When I’m in survival, everything flips.

I take before I give.

I perform before I participate.

I ask what I can get before I ask what I can offer.

It feels smart.

Protect first.

Secure first.

Win first.

The pattern doesn’t reward it.

Taking gives me a spike.

A hit.

A quick proof that I matter.

Then it fades.

I want another, and another.

It never settles.

Giving works differently.

When I contribute.

I feel a part of.

What can I get is about me.

What can I give is about us.

My experience has shown me that

the pattern doesn’t care what I prefer.

It doesn’t bend because taking feels safer.

When I take, I fragment,

something.

When I align, I become,

a part of something.

I don’t make the patterns.

I observe them.

I offer those observations

for your consideration.