be compared to the golden statues of Scriptures. It takes integrity to revise these false idols, but at the end we prefer to have done it. Or at least I do 😁

LINKS

https://JAMPaintings.redbubble.com I get 30% commission

Work Out and Chill? 🤸🏻‍♂️

I like chilling around in places. I will eventually learn how to work out while chilling, something I have always wanted. Cool temperature workouts may be the answer for those who want to exercise without swimming in sweaty clothes.

After Working Out – For Sale as a trading NFT, here

Gyms are not the place to do nothing. Do Catholics think results come from work, like in gyms? There is a debate on this. I usually find myself in extra efforts even when not intended; even if extra-efforts does not guarantee a gain. Catholics of history won’t deny work (and maybe neither working out). Saint Paul (almost an apostle) used to work at night, so as to serve during the day. Saint Joseph, patron of workers, was a carpenter. No to say Jesus -who followed his example- and who in many issues held a distinct opinion. Work and working out or chill and do nothing, will always be debatable.

LINKS

https://JAMPaintings.redbubble.com I get 30% commission

Guatemala immigrant’s dream 🏃🏻‍♂️

They left behind homes and families toward an uncertain future crossing the border. Unfortunately, their 13 bodies (of migrants from Comitancillo, Guatemala) were found dead in the back of a pickup truck in Tamaulipas, Mexico 😔 . “It was the worst case so far”, Ms. Aguilón said 👮🏻‍♀️ and hopefully won’t repeat.

Conditions are not always the better. For many migrants who leave Central America, like those from the municipality of Comitancillo, the goal is to reach the United States, find work, save some money and send some back home.

Today I am enjoying coffee in a palm-tree cup I made myself. It turn out a nice invention. This is a new different activity –to enter the sales world– with no other purpose than designing and hopefully finding a buyer:

Like in the case of migrants, not everyday the best situations happen, not to mention the difficulties of crossing the border. Life is not perfect. There are good moments, and bad ones. As an artist. I tried to express the hard-times-feeling in this artwork:

One of those days is available digitally, as an NFT

Most of this matters are minor issues compared to the important responsibilities of embracing Catholic faith. We are limited, with a limited time on earth. So let us consider a correct scope. As Carl Sagan said, we are just pale blue dots in the universe¹.

In every journey in this world–in or outside the frontier– risks abound. Like those marabouts that teach in Senegal👨🏻‍🏫, not everything is pink and purple as in infant unicorn tales 🦄.

LINKS

1 The pale blue dot, Carl Sagan (youTube video)