🌿 Sensory overload can affect anyone when they are overwhelmed by many types of stimuli, like sounds, visual details, or tactile sensations. For me, as someone with ADHD, this sensitivity is particularly strong. My ability to filter out distractions and focus on what’s important is often limited, which makes the effects of sensory overload even worse.

I often find myself in situations that seem completely normal to others but are overwhelming for me. The habits and expectations of those around me frequently clash with my own challenges and needs. Additionally, there are often biases, a lack of empathy, and a reluctance to understand my perspective and reality.

It would make a big difference if there was more willingness to recognize and understand my viewpoint.

Some might claim that it doesn’t matter what others think, but they overlook the fact that these attitudes directly impact my quality of life and the opportunities available to me. I do my best to make the most of what life offers to meet my needs. I accept that certain areas may be closed off to me because I have to, not because I believe it is right or good. Some things are like the weather because you can't really control them and you have to learn to dance in the rain.

I was excluded from my family because I did not meet their expectations, did not allow myself to be controlled and therefore appeared to be a threat.

The expulsion of an unwanted member by a family or group demonstrates strength and unity by elevating themselves above the expelled member.

False accusations are used to discredit the member and prevent them from gaining recognition or influence in another group. This tactic protects the original group from potential threats and strengthens its cohesion and power structure by avoiding internal conflicts and external hostile relations.

Evolution: Already in early tribal societies, expulsion was a pragmatic solution to safeguard the tribe. Instead of killing the member or keeping them nearby, which could provoke internal revenge acts and external threats, they just were banished. This allowed the expelled individual to seek a new existence in distant regions while minimizing the direct threat to the tribe and ensuring internal stability.

These behavioral patterns follow certain rules that have proven effective over the course of evolution to ensure the survival and stability of groups.

This is well described by anthropological, historical and social-psychological findings, and in its modern form still takes place today. But also the existence of alternative behaviors and ways of resolving conflicts.

Schopenhauer argued that human morality is often shaped by selfish motives and prejudices, and that human behavior in many cases is not fundamentally different from the behavior of animals.

There are groups that welcome my characteristics. They have a different culture and conduct internal disputes constructively. The fact that I was excluded says nothing about my qualities, but more about the inability of others to accept and love me as I am.

When opportunities for a new "tribal affiliation" arise, I address the reasons openly because I set the standard for what kind of treatment I will accept. Honesty and independence are more important to prevent experiencing the same negative situations in a new group that would again cost personal resources.

🐝 Busy like a bumblebee!

🌻 At 13, while living in a children’s home, I took the initiative to find my first job at a garden center, working a few hours each week, becoming the youngest in my family to seek and find employment independently. At 14, I moved to Hessen to live with my father and at 15 began working as a newspaper carrier, a job I held until I was 17. By then, I had completed internships as a bank clerk, gardener, and zookeeper. I also started teaching myself web programming and image editing at 14, followed by two internships at an advertising agency. By 22, I had completed my training as an IT specialist and by 23, I was active in local politics, serving on the board of a political youth organization for three years.

🧱 Due to health issues and related prejudices, finding jobs was challenging. For example, I worked as a deputy team leader in a security archive and also took on night shifts at a conveyor belt sorting station, despite the strain on my health due to the sensory overstimulation (ADHD). I also hold a forklift license and other certifications in warehousing and logistics, and have the endurance to handle more than 20,000 packages a day.

👾 Meanwhile, I earned professional qualifications in marketing and media design and now work as a full stack web developer and designer for print and digital media.

🌿 Despite unfounded accusations of laziness or drug use, I have never had the means or social context for regular drug use. I don't even drink alcohol. I have no criminal record, and ADHD is not a psychotic illness. I enjoy nature, photographing animals and plants, and pursuing my interests. When faced with accusations, I see them as reflections of others’ deficiencies, not my own worth.

🌊 Haven of Serenity

🏝 The sloths were generated with FLUX AI. The environment and some sloth details were created with Adobe Firefly. I spent quite a long time on it. I wanted it to be completely AI generated and that doesn't always do what it's supposed to.

🏗 Originally, when I generated it with FLUX, the sloths were in a kind of metal container in a mechanical setting. I gave the image some longing, warmth and fantasy, but also subtle contrasts.

Initial prompts: FLUX AI
Enhancement: Adobe Firefly AI

Just walking around 🦋🌾☀️

🕳 The Lone Shoveler 🕳

I generated the character with FLUX AI and then created a landscape using Adobe Firefly in Photoshop.

Mutagenic Sloth Clockwork 🕰🦥

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🐌 Lazily ceated with
🤖 AI image generator:

Initial prompts: FLUX AI

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With FLUX you can create very realistic images. Like many AI image generators, it still has a few small problems with the number of body parts. This has to do with the way it works, but progress is being made. Modern AI models are based on complex neural networks. These networks work on different levels of abstraction to recognize and combine patterns. The program does not count, but recognizes a probable pattern in the context of the specification and environment.

A few years ago I introduced you to Google's Deepdream. A neural network that hallucinated objects into images based on training data in several runs. The basic principle has remained essentially the same since then, although the underlying technology and the ability to generate more realistic images has developed considerably.

Modern AI models work iteratively to create increasingly realistic images by building on and refining previous results. In several runs - now with huge training data and a targeted context - more and more is 'hallucinated'. The limbs are partially shaped like a back, which is why it sometimes recognizes a sloth where there is actually a sloth arm.

Bioculture: While inspiration from biological systems played a role, technology has developed in a direction that goes far beyond what could be considered a direct replica of the nervous system. It is an exciting world full of unimagined possibilities.

🧩 Although we humans tend to divide the world into clear categories and fixed boundaries, our true strength lies in our diversity. Our species, rich in different traits and personalities, embodies the principle that makes life in all its forms successful: diversity. Each of us is unique, whether through our appearance, preferences, or emotions. We choose different words, react differently to joy or sorrow, and our relationships are as individual as we are.

☄️ Moreover, we are adaptable – what we like today may seem strange to us tomorrow. This continuous change reminds us that our attempts to organize the world into categories must always be open to expansion and adaptation. Instead of rigid boundaries, we need flexible frameworks that allow space for the unexpected.

🦖 However, understanding and appreciating diversity doesn’t mean we must accept everything indiscriminately. It's equally important to set clear boundaries and make decisions that align with our values and well-being. In dealing with others, we might approach each person with empathy and an open mind, but also with the wisdom to know when to stand firm and when to be flexible. True connection and growth come from balancing acceptance of others with respect for our own needs and principles.

Siblings playing in the forest 🦋🌲✨️

🐌 Lazily ceated with
🤖 AI image generator:

Initial prompts: FLUX AI
Enhancement: Adobe Firefly AI

Power of Deviation (2024)

Deviation or variation plays a central role in nature. Mathematical and physical structures, like circles and spirals, often arise from the interplay of forces and deviations from linear processes.

A circle, for example, results from a constant deviation from a straight line at a certain angle. A spiral extends this by showing a continuous change in radius, resulting from a consistent deviation in direction and distance from the center. These forms are mathematically intriguing and ubiquitous in nature - from planetary orbits to seashell patterns.

However, it’s important to recognize that our universe is not a fractal. A fractal shows self-similarity, with patterns repeating at every scale. If our universe were a perfect fractal, these patterns would be consistent across all levels. But reality is far more complex and less predictable. The universe exhibits immense diversity and irregularity, both in large-scale structures and smaller details. These irregularities appear in the distribution of galaxies, the structure of nebulae, and variations in the cosmic microwave background radiation.

These deviations and resulting structures show that the universe is dynamic and constantly in flux, with small changes leading to complex and often beautiful patterns. The absence of a fractal pattern in the universe highlights the importance of irregularities and deviations in shaping its structure and dynamics. This lack of uniformity is necessary for the emergence and evolution of structures in the cosmos.

Thus, the non-fractal nature of the universe supports the idea that irregularities and deviations are essential for the development and complexity of the cosmos. They enable structures to form, evolve, and diversify, making the universe a dynamic, living system in constant evolution. The true creativity and richness of the universe lie in these irregularities, allowing for new possibilities and ensuring that the cosmos is ever-changing and full of surprises.